Sunday, March 27
Happy Birthday to our “other mother,” Jean Terpening in Artesia, NM!!!
After attending morning church services, Jim and I hit the road for the first time in 15 months for a reason other than a quick get-away or a family crisis. It was a wonderful feeling! We made it as far as Tunica, Mississippi before spending the night.
Monday, March 28
Happy Anniversary to daughter Whitney and son-in-law Jim Farnham in Olathe, Kansas!!!
Today began with only two priorities…The first was to meet Jimmy Clint’s former boss and return his company computer and the other was to enjoy an evening meal with my former Lubbock family pastor and his wife. Otherwise, the day was ours to sleep in, relax and goof-off which I must confess felt mighty good!
Next on the agenda was a quick ride over to Harrah’s Paula Deene Buffet where we were to meet George and Janie. Some things in life never change and the love and respect with which we hold for these two folks are an example…They have walked many a difficult path with me and my family; and when I married Jim, they welcomed him with the same warmth and caring; so it’s no wonder that Jim shares my love for them. It was such a pleasure to spend a couple of hours enjoying each other’s company and trading stories about family members. We don’t see George and Janie very often, but every minute with them is filled with quality time and we part having received multiple blessings of the time we share.
Tuesday, March 29
By 7 AM we were on the road once again. We had decided before we left Liberal that we were going to make a slight detour this leg of the trip and go by Clarksville, TN, which is where a former student of ours now lives with her two children. Lindsay’s husband was killed fighting for our freedom and we needed to let her know how much we appreciated his and his family’s sacrifice.
Before we left Mineola, our neighbor John told us that a must stop was the Casey Jones Country Store and Museum in Jackson, TN. We timed our first pit stop there so we could find just the right treasures for our grandson, Jimmy, who loves trains and whose birthday was rapidly approaching.
Along the way we encountered some really time consuming road construction which put us even more behind. But, luckily, Mike called during this time and he advised us to just take our time and not worry about making it to Midlothian on Wednesday like we planned. He assured us that that was no problem, which really took away the rushed feeling. In fact, it calmed us so much that when we stopped for gas and noticed a sign for “Land Between the Lakes” visitor center, 3 miles. We decided to take another slight detour. Our reasoning was sound…who knew if we’d ever make it this way again. What better excuse can one have than that?
Jim: Land Between the Lakes is a 170,000 acre National Recreation Area located between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley in Western Kentucky and Tennessee. It offers more than 200 miles of trails and rustic roads, as well as over 300 miles of undeveloped shore lines…a perfect area for camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or just relaxing with Mother Nature. LBL has more than 250 days a year of hunting seasons for large and small game and waterfowl.
For serious naturalists and history buffs, LBL features The Homeplace, a working 19th century farm, and The Elk and Bison Prairie, a 700-acre restoration of Kentucky’s native barrens.
While our visit was necessarily short, we did have enough time to determine that we would like to spend more time in this beautiful place. We topped off the visit when we met Troy, a hiker who had been out on the trails for a couple of days. Troy shared some of his experiences, allowed us to take his picture for our journal/blog, and then returned the favor by taking a couple of shots of us.
Barbara: Once in Clarksville, we got directions from Lindsay and found her new home with absolutely no trouble at all. Her older son, Noah, was at school; but Kason the youngest was there to greet us, also. After checking out her new abode and quickly catching up on past years, we headed over to ….. for a wonderful lunch together. It was one of those cool places where you get to throw the peanut shells on the floor!
Barbara: Again time seemed to slip through our fingers and once on the road we agreed that we were not going to make it to Knoxville as we originally planned. So, being always ready to call it a day, we found a nice, inexpensive hideaway in Lebanon and called our travels over! This really created no problems except that I needed to call another former student we had made arrangements to see in Radford, VA, and warn him that we would not arrive as early as we had planned. Makes one wonder why Jim & I even plan anything, huh?
Wednesday, March 30
Happy Birthday to Cousin Angela Thompson in Mineola, Texas!!!
