Trip to TX/OK

It's no secret that I was missing my family in TX/OK. I talked it over with Tyler and we decided that I should just pack up and GO! I packed up the kids and we were OFF! We stopped in Mississippi to stay the night. I took the kids to IHOP. They loved it! We spent several days with Evan, Shelbee, and their adorable baby girl, Rylee! We played wii, watched movies - including Evan & I going to see the last HARRY POTTER in the theater! We ate at Pappasito's, In N Out Burger, and played LOTS of golf - a really fun card game!

We met up with my friend, Nicki, at Chick-Fil-A. We had a 3 hour conversation and caught up on lost time - we met in college at OSU. :)

We went bowling and to Chili's with my cousin, Juli, and her husband, Rich, and their son, Zander. It was great meeting little Zander - he's SUCH a cutie!

We drove up to stay with Heather next. The kids had a ball playing with Iliana and I got my baby fix (again) with little Oliver, and chatting it up with Heather. That evening we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Dahle's to swim in the pool and eat dinner. We stayed up until 11:30pm having a great time and making fun memories that we won't forget. The next day we hung out at Heather's house all morning. Heather took me to CAFE 501 - a fabulous little place. We talked for hours and it was wonderful.

We drove up to Stillwater, to see my  mom and her parents, Grandma and Grandpa McElwain. We met at the church to practice a song for Sunday, then went to 216 to hang out. The next day was Sunday, and we all went to church. I sang a duet with my mom: HE SHALL WIPE AWAY ALL TEARS. It was beautiful. I love singing with my mom - she has such a gorgeous singing voice and we're alway in sync. I love that. It was fun seeing so many people that I knew and loved when I lived in Stillwater for 10 years!

We came home and started on the meal. Jennifer, Willis, and little Willis came up to see us. Heather, Yury, Iliana, and Oliver also drove up. I had fun meeting little Willis - he's so adorable and looks JUST like his mama. It's amazing! We ate and talked and talked and ate - a wonderful evening.

Heather and her two kids stayed in Stillwater and everyone else left. My mom let us stay in her apartment, which is next door to the main house. It was nice to be able to get away and keep my kids somewhat contained. Of course, they did manage to rip apart tons of sheet music one afternoon. Grrr.

Jacob, Jessica, and her two kids: Bailey and Tylen, drove up and met Heather & I at Eskimo Joe's for lunch. It was great to meet Jacob's fiance and her darling kids. I'm excited for them to be a part of our family. :)

My mom and I started on the quilts for my kids. It's so fun when you start sewing! The blocks look super cute - I'm doing log cabins on all of them. I love the look of it.

We decided to head home on Friday. We got all packed up and drove Iliana home on our way out of town, early Friday morning. 30 minutes later, my van shut down and made this clicking noise. Heather came to save the day by picking up Keith & Anna and taking them with her on her errands. The tow truck came and towed the van and Iryna and I to a nearby Firestone. Firestone totally overcharged me and $750 later I had a new alternator and battery. Yeah, I told you that they overcharged me, but what could I do? Anyhow, we set off around 5pm and drove until Van Buren, Arkansas. The next day, Heather and her family had left early and they were also driving to FL. We ended up meeting at a gas station - it was amazing that we were at the same place/time when we'd both left at different times/days. Iliana rode with us for the day and we all stayed at the same hotel that night in Montgomery, AL. We got pizza and then headed to bed. We arrived home on Sunday, around 7:30pm. I was SO HAPPY to be home! But, we had a great time. Here are the pictures: