Autumn Vacation 2008, Part I

Thank you so much for your concern about my back pain that I mentioned in the last post. I came to the conclusion that it was probably caused by a combination of sleeping in 4 different beds in 8 nights, being in the car for hours on end, and VERY little exercise. It is much better after a couple sessions at the gym (I love the back stretching machine!), and back to picking up the girlies a hundred times a day.

Our trip to Atlanta was flawless for a nice change of pace - flying is not the fun it used to be. The fact that you now have to pay to take a suitcase big enough for a week just boggles the imagination. AND - if you happen to overpack that one bag, you will be charged an overweight charge! Oh, yah, and our travel agent didn't get the part of me being claustrophobic and needing an aisle seat. I thought she did and discovered too late that I was in the middle. HELP!! It was amazing that I made it through okay. And - oh, yah, the part about me buying a box lunch in the air for $6.00. My purse was crowded at my feet and I couldn't reach it, so I hung onto the $14 change in my left hand. When I woke up from a short snooze, I realized that hand was empty. I must have thrown it away with the napkin. ARGHHHH!!! That was one pricey box lunch! I guess it wasn't totally flawless - -

We spent Friday evening visiting with DC's brother, his wife (whom I shall refer to as R&C from now on), and 4 of their 6 children, two spouses, and 4 grandkids. This is the second time we've taken a road trip with R&C, spending just a bit of time in Athens. Their oldest daughter thinks that next time we should take day trips and spend more time in Athens so we can see her and the rest of the gang more often. I thought that was sweet that she wanted to spend more time with us.


R&C put a pool in their back yard last spring - they told us that the water was in the neighborhood of 95 degrees some days this summer, so it was a welcome part of the summer - the grandkids really had a good time all summer long.



They have this wonderful device that keeps the pool clean - and is working hard these days vacuuming up the oak leaves that will be falling in abundance - they have wonderful woods in their back yard. The hose in the back will come up out of the water and randomly squirt water - and give you a shower if you happen to be in its path.

The next morning was the women's meeting, including brunch, at the church where I was the "featured speaker." I felt no qualms or nervousness at all - I was able to present it mostly without depending on my notes. When you bare your soul to people, it is amazing how many come and tell you their stories - there are many hurting people who are serving the Lord.

Sunday after morning service, we hit the road. We got to Columbia, SC by about 5:00 p.m., just in time to celebrate our great nephew's (grand nephew?) 4th birthday party. They had invited another family over, so there were 6 lively little kids having a great time, and 8 tired adults watching.

We got a real kick out of his dad enjoying one of his gifts --

We had a good night's sleep there and left about 9:00 Monday morning for Myrtle Beach. We were so blessed - the couple who came over for the party let us use their condo for an unbelievably low cost. My niece's home is lovely and their back yard is as large as some parks -

Part II - On to Myrtle Beach