A week with Nini & Papaw

August was slapped full of trips and fun! After my backpacking trip, I headed to Louisiana to pick up the boys from Nini & Papaw's. The boys were happy to see me, but I knew they had a great time while they were there. They had lots of stories to tell me about their new friend Jayden, feeding the donkeys, getting their first wasp stings, visiting the fire station, etc.

Knowing that the boys were in good hands and had lots of fun things to do, made it a lot easier for me to relax and enjoy my time in Yellowstone. I didn't have to worry a bit about them. Thanks Margaret and Alfred for taking such good care of them!

Gratitude

After having the opportunity to get away and spend time with family exploring a really special place in the world, it was impossible not to feel an enormous amount of gratitude for the opportunity to go, the means to get there, the funds to make it possible, the people willing to make it all happen.

I needed the break. I needed time to myself to recharge. I came away with so much more than that.

It's a big deal to ask anyone (even family) to watch my kids. It's an even bigger deal to ask for an entire week.

I'm incredibly grateful that Margaret and Alfred were willing to take Ben and Zach for the week. I knew the boys were in loving and capable hands and not once did I worry about them while I was gone. Grateful....so very grateful!

The boys went to Papaw's house in the country and rode 4-wheelers, fed the donkeys, and instructed Papaw to finish their room in his house. They played outside in the sprinkler, collected bugs, "climbed" the tree, kicked the ball around, and played with Play Doh. They tried new food, picked up their toys, and snuggled up at night with Nini and Papaw. I'm sure they had more fun visiting them than being at home.

 

Margaret & Alfred - Thank you so so very much for taking the boys and giving me a break. You did as much good for the boys as you did for me. I love you and I'm so grateful for you both!

Nini & Papaw's

Darius' days off from the restaurant matched up with his days off from Delta last week, so he was finally able to use his flight benefits. We headed to Louisiana for a couple of days and enjoyed a nice visit with Margaret and Alfred. It was good to see Alfred getting around a little better than the last time the boys and I visited.

We had a little bit of time to spend with one of Darius' friends, John, and met up with him at his sister, Karen's, home where the boys got in some fun pool time. It just happened that his sister had a couple of boys that were older and had recently cleaned out a bunch of their old toys to donate. Karen and her husband, Steve, loaded the boys up with Legos, books, and stuffed animals. They were thrilled to say the least.

Margaret treated us to Johnny's pizza one night (the best pizza ever!) and made her awesome spaghetti sauce for us another night and sent us home with a big bag of the leftover sauce. She is also super sweet to have all the boys' favorites on hand when we come for a visit.

Instead of flying home, we were blessed to be able to drive back to Florida in a car that Margaret gave us a very good deal on! To be able to have a second vehicle now is huge. The past few months have been a challenge since Darius started working a second job. The boys and I have been limited in getting out, so to now have the freedom to get out (even for just simple errands) is a really big deal for us. Margaret, thank you again a billion times over for your generosity! You've lifted a big weight off our shoulders and we appreciate it so very much!

Caffrey Family Reunion

A few hours after our visit to the Masonic Cemetery, the boys and I accompanied Margaret to Uncle Gerald and Aunt Pauline's home where we met more of her mother's side of the family. Afterwards we all continued on to the Brockett Cemetery where we visited the grave sites of Laveta's parents, John and Dona; and her grandparents, James and Mary.

Later in the afternoon the Caffrey Reunion took place at a nice park in Pocahontas. I met lots more family and became even more confused trying to keep track of who everyone was. It's no secret that I'm terrible with names, so I didn't come away from the reunion with much more than I went into with. I can say that everyone I met was genuinely nice, and I definitely married into a family with good people.

I believe Zach's friend here is Riley, but I can't tell you who he belongs to! He was super sweet with the boys.

I'm beginning to notice a pattern starting with me....I totally fall for other people's dogs and want to take them home with me. Albert is awesome! I developed a soft spot for rottweilers after living next to one for a few years.

The family I met were all disappointed that Darius wasn't able to join us at the reunions, but it was because he was at home working hard that made it possible for the boys and I to attend. It was a great opportunity for us to meet some of his great aunts and uncles that are getting up there in age. I know it's important to take advantage of those opportunities whenever possible before they run out. It was also a bonus to have that time with Margaret and Alfred. The concerns I had prior to the trip were put at ease by the time we were headed back to Monroe. I would be happy to attend the reunions again next year, and hopefully Darius will be able to join us too.

Aunt Opal & Uncle Gerald

The day we returned to Monroe was Margaret's birthday and our last day before returning home. Margaret treated me to a super yummy shrimp po boy sandwich for dinner, and later in the evening the boys led a lively Happy Birthday song to their Nini and helped her blow out her candles.

