We left bright and early on the 1st, and drove as far as Columbia, MO. There's a certain motel we stay in every time, because it's right next to a Cracker Barrel. We do looove Cracker Barrel's food! The only glitch of the evening was a family get-together at the motel. Some folks were having a reunion or something, and EVERYONE was staying at our motel. They were enjoying each other's company quite a bit...especially around 12:30 in the morning! Then, after that quieted down, the people in the room above us decided to do their morning drill routine at 5 a.m. Not marching, folks. STOMPING! Wow, was it loud!
We made it the rest of the way to my mom and dad's without incident. When we arrived, my sister (from Colorado) and her family were there, too. My kids and hubby finally got to meet Isaiah and a niece's husband...and we all got to meet miss Elyssa. Let me tell you, the kids are even cuter in person!
The next day, the whole crew was together. The only family member unable to be there was my brother-in-law from Colorado. We missed him! And we all had such a good time together. That afternoon, several of us made the journey into Greensburg. I have to tell you, the residents are making great progress. But it's still very hard to be there. It's just so surreal. It's never going to be the same again...
The next day, we went into Mullinville, the town where I attended school K-12, for the all-schoo
l reunion. It was also the 125th anniversary of Mullinville! We watched the parade (my youngest son got pocketfuls of candy!), and spent time seeing people I hadn't seen in over 20 years. It was really great to get back in touch with so many people. Being from a small town, we were all like a big, extended family. So, it was almost as if I had two family reunions this weekend!I spent most of that afternoon with my cousin Sandy. Sandy and I grew up together, and have always been close friends. We even roomed together in college. That was precious time to me, to reunite with her and catch up on life. Later in the afternoon, we walked through the high school together, noting changes...and things that never change.
That evening, after a hamburger fry put on by the local volunteer fire department, we got to enjoy the fireworks. It was neat seeing my whole family (except the one brother-in-law) enjoying the fireworks together!
Sunday was a bit of a "down time" day. After we all returned from church and had lunch, it was NAP TIME! :o) We did have some late afternoon visits from relatives and friends, but overall, it was a pretty quiet day.
Monday (6th) was another busy day. The Colorado crew came and visited again, as we were all heading back to our respective corners of the country the next day.
The trip back home was pretty uneventful, too. We always stop in St. Charles, MO, on our way home. It is a really neat area. If you're ever in St. Louis, you should definitely check out the historic district in St. Charles. The river area is especially worth visiting, if you're a history buff!
We arrived back home on Wed., July 8th, exhausted, but rejuvenated and full of new memories made. Thank you all for your prayers. God truly watched over us!
As a side note, check out my hubby's blog. He is doing a neat devotional series right now over at One Pilgrim.
4 comments:
What a wonderful time you had and I did remember to pray for that!
It made me nostalgic for the times I spent summer vacation in my mother's small town (pop 1000) of Bloomfield, NE. Now there is no family left there at all, sad to say, but it would be nice to just go back and see it even if I don't know anyone any more!
Welcome back, Joni!
blessings and hugs,
marcy
Hey Joni, sounds like a fun vacation. I want to do that too. This year we'll just stay home and finish the gazebo I've been working on or neary a year. (Winter) Anyway, I have to disagree with onething...the folks in Greensburg WILL get back to normal. It takes a long time, but they will get back o being themselvesw more every year that they are removed from the storm. They will never forget, but they will return to themselves. I worl a lot of disasters and work o a lot of recovery teams and people always come back. God heals. Good to read your blog, I will check your hubby's soon, but right now I gotta get some sleep. C-ya, David
ahhh... It's so good to make new memories while remembering the old. I'm so glad your trip went so well.
Thanks to you all for your thoughts and prayers.
David, I know what you mean. And you're right. The people are coming back. They have incredible fortitude, and that "rebuild, whatever it takes" attitude. What I guess I meant, though, was that the town will never be the same for me personally. Every place that was a place of memories for me, simply no longer exists. They can rebuild it...but it won't be the same.
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