Facebook

Ever looked at your FB page from the eyes of a stranger? Talk about putting your best face forward. Or is it foot? I'm not good at knowing the right words for "sayings".

Anyway...a friend I haven't seen in probably 16 or more years found me recently on FB. I was looking through her pages and didn't see any pics of her parents or sister. So I went to my FB photos and realized she wouldn't see any pics of mine either. THEN I realized I don't think I have a picture of me and my siblings, and I certainly don't have pics of my kids at my grandparents' homes. (They all still live in the homes where I grew up visiting as a child.)

So the idea of a trip was born that morning at 3:30am through the tears streaming down my face at the joy of still having all 4 grandparents and the sadness that it's been too long since we've been to see them. I told Brian I wanted to take the kids on a spring break trip. Then I backed out. Then it was on again.

We--me alone with the kids--drove almost 1700 miles over 7 days and 6 nights. We stayed with John and Emily in Shreveport for 2 nights and Anna and Stephen in Lufkin, TX, for 2. Dad met us at Grandma and Granfus Pruitt's in Crowley, LA, the next night, where I also spent time with my cousin Christopher as well as Aunt Sandra, Uncle Banks, and their daughter Alicia. The last night was spent in Baton Rouge with Grammy and PawPaw Glass. There are only 3 people in my entire extended family I didn't see on this trip--my Uncle John and his son Sam, and Chris's brother Charles.

It was an important trip for many reasons, and a trip I'll always remember. I mean I used to do "crazy" things like take road trips for fun more-or-less on the spur of the moment...but that was college. I did this ALL BY MYSELF with 4 kids, ages 2-7. So it was also a personal accomplishment; I've still got it in me to have fun--and fun with my kids in a not-so-mom kind of way.

More stories later, along with pictures.

And thanks to Miah. You started it all. :)