Margaret & Alfred - Thanks again for everything. We're so glad we could come and share that time with you! We appreciate all you did to make it a great trip! Lots of love!

Trip to Louisiana & Arkansas

The boys and I had a short stay at home with Darius before we headed off on another trip last week. On Wednesday, the boys and I flew to Monroe, LA where we had plans to drive with Margaret and Alfred to a couple of family reunions on Darius' side of the family. This would be my first time meeting any of his family aside from his mom, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was feeling apprehensive about it especially since Darius wouldn't be with us.

After arriving we had a day and a half to spend in Monroe before heading out for the reunions. We took a drive to Alfred's home one afternoon to visit his neighbor's donkeys, two of which are little new ones, and we fed them carrots. The following day I helped Margaret out by doing some organizing and deep cleaning in her kitchen, and later in the day Alfred's granddaughter, Jennifer, came by with her identical twins, Olivia and Amelia. I made pizza for dinner and had a little time over dinner to visit with Jennifer and compare notes on raising twins. In the evening, Margaret and I packed up the truck and had everything ready to go for an early start the next morning.

The reunions were being held in Northern Arkansas, so the boys and I checked off another state on our list. Our drive took us through most of the state before we arrived in Pocahontas mid afternoon. I can't say that I fell in love with Arkansas' landscape along the drive, but once we got closer to Pocahontas, it started growing on me a little.

Pocahontas is indeed named after the Native American princess, and we passed a statue of her in Overlook Park. The county which Pocahontas is the county seat of, Randolph, includes delta land which is used for farming and rolling hills leading into the Ozarks which is used for cattle ranching. It had the same feel of the area in which I grew up.

Our first stop in Pocahontas was to Aunt Opal's home. Opal is Margaret's mother's sister, so that makes her Ben & Zach's Great Great Aunt....right? We'll shorten it, and just stick with Aunt Opal, and she is just as sweet as can be! She suffers from Alzheimer's, but it didn't seem too bad to me. I'm sure she struggled with figuring out just exactly who Ben and Zach were and why they were tearing through her house and what exactly they were talking about whenever they spoke. Living with Aunt Opal is her grandson, Jason and his great big gorgeous Rottweiler, Albert. He's only 2, so there was definitely still some puppy in that large package, and he loved to lick and knock the boys around.

Aunt Opal had no idea why this little guy was kissing on her!

Aunt Opal just had her hair done before we got there. Smelling her perm made me think of when my grandma used to get a perm.

After visiting at Aunt Opal's, we headed over to Uncle Gerald and Aunt Pauline's home in Pocahontas. Uncle Gerald is Margaret's mother's brother, so he has a bunch of great titles in front of his name as well. Both of them were super nice, and they were kind enough to turn us loose in an extra home they own in town. Jason brought Aunt Opal to the house and we enjoyed more visiting time with them that evening.

AK to FL - Day 11

Our super-duper-cross-country trip has come to an end! Our last day on the road was yesterday and the longest of our trip at 16 hours (yikes!), but it didn't feel like it because we knew it was the last day on the road, and the excitement of reaching our destination kept us going.

We woke up early and left Monroe around 6:30. We watched a gorgeous sunrise as we headed east on I-20 and made our way into Mississippi.

 

A little side story to go with the following photo. I'll go with the short version. Imagine 2 young men driving late at night, the driver nodding off and veering right onto a service road. Barely missing a large pole supporting a gas station sign, the car sails over this grassy mound and lands in a large pond (which used to be here) and begins to sink. Darius, one of these young men, kicks out the sunroof and they are able to climb out and kick off from the car as it sinks. True story.

Stuckey's has awesome saltwater taffy and pecan log rolls.

US-49 S to I-59 S to US-98 E took us from Mississippi into Alabama. Both of these states I had never visited before, and I really enjoyed our drive through them. It's a good country drive, Darius told me, and I agree.

USS Alabama Battleship in Mobile Bay.

After we made our way past Mobile, I-65 S took us to I-10 E into Florida. It was such a relief to cross the state line and it was such a great feeling to know that we had no more overnight stops and no more state lines to cross. We were home. Around 10:30 we pulled up to the Bacon's house and we'll be here until we find four walls of our own.

We feel so incredibly grateful and blessed to have made such a long trip and have everything go as smoothly as it did and to even have the opportunity to make such a huge move. We had almost perfect driving conditions over most of the trip and great road conditions. As much time we spent together in the car, we honestly enjoyed our time together as a family and only had a few snippy moments. I can't even begin to describe how well the boys did on this trip. They really made a tremendous difference in how well the trip went. What a great experience for all of us. I don't foresee us ever making quite as long a road trip in the future, but I'll definitely look forward to making some shorter ones in the future.

