Alone in the RV

Nobody.  Alone.  Solitary.  Solo.  Single.  Individual.  Weird.  What more can I say.  I sit here at 8:31pm in the RV in Alan and Linda's driveway by myself.  It's totally odd.  Enough beds for 6....and now I'm here feeling abandoned but knowing that is not the case.  
Today was Snowflake's July 24th Celebration, which we also included a special birthday party for Dad who turned 90 years old on the 22nd.  The 24th has been tradition for those of us who can make it -we just do it.  We all camp out at Linda's home where there is space galore but this year was the first that we had to set up 2 tents.  All of Linda's kids were home - her 5 grown children + 4 spouses and 7 grandchildren - and with Grandpa living there, there was just no extra room for us to squish in.  Thus, Kevin, Jessii and Millie are in a tent and Carolyn's family are in a tent.  It has been lightly misting all afternoon which we love, but I hope the tent's hold the moisture out.  Brian luckily got to come this year because he happened to be coming back from a months stay in Tulsa, Oklahoma, doing medical residencying?  He planned ahead and got a room in Show Low, a 15 minute drive from here.  Doug and I had their children on Friday night because Brian and Celynda wouldn't be here until Saturday afternoon, and so the RV felt pretty full. But the kids have gone on with their mom and dad and Doug left for the valley.  So, here I sit.  Gosh......what should I do.  Read, watch a movie, eat more, sleep.....Probably all of these things.

No, I didn't go out and take a picture of me by our RV.  I just totally found this on the internet and I had to put it in because it was pretty darn close to the look of ours!  I'm not that gray yet!  But she is alone and that was the point.

I miss having Shannon and Allan up here.  They, if you'll remember from my last blog are in California.  I totally miss having Jill, Jonathan and baby Vin!  Jason and Stacey too!  And lastly, I miss Camden.

Thursday - missing the kids

It's 8:36pm on Thursday night.  I am in my jami pants and have been for 2 hours.  It's kinda weird.  As you all know, our 6 older children are married now and out of the home, so that leaves Shannon and Allan still here with us.  Since Wednesday morning they have been on a Student Council trip to California - with a little bit of beach and Disneyland thrown in, so don't feel sorry for them, but it is so quiet.  We haven't had the TV on all night (thanks to Pinterest for some of that time).  Doug is sleeping and I am soon headed that way.  I was sick Wednesday morning so it was kinda nice having the peace and quiet through the midmorning hours to rest and recoop a little bit -although I did have to go to work later in the afternoon.  However, I do miss them.  I think it's because I haven't finished 'growing' them up.  I know with my boys, I was ready and willing to let them go.  My girls it was harder to let them leave and with some of them, Jill, being so far away it is hard for me every day to not see, text, talk, call, etc., her or any of them.  So, I'm looking forward to S & A coming home soon.  I will be in Snowflake when they come home mind you, but I will at least know they are home - safe and sound.

kevin & jessii

 


Sadly, this is out of order of my life story, but just by a little bit. And because I don't have any good photos of that day I let it go by for a while hoping to find some on facebook, but there aren't any.  Here is my new daughter - Jessii.  She has been married to Kevin for 1 week and 1 day.  Yeah!  Survival!  These pictures were actually taken a few days before the wedding at 6am!  Yikes!  And Jessii's 'mum' and I were up literally all night long.  We started sewing some of the lace attachments on at 11:30pm and hand stitched them up until 4:45am when I took Sandy home only to pick her, Jessii, Millie(Jessii's sister) and Becca (her friend from Australia) at 5:30am to get to the Temple.  Actually we were supposed to be there by 5:30 but didn't get there until closer to 5:45am.  Sweet Stacey, got up just as early to get some footage for a wedding video.  Thank goodness she is over her baby sickness!

I will have to find out where some of their wedding photo's got posted because I 'm sure there are great ones!  Jessii is very photogenic.  They were married June 29th!  Love to you both!  

