Spring Break

We have returned from spending Spring Break in Memphis, TN. Had a splendid time eating barbeque, riding on the Mojo Tour, visiting the zoo and making the pilgrimage to Graceland. Thrilled that my parents were able to drive up from Florida and meet us to partake in the adventure. Kelsey's boyfriend also joined in on the fun so it was a merry mix of Spring Breakiness for all! :)

Wish the weather had been a tad bit warmer but despite the chill, the folks in Memphis were very friendly and the city hosted us well. I was surprised at how poor and vacant a lot of the area is. I have not traveled much outside of Texas since the recession so I am not exactly sure if Memphis is always like that or has fallen on harder times. Perhaps a bit of both?

It was not a bad drive, only about 12 hours all together and on the way back we stopped and stayed a night in Dallas to break it up. We were all a bit tired, me especially since I did the bulk of the driving on the trip. Kelsey helped out on the way there but rode home with Tim on the way back.

Now we are home and springtime is in full force here- today we may actually reach the 80F mark! The warm breeze is blowing, smell of new cut grass is in the air and the Texas wildflowers are beginning a banner season due to our extremely wet fall and winter months. Can't wait to get some pics of the bluebonnets!

On the cancer front we are in a wait and see mode. Pat has a scan coming up and as always we are hopeful. He is tired and puffy from steroids. He is also having some back and joint pain but is remaining in good spirits most of the time.

I am busy getting some de-cluttering done (watching the tv show "Hoarders" can be quite motivating since my junky closets are nothing compared to some of those sad tales) and doing a little spring cleaning, yard work and opening up the pool for the season. I am also working on some home repair and redecorating. We've been in our house 2 years next month and as my fellow military spouses know- I'm getting the "itchy" foot to move! Years of constant relocation does that I guess! Since this is where we are settled and staying, I am compensating by repainting and rearranging some furniture to fool my wandering spirit into thinking this is a 'new' place! haha! :)

The kids are all hanging in there, doing well in school. It is nice to have Kelsey home to help out although I'm sure that night classes are not her first choice but she is a good sport. We spent a weekend converting our garage into a sort of efficiency apartment for her so at least she has her own living space and is not sharing ours except for kitchen, bath and laundry. It is working great so far and she pays 'rent' by covering the cost of the storage unit where we are keeping all of our garage items for the time being. A win-win on both sides. Derek is trying to knock out his senior year and is up in the air on his post high school plans. He has a good head on his shoulders so I am confident that whatever he comes up with will be a good match for him. Kevin is enjoying his last year of junior high, hanging with his friends and ready to move on to highschool. Meri is also doing great and counting the days until summer vacation so she can swim every day and sleep late. (me too!) Wil is a chatter box. He is so funny, loves music and is just an all around joy- even for a two year old! He really is a sweet boy.

I guess that is all our news in a nutshell. We are all very politically minded in our house and have been following recent events closely. Both Kelsey and Derek are taking government classes this semester so there is much to discuss around the kitchen table. We are looking forward to getting more involved on a local level as we get closer to fall! In the meantime we just roll along and keep our chins up and look forward no matter what comes our way. We hope you all do the same!

Today's Glass Half-Full: "We believe faith and freedom must be our guiding stars, for they show us truth, they make us brave, give us hope, and leave us wiser than we were." ~ Ronald Reagan