Is It Monday Again?

Well...I drove home today.

I woke up this morning to my sweet bundle of a grandson handed into bed by my daughter. I laid there smelling that sweet head once again, drinking it all in as he held onto my finger, tightly and unknowingly, snuggling and listening to his tiny, adorable baby sounds as he breathed....
there in the middle between me and my son Luke.

We then we made ourselves get up and ready. We said goodbye in the early morning mist to my daughter, son-in-law and little Levi there on top of the mountain where they live in Alabama.

I will soon be laying my head on a pillow in the state of Michigan and what a whoopin' that feels like...but we are so thankful for safe travels, over three thousand miles on my car in six weeks.

I was very fortunate to have spent that six weeks with my daughter! It was a precious time, too, as only a week or so was when my daughter was working--the rest of the time she was off.

That's the most time she's ever not been working or going to school since she was fourteen and started working for her dad in the hardware store: uninterrupted time together...some before baby, and lots afterward.

Her shoulder is mostly mended and I left her feeling really good about them getting on a schedule and getting things situated with their little family.

I did well with saying good-bye, I think because there's a firm date when I will see them again, soon...before summer is over; so I didn't cry all the way home...

There's s a wedding in Michigan Jamie and Thad and the baby plan on coming to Michigan in August and spending a week. SO YIPPPEEEEE!!!!!

Knowing that made saying good-bye much easier, and I think that's the way we'll get through it...this long-distance grandparent-ing thing.

Kazowie! What a long drive home; I am a road zombie at the moment. Driving eleven hours straight will tend to make your head hum and your right foot go a little wonky and want to jump, jump, jump.

I am not like a man and have to beat my previous trip times, (what, your husband doesn't do that?!?) but I am pretty proud of making the trip twice now--totally by myself the first time--and not getting lost.

I did make a couple itty bitty mistakes in Indianapolis, of all places, but righted myself and found the right road with no problems. (((GIGGLE!))) It figures the simplest major city I had to drive through was what threw me.

I find myself saying repeatedly: "Corn, corn, corn!" when I drive through Indiana. Remember that line from "Secondhand Lions"?

Hubby had supper ready tonight, I greeted him and he me with a long, squishing hug, and then a smoosh or two for our two dogs and our oldest son and two grand puppies. While supper finished, we talked and walked around the yard and looked around at the gardens and the flowers. (Have I told you lately that ornamental cabbage is one of my new loves? I'll show you soon.)

I also got Sally out and took her for a quick sunset spin. She told me that she really, really missed me and that we need to make up for some lost time. She said that when Lem takes her out, they don't stay gone very long and that he won't drive her fast enough. I promised her that we would certainly remedy that. Poor neglected Sally!

And then I updated the computer which was probably very disoriented from not being turned on for nearly six weeks and looked up over my desk and my calendar still said "MAY"! Wow... major time warp!

I turned a couple pages on that calendar... and I'll wake up tomorrow morning rested and ready to tackle some noticeable dust and put my front porch in order again. Otherwise, the house isn't in too bad of shape! There's a grocery list waiting and lots to of unpacking to do.

I'm sure it will feel good to get back in a routine, but boy will I miss my rocking chair time with a snuggly, cooing baby to put to sleep!

I'll be drunk on grandbaby-love as I go about my business for the next month or so until I can see him again...I will upload some photos of the little cutie pie in the next day or so for you to see, he and I had a long photo session Friday afternoon while Mommy went to the store and ran some errands.

He cooperated nicely because I told him Nana was going to miss him something terrible and the photos would have to last me for a long time.

Programming note for vintage lovers: Check out AMERICAN PICKERS on the History Channel: Monday nights....you'll LOVE IT!

You can follow the cameras and the guys as they travel the country, going through people's barns crammed full of great vintage goodies!

And....to close out the weekend celebrating America's birth...there's some awesome EYE CANDY here...of the patriotic sort. I dare you to look and not cry.