THIS IS REALLY LONG
A few weeks ago I got a text asking if it would be possible for me to come back to Longview to speak at the youth group's annual Mother Daughter Brunch honoring the Senior girls. I was particularly close to this group of girls and was thrilled at the idea of getting to see them before the all graduated and left home. I booked the flight and started counting down the days! I'm not gonna lie, the week before I left I was thinking "WHAT AM I DOING????!!" I was leaving my kids for what was going to end up being a week! I was scrambling trying to get everything ready for Kory and his mom (they were gonna tag team while I was gone) so that they didn't have to cook or do too much else beside keep my kids alive. In my original plan, I wasn't supposed to be gone for a week, but with a super early flight out of Montana, I had to drive to Bozeman the Thursday night and spend the night and then a midnight return flight Wednesday kept me in Bozeman another night on the way home. BUT all of those things were great. My night is Bozeman was really fun because I stayed with my sister in law Sydni....I crossed paths with Clint and the girls as I headed to Bozeman to their house and they headed to Lewistown for branding the next day. Sydni and I had a great time going to a fun dinner where you would never take kids, a nice drive around beautiful Bozeman, and a late bed time! Haha! It was a great way to kick off my week. I had smooth travel and couldn't believe I was traveling ALONE. It was so simple! WOW!
Mindi and Amy picked me up in Dallas at the airport and we had a blast talking and catching up all the way back to Longview. It was SO FUN. We kept laughing because we just picked right up like we'd just seen each other the day before! I got ZERO pictures of that Friday with Amy and Mindi. I'm SO MAD. Lots of girl friends met at Mindi's house for dinner and it was so much fun to sit and visit with some of my best friends in the world. I have missed them so much and I was in HEAVEN with them! It was a great night! After Mindi's Friday night I went to Gilmer to stay at my Nanny's house. With it being Mother's Day weekend, my parents, my aunts and uncles were there so we stayed up til about 2am talking!
Saturday morning, my mom and I headed to the brunch. I was SO HAPPY to see these girls! We had a great time at the brunch and it was so fun getting to honor this group of exceptional girls as they head off to college. Its not very often that you can send an entire group of senior girls off with the confidence and excitement we have with this group. They are seriously incredible, Godly girls with a really fun future ahead of them. I would do anything in the world for them and it was an easy YES to come see them one more time!
Saturday evening I met up with my "camp friends" group of friends in Longview and we had a great dinner and talk catching up on everyone's lives. I loved every second of it. Then I went back to my Nanny's house where Clint and Rachel and more of my cousins were there. We had a great time visiting way too late into the night, but it was great!
Kinsey was in Longview for the weekend before she heads off for her world travels this summer! So good to see her too!
So Sunday evening, my parents and I left Gilmer and headed to Paris.
Monday morning I slept in til an embarrassing time. I didn't even know I could sleep that late. It was blissful. We, of course, had lunch at Taco Delite. Deliciousness.
Ro and Landry don't get a "Giant" size like Aunt P.
That night my Mom worked her cooking magic for the whole family and we had a great time. I think this picture was when we were watching some ridiculous video on YouTube.
Mom wanted a picture of all 3 of us.......While its funny to me as a daughter to refuse to take a serious picture for my Mom, its discouraging as a mother that my 3 will still be taking awful pictures in 30 years.
I met up with a lifelong friend Beth for a quick visit Tuesday morning and had a great time catching up with her, then I'm a little embarrassed (not really) to say that we ate at Taco D again Tuesday for lunch. I got to pick Landry up from school at noon so we went there together and met the rest of the crew there. Mal showed up with her very own hair-do she did herself.
He went limp and I put him to sleep.
Mama Ali, Miles, and Auntie Jaymie!
After we left Alison's, we met my Aunt Nancye for her birthday dinner. We had a fun time spending the night with her. We spent the next day doing a little shopping since I was kid-free in a town with real stores. It was so fun. Mom and I spent 2 hours in Target and there was a Cabela's next door where my dad had no trouble spending 2 hours! After a day of shopping, they took me to the airport to head back. It was a PERFECT trip home. While I missed my kids and Kory being there, it was nice to be there with no strings attached. It was fast and furious and hectic in a lot of ways, but it was so wonderful. It fed my soul in every way.
I got to Bozeman about midnight Wednesday night so instead of driving 3 hours home in the wee hours, I spent another night with Clint and Sydni. I got to see the girls before school Thursday morning and made a quick Wal Mart run then I high tailed it back to my people.
