Road Trip - Day 4 (PM - Our Destination)

We've finally arrived! The whole point of our trip culminated when we pulled up in front of the home of my grandparents. The drive from Texas to Baltimore, Maryland was worth every minute. It is such a gift to be able to spend time with them...not just for me but for my children to spend time with their great-grandparents! It's an honor and something that I am truly grateful for.

Every summer growing up, my father would take us on a family vacation to the East Coast. My grandparents have lived in the same house over 50 years and there is such a sense of calm when I visit. There are such good memories that I have of my childhood in this house. It brings me to tears to think that I have been able to enjoy my grandparents and the experiences they have provided for so long. I cannot explain the sheer joy I have to bring my kids to this same house, to spend time with these same people, in the same kitchen, over the same iced tea, ...

...and playing the same games. My grandmother is a Scrabble-o-holic. She is a sharp tack and I can see how she keeps it this way. She has made it her business to teach her great-grandchildren how to play and make sure they play it right. In fact, my grandmother is very computer literate...thank-you-very-much...and plays scrabble online, challenging her great grandchildren to play with her even they are thousands of miles away. It is a pleasure to sit down at the table, face-t0-face, and play the game with her. (Notice the iced tea...in a prominent place at the table. It's a stable at Two Mama's house)



Later we went to dinner to visit with extended family we haven't seen in a long time. We stopped to pose for a shot with the immediate family. It was truly a time to treasure and one that doesn't happen often enough.




Oops...we forgot "Two Daddy and Two Mama" (right side of the photo). Can't you tell how much they love each other? I have never seen a couple so in love...so long...so much...and so all-the-time. What an example!




Me and Silla with Two Mama




Sumo with his Great Granddad!




Kano made it his business to get Two Daddy's hat.




One of the fondest memories I have of my grandparents home is their front porch. If we weren't in the kitchen, we were on the porch. The porch has been the prime location for conversations, jokes, laughter, and debates over the years. When we were little kids, we played in the front yard, under the watchful eyes of loving adults. As we got older, we slowly earned the right to sit on the porch and join in the conversation. Now we laugh and talk and watch our little ones play in the front yard.

Poppy (my Dad) and Uncle J.C. (Silla's husband) Like I said...we cut up on the front porch.




Poppy made it is business to make sure the ball didn't tempt anyone out into the street.




The kids played WELL...into the night..




Can it possibly get any better than this?...Playing with your grandfather in your great-grandfather's yard?




Father and Son...




Oh, and we are out of the RV for a little while. We unpacked the necessities and then parked it. We'll be driving a rental car around for a few days.