We woke up to rain, fog, and more rain this morning which made the traveling a little dicey in places. By the time we made it to Radford around 4:30, we knew that our bodies were not going to go any further down the highway this night; so, before meeting Drew at the Mexican restaurant, we checked into a Best Western.
Andrew, as I called him in class at West Middle School, attends Radford University and continues to play his saxophone and follow his love of music.
Tonight was my first occasion to spend any time at all with Drew, and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit; I could see why Barbara thought so highly of him as a student. When Drew told us about a concert by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Radford tonight, I jumped at the chance to attend with him. Barbara thought it would be a fun time, but after days of travel and visiting, decided that she would rather have an evening of quiet relaxation at the motel.
The evening at Bondurant Auditorium on the Radford campus was all that I thought it would be…and more! Drew was a genial host and the band was exceptional as they presented more than two hours of the finest in original New Orleans, Memphis, and Chicago jazz stylings. They are, indeed, a national treasure!
Thursday, March 31
Another dreary, rainy day greeted us as we put Radford in our rear view mirror. Next major stop…Midlothian, VA, where we would finally get introduced to our newest granddaughter, Ava! To say our spirits were soaring would be a gross understatement.
We did take time to once again stop at the VDOT Memorial on Interstate 69.
Barbara: I failed to mention that not only was it rainy and foggy; but the temperature had dropped immensely and we were very pleased that we had returned to Edith’s on Sunday to throw our coats in the car!
We did it! We made it to Midlothian before noon and got to join Mike, Kelly, and Ava in a bite of lunch. And, at this point in the journal, we’ll let the photos do all of the talking!!!
Is there any doubt as to why this trip was so important to us?
Who needs words?
Happy 17th Anniversary to us!!!
Happy Birthday to our good friend Betty Boone in Longview, Texas!!!
So many pics! Go figure…basically the day went like this…kids took Ava to friends’ while they ran in the Monument Avenue 10 K. Jim and I ventured down to VCU where the race was going on and the fever was high because of the Final Four game…we looked, walked, shopped, and took pics…LOTS of people.
We escaped out of there and headed to Cary Street which is one of our favorite places in Richmond! Ate Greek food…a first for us on our own…back to the house where Mike and Jim brewed up a fine cook-out meal!
We had planned to meet Nina Elder, a former student, in Williamsburg this morning since the kids had some prior obligations; but Nina called and said it would need to be Monday. Jim and I decided to go on over and check it out since we had never been there. And…as it turned out, that was a good thing as we didn’t realize we could walk the old part of Williamsburg without buying a rather expensive ticket. (Didn’t learn that until we returned home to Mike and Kelly.) But…we still had a good time and we also learned an easier place to meet Nina tomorrow. Watched Morning Glory with the kids that night.
Monday April 4
After a morning with Ava…we headed back to Williamsburg for another little tour of old town. We even had the chance to witness a little protest taking place right on the streets of Williamsburg! As Jim said, how appropriate to witness freedom of speech as we walked the streets!
A wonderful way to start a morning!
Mike and Jim put together a porch swing after Mike got off work…
Wednesday, April 6
This shot shows that Ava and Gramps enjoy the same hair style early in the morning!
After a lazy morning and lunch with the kids, Jim & I headed out to find IKEA in Woodridge, VA, to do some cushion shopping for Edith’s chairs…
Finally met it to IKEA where we DID shop quickly as we had spent so much time at the Marine museum…found what we needed and then headed back to Richmond. Since Mike & Kelly were having a Bible study, Jim and I decided to treat ourselves to yogurt from the Sweet Frog near their home.
Friday, April 8
Since we had not seen Mike’s new office, while Ava and Kelly had a lunch date, we went out with Mike and got the grand tour of the office. Wouldn’t it be tough to face this scene every day?
After enjoying a family breakfast and a last photo session, it was time for Jim & I to hit the road.
“A baby is God's opinion that life should go on.” Carl Sandburg
From Virginia,
Jim/Dad/Gramps & Barbara/Mom/Grams
A side note to this journal is that during our time away, we received 2 photos that we just have to share! First is the pic of granddaughter, Randi, who attended her school's prom.
This journal's entry proves that stories can be told through pictures!
