Chirp

Crickets.... Are important.  Due to our lack of Internet and cable, they have been our entertainment in the evenings the past two weeks- not to mention all this blog has heard. 

I am not an I-phone writer/blogger- but I promise as soon as we have Internet and my beloved computer, I will pick up where I left off! But for now, we will listen to the crickets and catch a few lightening bugs...

Not just a Hallmark holiday

My father is known to refer to Fathers Day as a "Hallmark holiday".  Well, maybe it has become somewhat of an over marketed therefore over shopped holiday in America. 

But I call it honoring the man, that among other things, taught me compassion towards the world, how to be open minded about the things we don't understand or know, to think positive even when things aren't so, he shared the gift of reading, taught me independence, showed me the meaning of hard work by example and most of all, gave me the gift of unconditional love. 

So whether Hallmark says today is the day or not- here's to you dad! 

Still learning strength

My learned strength from our time in Germany (that I so gallantly bragged about a few posts back) was tested on my flight to the Grandparents in Oregon with the kids earlier this week. 

I will not write about how our journey turned into a FIFTEEN hour trip due to mechanical problems, missed flights, re-routing and a luggage no show.  That is always a gamble when one flies now... A days and I try not to stress over those things.

But, I found that I was not quite the strong girl I thought when just 15 minutes after this visit to the captain, switched to my little 8 year old laying in my lap feeling as hot as a desert and basically not responsive.  The crew paged over the intercom for a medical doctor and she was iced down, given meds and we have been nursing her all week with TLC and antibiotics. 

So I guess living in Germany did not teach me how to deal with all things with a perfect calm and grace cause I was not very calm as the doctor stayed with us 20,000 feet in the air and Karina felt felt more like the sun laying in my lap. But I was shown that there is grace all over the world and the sky. Maybe that was supposed to be my first lesson moving back to the US because I now understand that I will continue to grow as a person from life's experience even though I am back home and not living in a foreign country. 

Grits...southern breakfast of champions



sausage gravy and biscuits

topped and ready to go

Some of our friends helped welcome us back with yummies in our hotel room as we returned to Alabama and we immediately felt at home.  HOWEVER, my first morning at the hotel breakfast bar, I was welcomed home by a true "Southern Breakfast of Champions".  Not good for the heart (or hips) but what is a girl to do when she has just moved back home and is being greeted by cheese grits, spicy sausage, and biscuits with gravy....EAT IT, don't think about the calories, and take tums immediately when returning to the hotel room. 

cheese grits and sausage



Landed back home.

We landed and are driving to Alabama

We landed and it felt a bit like we were in a foreign country....the sun was shining and the heat was hugging us tightly. 

After all of our chaos' moving morning' ...including no reservations on our train to Frankfurt airport and an impromptu shopping trip to get Rocky a brand new crate in the airport since his didn't meet German law requirements, we arrived back in Alabama.  And yes, the skies were so blue.   

Checking out the new digs

Even Rocky wanted to tour