The Tray-yer

The "tray-er", as Liam used to call it!

Here are a few shots of our "Home Sweet Home" for the last seven years, or at least the parts of those seven years that we were in Bristol. It has been on the market, For Sale By Owner, for about 4 months and we have been showing it fairly regularly, especially this week. I showed it three out of the four days so far this week and this afternoon, one looker came back and became a buyer. She gave me a deposit while she waits on some money to pay for it in full. Lord willing, we will move out, and she will move in, around mid July. This makes our move to Kansas City a little closer, something Michael is especially grateful for as he is getting a little weary of living without his family, and, of course, we miss him terribly as well. We may still be here for a few weeks after the closing of the sale so that we can save some money without a housing expense to be better prepared to find something new in KC. Many details to keep in prayer. When we bought this trailer in 1999 we had one baby who was almost a year old. We thought it would be a good stepping stone to something bigger and better in the future, and it has been. I don't think we thought we would own it as long as we have or that we would have three kids before we moved out, but it has been a blessing, not only to us but to others as well. Some college students we knew rented it for a year and my sister and her friend rented it the next year and my (future, at the time) brother-in-law Jeph lived here for most of the next year while we were in Germany. It is time to move on but we have many happy memories here, and because of that, the "tray-yer" will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day but we were once again separated from Michael. He is in Kansas City, working and waiting for us to join him. We are here, still trying to sell the trailer so we can move and be together, all in one place at the same time!

I found this picture in my computer today. It was taken about 3 years ago, while we were in Germany but it looked like a good picture to post on a Father's Day post. :)

Yesterday, we had lunch with Heidi and Jeph and Grant because my dad (and mom) was in Atlanta with Jana, Kane and Mara Kate for the weekend. We had a yummy, cheesy lunch and then Heidi and I made an award -winning apple pie. (The recipe has won awards, not our actual pie, but it was pretty good!) After that, we looked through a big box of Heidi's old photos, reminiscing about the babyhood days of my two oldest kids. It was fun. We talked to Michael on the phone and we saw my dad after they got home from Atlanta. It wasn't fun to have Michael so far away again but it was a good day with family.

Mississippi...It's Like Coming Home

Heidi and I (and Dresden and Grant) recently went to Mississippi for my friend Jamie's wedding and the sign at the state line welcoming us to Mississippi said " Mississippi...It's like coming home." That is very appropriate for us because we really do feel that way. Mississippi, and especially Brookhaven, will always have a special place in all of our hearts since we lived there for several years and we have many good friends and memories there. This visit was no exception. We had a great time seeing the familiar faces of many dear friends and we made some more memories. I spent alot of my time involved in activities surrounding Jamie's wedding, like eating. I was invited to two dinners, a lunch, and a breakfast during the two days I was there and that does not include the actual wedding! Heidi and I ate lunch with three good friends on Friday and another on Saturday. We really enjoyed catching up and the food was good too! We also stayed with another family and we were able to visit with them in the mornings and evening before and after our other activities. It was a short visit but very sweet.
Me and Mrs. Grosshans (Jamie) at her wedding reception.
And yes, that is a spot of food on the dress I borrowed from Jana!

We stopped in Atlanta on our way to Brookhaven to see Jana and Kane and Mara Kate (and to go to IKEA, of course!). These are the three babies in the backseat on our shopping trip.

We were able to meet up with Haley, who we started babysitting about fifteen years ago, when she was three. She was getting ready for her high school graduation that night and we had a gift to deliver to her from my mom and dad. I can't believe how grown up she is!

I have no idea why these pictures posted in this order, with the Atlanta pic stuck in the middle, and I am too tired and too confused by blogspot to attempt to figure it out! It was a fun trip and I hope we can do it again before too many months or years pass! Oh, we also got the wonderful privilege of going to Janie's Pastry, a famous little store in downtown Brookhaven, for some delicious iced cookies! There's nothing like 'em!