Home

We're home.  The airplane wasn't at all as bad as it could be, we managed to stay awake until bed time and then wake up at 7 am the next day, so jet lag was nipped in the bud right away.

We got off the plane, and I saw them first.  I think Joelle got a little whiplash because I took off so fast- but.. who to hug first??  Debbie, no Shanna- hey there's Howard!  Hold the baby!  Look Joelle this is your Grandma, your Aunt!  Oh, hey Jason!!  ok, WHO is the creepy stranger snapping so many photographs?!  huh? EMILY?! You're the one behind the camera??? waa haa haaa you came all the way from Raleigh just to see me at the airport! waaaa haa hug.

talk talk talk- cry, sniff, pass the baby, kiss all the cousins (who are a little freaked out), cry, sit down, apologize for the "china smell", cry.  Meet Brittany's family, hey ya'll. 

Oh hey, we're outside! I wanna kiss the ground! Grass, grass, gotta find some grass.. MMMmmmuah oh, America I love you. 

Get in the car with Jason and Shanna and the kids, oooh look at all the trees.  Hey, what's that? huh? a skyline with NO high rises?  and... ooh the trees.  They're everywhere.

GAS STATION!!! STOP THE CAR STOP THE CAR I wanna slushy and some beef jerky.  whoops, brain freeze! 

HEY! Target! Walmart! a CHURCH! cook out!  Red Lobster! oh look at the cute houses. neighborhoods!  oh, ha ha, there's a sight for sore eyes:  A guy in a cut-off t-shirt with a canoe strapped to the top of his car.  God bless the rednecks, I'm back among my people.

We're home. Can't stop staring at everyone- they are 3-d.  They DO exist. Look how big everyone is. 

We've seen Maw-Maw and Grandpa and today are going to visit Grandma.  Joelle ADORES her cousins- she was overwhelmed at first but now Grace gets her just rolling laughing, and she cried when Baker walked away to play somewhere else yesterday.

We went to Target, Wal-Mart, Old Navy (found a $12 bathing suit) Verizon Wireless, Best Buy.  Had to remind myself that just because I can speak English with everyone doesn't mean I have to talk constantly.  But I do miss the good 'ol southern "How are ya'll today?".

We went to Kathy and Larry's last night-- in case you don't remember, it was in their candle-lit basement that Scott proposed to me. It is now the first place where Joelle EVER sat and played in the grass. Joelle went swimming with her cousins and then fell asleep in Larry's teddy-bear like snuggly arms.  As if that wasn't beautiful enough, we had homemade strawberry ice cream.

Grace is my little shadow.  "Aunt Christine I just missed you so much!"  "What do you want to do now?"  Yesterday she painted my fingers and toes, brushed my hair and did my make up.  We drew pictures together, sing songs together, sit next to each other and watch TV together.  Jason and Shanna tried to remind her "she just got off a plane yesterday!" but not only do I not mind, I absolutely love it.  Yesterday in the pool we got pretty silly.  She's pretty fearless in the water now, so we had fun trying to get in the inflatable raft at the same time- I don't think we actually made it, we just kept flipping each other over.  We also had a diving board long-jump competition where Scott repeatedly won, and Larry repeatedly laughed at my attempts to jump further than Scott.

Baker and Brooks were eating some ice cream by the side of the pool and I asked for a bite.  They toddled over to where I was swimming and gave me big bites of ice cream! Scott wanted to get in on that, but his bite got dribbled all over the concrete on the way over.

I love that it took all of 2 hours to get warmed up to Baker and Brooks... now they come toddling in the room screaming Meen Meen!  (which is supposed to be Neen Neen, which is supposed to be Christine)  Shanna laughs and shakes her head.

I love this family I married into!

Can't wait for round two with all the Skaars and Hulings.

our phone number is:   704-315-8812  Please call us and just say hi.  It's free Verizon-to Verizon and nights and weekends just FYI.