adios St. George and ;( family

We met at Cracker Barrel for a birthday breakfast for my mother at 7:30.  Of course, Mom called at 7 to say that she was already there.  ha!  We arrived at 7:30, as planned.  We had to load the car and double check for leaving anything, plus get a three year old and a baby ready, as well as ourselves because we were heading home immediately after breakfast.

We had a short and sweet birthday breakfast and said our goodbyes.  Zeej was so excited to be wearing her overalls.  Mom said, "You look like a farmgirl."  Then, she turned to Grace and said, "And you look like a beautiful princess."  Thanks, Mom.  But, the funny thing was that Zeej felt like two million dollars in her overalls from the DI and she didn't care one bit!  I love that they know they don't need others approval to feel good about themselves!

We had a very uneventful drive home.  The fires in Southern Utah caused the skies to be cloudy and grey.  You could barely see the outlines of the mountains in the distance along the I-15.  It's so sad at this time of year when so many acres of our beautiful state burn for days.

We stopped for a potty break and didn't get lunch until we only 30 minutes from home, at Sonic drive thru.   We just wanted to be home, and we were, before Doug came in from work!  We had unloaded our bags and were settling in when Doug walked in.  I sat in my Lazy-Boy to rest my shoulder and recline, he kissed me hello and I woke up two hours later! Doug had a temple event with the YSA and he got home after nine.  I am thankful for that hello kiss because by 8:45, I was in bed, under the covers, asleep until the next morning.  I never saw him again that night!  I was in pain and exhausted!  Honestly, the heat.  The drive.  The lonnnnnnng time sitting up.... I won't be making any road trips for a while again!

Saying goodbye to Liza and the girls was so hard.  We hugged and said goodbye, then we hugged again and started over several times.  With them in Phoenix again, it will be more like annual visits instead of bi-monthly.  Sadness.  I get tears thinking about it.  And Little Miss A.  Oh my.  She had a pouty face and said, "Grammie, I'm going to miss you so much."  Then she said, "Come tomorrow and we can go to story time!"  Then, it was me who had the pouty face.  I am so blessed with these sweet girls in my life!  Liza is such a phenomenal mother to watch.  Aylabelle is so smart and Edie is just the happiest baby ever.  What a blessing to be their mom and gram! 

My own girls were delightful on the entire trip.  Grace was so helpful in the front seat.  She raised my arm up and down to keep it from seizing up.  She lifted my drink for me and gave me treats to keep me awake and kept the music on the right songs.  I was thanking Grace for her help while I drove, after the fact. She said, "I prayed that I could be of service to you on our trip, Mom.  So, Thanks!"  It was so appreciated!  She did well!  Zeej was in the back seat and kept us entertained with her stories and tales.  Her singing and "dancing" with her arms are entertaining to watch all the time!  We just had fun.  Period.  They were both very thankful and appreciative for every little part of the trip.

I came home and gave thanks for these wonderful women in my life!  I truly am blessed!  Doug was happy to have us home and I reminded him how blessed I feel to have his support on anything I want in life!  He's amazing too.  I love my life!