Out of Town

I slipped away with our kids Thursday and Friday to go visit my family in Cookeville.

I had checked the calendar and found that for the next four weeks, there wouldn't be a chance to get out of Dodge at all. Spur-of-the-moment, I packed us up and left.

Bruce hardly missed us. He has his classes on Thursday night, and we were back in time for supper at his parents' house on Friday.

It was a short visit, but a good one.

Grandpa is doing well. He needed a haircut, but his barber was recently injured and isn't back to work yet. I told grandpa I'd use his razor and shave his head, but he declined. Although he has very little hair, he is apparently tied to the appearance of it atop his head.



Grandpa seems like his peppy self, just slower... because of his need to use the walker now. Every now and again, he gets impatient at how much slower he has to go and I'd watch him push it aside and walk a little on his own.

This old age business is for the birds when you see an independent, cantankerous soul take it on.

While there, we loaded up the van with my dad driving and me stuffed in the back seat beside Clay. Grandpa rode shotgun, and his walker was stowed in the back of the van. We headed to Helen's to eat supper.

Helen's is a country-cooking style restaurant that has been my grandpa's haunt for more years than I can recall. But he hasn't been there since before he got sick way back in March. I think he enjoyed the outing.

When we got back home, my brother and his wife and kids were home, so all of our kids got to play outside in the thick humidity.

My mom just got high-speed internet hooked up on her computer in Germany, so I'm going to post a bunch of pictures for her now of most of her grandkids.

Within minutes of having Evan's Jeep powerwheels out of my brother's garage, my kids had hijacked it.



But Evan quickly hopped aboard.



Wyatt was hard to catch on camera at first. He was hopping and jumping all over the yard. I snatched this shot when he collapsed... for a brief moment.



Loved this one of Terry and Jennifer's boys.



Big brother Evan.



Little brother Wyatt.



Another one of Wyatt. He had played with his car in the gravel on grandpa's garage floor and then swiped at the sweat on his face. I can't resist a picture of a dirty, sweaty little fella. All boy!



Couldn't resist this one either, of my best poser.



This is my grandpa's dinner bell. Actually, it's my grandma's dinner bell. It's attached to the deck of grandpa's house. Grandma used to ring it when lunch or supper was ready and grandpa was working in the fields. Come and get it! I love this bell. Rust included.



This one proves that even if the day is full of strife, at the very least I can expect my boys to show some love in sleep.



This was my first chance to use our new camera. I love it!

We came back quickly from Cookeville so we could spend time with Bruce's brother Bryan and his family who were in for a short blitz visit, too. I meant to take the camera over there as well, and take shots of some more beautiful models (better known as cousins). But, I forgot the camera at home.

Please say a prayer for my friend JoElla who is recovering in the hospital following an emergency appendectomy.

Have a blessed Sunday!