A trip recap is coming, but for now I'm going to get ready and spend some time with our friends and family in the warm Florida sun. 

AK to FL - Day 10

We took advantage of another easy drive we had ahead of us today and slept in this morning. Once we got on the road we headed east on I-35 to I-30 to US-80 to I-20 into Monroe Louisiana, which is where Darius grew up. We're staying here a couple of nights with Margaret and Alfred before we make our final stretch to Florida.

Leaving Texas was more interesting than entering. The flat landscape from yesterday continued, but there were a few hills and the addition of trees. Everything looked very dry, probably a lingering sign of a very hot and dry summer.

Our last stop in Texas just off I-20. Great BBQ sandwiches, huge gift shop, and awesome rocking chairs. I so wanted to strap one to the top of the car.

One thing we definitely noticed about Texas is the abundance of Highway Patrol! If you're going to speed along their roadways, I suggest you think twice. Out of any state or territory we've drove through, Texas by far had more people pulled over than all the others combined. Don't mess with Texas....so true!

As we crossed into Louisiana, Darius definitely got as excited as I've seen him on this trip. It's probably as comforting to him to be in his home state as it was for me to be in mine. It's also a great feeling to know how far we've come and that we don't have too much further to go.

The boys were talking all day (and yesterday) about how they were going to Nini and Papaw's house. It's tricky to explain distance and time to 3-year-olds, so we try to use broad terms and keep the info to a minimum. We also find that it helps to just agree with them because that's a whole lot easier than listening to them shout at us because we tell them something different than what they think, or they don't like our answers.

Sassy even in his sleep.

It's good to have another stop along the way to visit with family and break up the drive. We'll head out again on Tuesday.

 

On the Bayou

Darius’ vacation time got switched from Dec. to Oct., so we visited Louisiana earlier this year than we had planned. It was mine and the boys' first trip there, and it was nice to see where Darius grew up.

We stayed with Darius’ mom and her husband Alfred (Nini & Papaw) in the same house which Darius lived in growing up. I got a kick out of looking through old photo albums. It was fun to compare Darius’ features from when he was young, with those of Ben’s & Zach’s.

The boys immediately made themselves at home. Zach found a Tonka ambulance that he immediately took ownership of, and Ben made quick friends with Papaw.

Margaret saved several things from when Darius was young. She has his old rocking chairs, Dapper Dan doll, rocking horse, and GI Joe doll and Jeep. Ben and Zach had fun playing with all of their daddy’s stuff.

Darius has a lot of friends that still live in and around Monroe. Unfortunately we didn’t get around to see everyone we wanted to. Sorry to those of you we missed! For the friends we did manage to see...thanks so much to all of you for having us over in your homes, or taking the time to meet us out, under short notice. We really enjoyed seeing all of you!

Darius made sure we took advantage of the shopping and eating options that were available to us. Margaret and Alfred were wonderful to watch the boys for us, while we got the shopping we needed to do out of the way. We ate great food from some of Darius’ favorite places. We must have had pizza/muffulettas from Johnny’s Pizza at least three times.

In Darius’ backyard there are three huge pecan trees, and we came at just the right time to gather the pecans that had already fell. Darius’ old hunting buddy, Barkley, kept us company while we picked up the nuts. Darius had told me before that his dog liked to eat pecans, and sure enough we could hear him cracking hulls as we worked.

On the last day of our trip, Margaret and I took the boys to the Louisiana Purchase Zoo. It had rained just before we went, and when we got to the zoo, there was only two other people that we saw there besides the zoo employees. It was so nice to have the entire place to ourselves, and it was the perfect sized zoo to get in and out before the boys lost interest. The boys enjoyed seeing all the animals…especially all the monkey exhibits.

After the zoo we stopped at a pumpkin “patch”. The boys had fun trying to move the pumpkins, splashing in the puddles, and playing with the wagons. We had hoped to find small enough pumpkins for the boys, that we could take home with us, but they were all sold out.

We had a nice stay in Monroe. Margaret & Alfred, thanks so much for all you did for us to make our stay comfortable. And thanks for watching the boys for us when we had shopping and errands to do…what a difference it made to be able to get things done in half the time.

Our trip home went well right up until the end. The boys did really well on all the flights, but unfortunately I picked up a bug along the way, and it wasn’t until yesterday that my voice came back and I started to feel human again. The boys ended up sick with me and we all missed out on Halloween. I did make an effort to make their costumes, but it was just one of those days that nothing would go right. It’s too bad…they would have made a cute Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum. I’m lucky that they’re still young and didn’t know what they were missing. Sorry little guys!