Well, I have decided to start a blog!  For my very first blog – EVER – I have decided to talk about our recent trip to the great state of Kentucky.  It was terrific but very short.

It had been a long time since we had flown with a baby and were a little bit worried but managed just fine.  Fortunately, both girls were pretty chill 🙂

Rachel, Sarah Amelia, and me on the flight to KY

Much to mine and Bryan’s pleasant surprise, the newly renovated terminal B at Bush airport was much improved – nice restaurants and better setting, etc…  Except for changing a 5 month olds diaper in an airplane lavatory the size of a broom closet, the flight was very uneventful.  Sarah Amelia doesn’t respond to bribes (yet) but Rachel sure does and nothing says bribe like threating to not allow iPad use on the 2 hour trip from the airport to Nana’s house!  It was stormy on the drive to the Kee’s, but we saw the most beautiful rainbow that stretched completely across the sky.  That started a discussion that went on for at least 20 minutes about “what makes a rainbow”.

We had a really great couple of days with my in-laws.  It was so great for Sarah Amelia to finally meet her “great” Aunt Janet and cousins Garrett and Olivia, and of course Rachel got a big kick out of hanging with her teenage cousins 🙂   Luckily the rain held off long enough to set off fireworks.  Sarah Amelia didn’t really appreciate the noise that came along with the fireworks, which she takes after her Aunt Sarah …  But it was a lot of fun to hang out with everyone and eat lots of yummy food!  After celebrating 4th of July with the Kee’s, we headed down to the Wooton’s.

the Kee’s with the girls

Rachel at her Nana and Pawpaw Pete’s

My sister Sarah came home from Chicago and helped Mom host a big party in honor of Sarah Amelia. I can’t tell you how much fun I had. It seemed like ages and ages since I have been together with all of my aunts and many of my cousins.  I tell you, it is so easy to take your relatives for granted.  Especially when you spend your entire

me and cousin Sean – looking like we are headed to a UK game 🙂

childhood with most of them.   I even got see my cousin Sean and his family!  (several others were missing, so I am going to have to make an effort to go to Thanksgiving dinner in Hyden this year).  Every time I see Sean I keep waiting for him to call me Dorothy – apparently I use to tell people that I was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, LOL!

My great friends Stephanie and Kim brought their little ones and that was awesome.  It is remarkable how little either of them has changed.  I just couldn’t believe that so many people came to Mom and Dad’s to see us.  I feel like so much of my time is spent in what I like to call the “polite passing”.  You know the drill – “how are you, how are the kids, how is work”, etc.

Stephanie and Miles, Me and Sarah Amelia, Kim and Jace

That happens when families and old friends get together but there is more, the “how are you really doing” kind of discussions and deeper conversations.  I mean, my aunts can size up your current health and well-being by just looking at you, so there is definitely a deeper connection.
Saying goodbye is never easy, but we all managed…  On the way back to the airport, sister Sarah saved the day.  She was about 30-

60 minutes ahead of us and warned us of massive traffic on the interstate and told us how to detour.  She’s cool like that.
After another tense hour of “crap, what if we miss our plane!”  we made it to the airport.  As we were running to check-in to

Me and the girls with Mom, Dad, and my dad’s sisters

our flight (and dropping half of our stuff every 2 seconds), I spotted The TURTLEMAN!!!  yeyeyeyeyeyeee Live Action!  He is definitely exactly the same in person as he is on tv!  So friendly – and really jazzed to hear that we had just been to Leslie

Me, John, and sister Sarah

 

Guess who we found in LEX airport!?!?!

County.  He said “woo hoo, Leslie County – live action!”.  Apparently, he had just spent 2 weeks in Houston trapping alligators. I guess he made it back to Kentucky with all appendages intact. Too cool 🙂  Ok – my first blog 🙂