Kanyon was at school, Kory had Q and Jaylie June with him in some pasture so I tracked them down. I was so excited to get in the pick up with them that I left mine running! I didn't even realize it until Kory took me back to my car about an hour later and it was still running! OOPS!
This was my view when I got in Kory's pick up. Baby girl was napping like this. And her face was covered with red goop. I assumed it was strawberries, but Daddy confessed that it was twizzlers. While Mom's away........
WHEW!!!! That's enough excitement for one post I'd say!!!!
A few weeks ago I got a text asking if it would be possible for me to come back to Longview to speak at the youth group's annual Mother Daughter Brunch honoring the Senior girls. I was particularly close to this group of girls and was thrilled at the idea of getting to see them before the all graduated and left home. I booked the flight and started counting down the days! I'm not gonna lie, the week before I left I was thinking "WHAT AM I DOING????!!" I was leaving my kids for what was going to end up being a week! I was scrambling trying to get everything ready for Kory and his mom (they were gonna tag team while I was gone) so that they didn't have to cook or do too much else beside keep my kids alive. In my original plan, I wasn't supposed to be gone for a week, but with a super early flight out of Montana, I had to drive to Bozeman the Thursday night and spend the night and then a midnight return flight Wednesday kept me in Bozeman another night on the way home. BUT all of those things were great. My night is Bozeman was really fun because I stayed with my sister in law Sydni....I crossed paths with Clint and the girls as I headed to Bozeman to their house and they headed to Lewistown for branding the next day. Sydni and I had a great time going to a fun dinner where you would never take kids, a nice drive around beautiful Bozeman, and a late bed time! Haha! It was a great way to kick off my week. I had smooth travel and couldn't believe I was traveling ALONE. It was so simple! WOW!
Mindi and Amy picked me up in Dallas at the airport and we had a blast talking and catching up all the way back to Longview. It was SO FUN. We kept laughing because we just picked right up like we'd just seen each other the day before! I got ZERO pictures of that Friday with Amy and Mindi. I'm SO MAD. Lots of girl friends met at Mindi's house for dinner and it was so much fun to sit and visit with some of my best friends in the world. I have missed them so much and I was in HEAVEN with them! It was a great night! After Mindi's Friday night I went to Gilmer to stay at my Nanny's house. With it being Mother's Day weekend, my parents, my aunts and uncles were there so we stayed up til about 2am talking!
Saturday morning, my mom and I headed to the brunch. I was SO HAPPY to see these girls! We had a great time at the brunch and it was so fun getting to honor this group of exceptional girls as they head off to college. Its not very often that you can send an entire group of senior girls off with the confidence and excitement we have with this group. They are seriously incredible, Godly girls with a really fun future ahead of them. I would do anything in the world for them and it was an easy YES to come see them one more time!
This is Tracey, she was one of Kanyon's NICU nurses. Her daughter did a lot with our youth group so we had a fun time catching up at the brunch.
It was fun having my Mama along!!!
Me and Rachael, the wildly hilarious friend that's headed to Harding. She really is one of the most impressive girls I've worked with in a long long time.
After the brunch I stopped by the Morgan's house. They are dear friends and were packing up their home for a big move themselves. After living in Longview and raising their 3 kids there they are moving to Colorado! 2 of their 3 kids are there and they want to be close to them. They were such a huge part of our lives in Longview, I can't believe they are actually leaving. But their move to Colorado was much easier for us now that we are in Montana! They're gonna be at a great halfway point for our traveling!
Saturday evening I met up with my "camp friends" group of friends in Longview and we had a great dinner and talk catching up on everyone's lives. I loved every second of it. Then I went back to my Nanny's house where Clint and Rachel and more of my cousins were there. We had a great time visiting way too late into the night, but it was great!
Sunday I went to church at Alpine (the rest of my family went to church in Gilmer with Nanny). It was SO SO great to be back there. I didn't get to really visit with many people for very long but I got to see and say "hey!" to lots!! It was just so so so so so so good to be back there with so many people we love. I look forward to the whole family being back there in August and letting the kids see all their buddies.
Thanks to my friends with brains I have some pictures they sent me. I'm sad I didn't take more pictures, but oh well.
Rebekah!
I did get to catch up with Teresa and her crew. We got kicked out of the auditorium because we were "disturbing" someone's sunday school class nearby! Haha! Oh well! Glad to see her and her family!
