Vacation Update

We left for vacation in Arizona on July 3rd. It took us 12 hours and we only stopped twice! Jesse was a great driver and I wasn't even nervous, which is a minor miracle. It took forever to get around the Hoover Dam, but we got a good look at the new road they are putting in atop a HUGE archway. Coming back it also took 12 hours, but we stopped a lot more and it took less time around the dam. I guess driving on the day before a national holiday wasn't such a good idea. Lilly was amazing, both ways! When she got sleepy she'd put her head on one of our arms and touch us with her little fingers. I got to see a side of Lilly I'd not really seen before. We had great fun talking, looking at things out the windows and eating snacks. I would hop in the car again with her any time!

While there we got to see Christie and Travis' great new apartment, got to go to church with them and helped them shop for a new kitty. In the end they picked one that we hadn't seen but we were able to get a good look via the webcam when we returned. His name is Zorro, he's white with black markings, and he's only a few months old. Christie and Travis are now parents, and I have a new grand-kitty!

We also went swimming and ate out almost every night. There's yummy food in Scottsdale, especially Boston Market and Oreganos! We all thought we'd gained weight but Don and I weighed the same when we returned and Karina actually lost 4 lbs.! So we all felt good about that. On the way back we had our first ever In 'n' Out Burgers, and they were delicious. We've been craving them ever since. Very light and flavorful with quality ingredients, and cheaper than eating at McDonald's!

Don was exhausted after the trip down and it took him two days to recover. Coming back it was easier, perhaps because we stopped more and also the day after we got home we lazed around a lot, watching Harry Potter movies on tv. We also mowed the lawn and did some weeding and picked the cats up from the vet's, where they had their vacation while we had ours. Don said they actually had one week of work and the rest of the year is their vacation. Too true.

So now it's back to work for Don tomorrow. His vision hasn't improved but he's so stoic about it that I keep forgetting until he bumps into something because he can't see periferally on his right. Please continue to pray for him. I'm actually excited for tomorrow because for the first time since school ended I'm a going grocery shopping. When Don had his stroke I didn't dare leave him so we'd just run into the store for a few things here and there. Somehow we still managed to spend our grocery budget. But this time I can actually shop carefully and I'm excited! Don is going to try to stay all day tomorrow at work.

I'm so grateful to Jesse and Karina for putting up with us and doing all the driving and navigating. I hope we repaid them by entertaining Lilly. We love all our kids so much. I am sad that our family isn't together more often. I guess that's what happens when your kids have the audacity to grow up and create their own family units. Still, I'm very happy with their choices of eternal partners and am grateful for all my kids.

I hated leaving Christie and Travis in Arizona but they are so happy together that I shouldn't feel that way. I just wish we could see them more.