I recently had the privilege to drive with Brian, taking him to the state of Oklahoma to do a months residency of radiology at the hospital in Tulsa.  Here are a few pictures of our 'grand' trip.  Can I say that I found myself feeling if I was any help to him at all, he driving 15 hours of a 17 hour trip, but we talked nonstop and I enjoyed every minute.  And as you will see, we did make a few stops along the way that would 'rewake' us if we were on the tired side but driving with Bri, gave me an opportunity to see the great son he has become and hoping a great husband and father as well. 

 I was looking forward to this trip because of places that I hadn't ever been before, but I have been to New Mexico and I didn't find the land enchanting at all, sorry NM.  However, one happy moment....when Brian and I stopped in Holbrook, AZ., we bought a western states map just for me to look at as he drove along.....after passing the border of New Mexico, I noticed on the map a city called Yah-Ta-Hey.  Only the DeWitt side will smile about that, for the rest of you, it is one of Grandpa DeWitt's favorite sayings of all time.  Apparently he played an Indian in a parade or play or something, and he has hung on to this one line saying and has a pretty good accent to boot when he says it.  Okay, so Brian and I decided to take a detour, about 10 miles round trip off of the highway to visit Yah-Ta-Hey, hoping to pick up a mug, t-shirt, hat or anything with this towns name on it.  What we found was a rundown little 4 mile square town, population in 2010 - 590.   Can you even call if a town?  Two buildings, one being a tire/recycling shop that I'm sure you had to call only in case of an emergency flat tire or if you had cans to turn in for cash.  The second one looked promising from the road but there was a layer of dust so deep on all of the fixtures inside that I'm sure the building was now being used only as a billboard.  Sorry, no birthday gift for Grandpa.

After a nights sleep in Albuquerque, NM., at the Suburban Hotel, we headed into Texas, where we had to drive friendly - I hate that...It's a good thing I wasn't the driver in this 190 mile stretch.  

Along the highway, we saw this huge cross.  I had to come home and look it up, finding out it is called the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ found in Groom, Texas.  It stands 19 stories tall! and can be seen 20 miles away.  Look it up and read about it and also the the other statues found there.  

Another site we saw but didn't get a picture of was the Cadillac Ranch.  Look them up too, it is quite interesting.  

After only 3 hours we found ourselves in OKLAHOMA!  

Another detour off of the direct route was a stop at the Oklahoma City Temple.  Yep, closed to cleaning so we weren't going to be able to visit it while I was there. Bummer, but we did get photos.  It sat on the same lot as an LDS church building and Brian snuck in to use the bathroom and I noticed on the door these 'Welcome' words, but spelled without the E.  And it was done twice, so it wasn't a misspell just on one door - unless of course the 'e' was defective and fell off....of every door.....hmm...

Another thing that we Arizonan's don't see often - toll roads.  So, silly me, I'm snapping pictures as we drive through.  The toll person, I'm sure, was wondering, 'What the Heck?".  In total we paid about $7 to drive in Oklahoma.  (Luckily me rental car to take me to the airport had a 'fastpass' that allowed me to zoom right through and not pay again).

After finding my hotel and finding Brian's new 'home', we went out to dinner at Pancho's!

Yes, we had fun raising the flag. Are you jealous Shannon and Allan?

In my hotel, it had 3 locks.  Hmm....should I be worried?

 My rental car .....so cute....and bluish!  I loved it.

Lastly, a few signs we saw along the way.  Some funny, some really funny.

If you say it fast, it sounds like you studder.

Too funny.  And the 'Nation' was only about 5 miles wide on the highway.  I don't know high 'tall' the nation was, but wide, not so big.

Believe it or not, this tree looked like a heart - but by the time I got the car stopped one the other side of the hill, it looked pretty sad.  The hills there were really nice and green.  I enjoyed the state of Oklahoma very much.

All in all, I enjoyed being with Brian in our 2 day, 17 hour drive (plus stops along the way).  Thanks Brian!