Kinsey was in Longview for the weekend before she heads off for her world travels this summer! So good to see her too!
And good ol' Mindi.
So Sunday evening, my parents and I left Gilmer and headed to Paris.
Monday morning I slept in til an embarrassing time. I didn't even know I could sleep that late. It was blissful. We, of course, had lunch at Taco Delite. Deliciousness.
Ro and Landry don't get a "Giant" size like Aunt P.
That night my Mom worked her cooking magic for the whole family and we had a great time. I think this picture was when we were watching some ridiculous video on YouTube.
Mom wanted a picture of all 3 of us.......While its funny to me as a daughter to refuse to take a serious picture for my Mom, its discouraging as a mother that my 3 will still be taking awful pictures in 30 years.
OK Ok ok we gave in.
I met up with a lifelong friend Beth for a quick visit Tuesday morning and had a great time catching up with her, then I'm a little embarrassed (not really) to say that we ate at Taco D again Tuesday for lunch. I got to pick Landry up from school at noon so we went there together and met the rest of the crew there. Mal showed up with her very own hair-do she did herself.
My parents and I left for Dallas Tuesday evening. This was my sendoff from the nieces and noaln. The little one in the bottom right of this picture is just a friend....not another cousin. She didn't really care that I was leaving! haha!
We went to Dallas that night to meet my BABY MILES!!!!!! I was soooo happy to get my hands on him. He's playing it cool in this picture, but I couldn't contain MY excitement!
My dad wanted to hold him and I think Miles was pretty fascinated with my Dad! Haha!
He went limp and I put him to sleep.
Nothin' better than holding a squishy sleeping baby you love so so much!
Mama Ali, Miles, and Auntie Jaymie!
After we left Alison's, we met my Aunt Nancye for her birthday dinner. We had a fun time spending the night with her. We spent the next day doing a little shopping since I was kid-free in a town with real stores. It was so fun. Mom and I spent 2 hours in Target and there was a Cabela's next door where my dad had no trouble spending 2 hours! After a day of shopping, they took me to the airport to head back. It was a PERFECT trip home. While I missed my kids and Kory being there, it was nice to be there with no strings attached. It was fast and furious and hectic in a lot of ways, but it was so wonderful. It fed my soul in every way.
I got to Bozeman about midnight Wednesday night so instead of driving 3 hours home in the wee hours, I spent another night with Clint and Sydni. I got to see the girls before school Thursday morning and made a quick Wal Mart run then I high tailed it back to my people.
Kanyon was at school, Kory had Q and Jaylie June with him in some pasture so I tracked them down. I was so excited to get in the pick up with them that I left mine running! I didn't even realize it until Kory took me back to my car about an hour later and it was still running! OOPS!
This was my view when I got in Kory's pick up. Baby girl was napping like this. And her face was covered with red goop. I assumed it was strawberries, but Daddy confessed that it was twizzlers. While Mom's away........
Aunt Sydni and Uncle Clint got the kids this trampoline for a year of gifts in one. It was a great idea and they got it put together while I was gone! WOHOOOO!
I brought back a little something for each of the kids (unless you count Kanyon's gift that I left on the plane!!UGHHHH!) Q had been talking about wanting walky talkies. My dad had a set that he doesn't use anymore so that was Quinn's treat. He was pretty excited.
And he didn't put them down for DAYS.
Jaylie showing off her hand me down shoes from Marion.
The night after I got back to town, something REALLY exciting happened! UNCLE TYE GOT ENGAGED!!!
Rachael is from Lewistown also, so her parents and our crew all went out to the ranch (where tye is living) and waiting for them. Tye had taken her up to a really cool butte on the ranch and we were there waiting when they got back! About 5 minutes before they showed up we decided we should've made signs. Sooooo Susan found a couple of markers and some paper and we threw together a few signs.
The kids are excited to add another Aunt Rachael to the family!!! We are so excited for them and can't wait til the big day in October!!!!!!
The night after he popped the question, we got a babysitter and Me and Kory went to a fun burger place in a tiny town about 30 minutes away. It was such a fun night on the heels of a big big day! The wedding talk is exciting and fun! No to mention the fact that we had lots of adult conversations with no kids! We saw a BEAUTIFUL rainbow (kinda a double rainbow). Unfortunately the beauty of it is framed by ugly 18 wheelers, but oh well.
WHEW!!!! That's enough excitement for one post I'd say!!!!
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