A full week left in Arizona and the hits keep coming.

Well, sadly Millie and Jack were wide awake by 5 am, but we knew we were getting closer to normalcy. Once they were awake they decided they wanted to take a bubble bath in our big tub. The strangest things entertain them. 

I was off for another walk and Stuart was in charge of the bath twins. 

Once I was home Stuart went out to get some milk and came back with two cases, one for checking and one as a carry on. It seems we always buy too much while we are home. Yikes! Our biggest concern is that there will be no room in the rental cars for all of our luggage. 

Julie Whitehead, one of my dearest friends, came by to see us because she was heading to California the next day and I wouldn't have been able to see her had she not come over. We had a wonderful time talking about our families. I find that I never have difficulty reconnecting with my closest friends. We always pick up where we left off. It's the evidence of a true, lasting friendship. I have more of those friendships than I ever knew. 

We went to lunch at Uncle Bear's, where Jack enjoys cracking the peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor. He nearly hit someone with one of the shells. I then had to explain that he didn't need to really throw the shell. 

We spent an hour or so at G and P's and then Stuart and I were off to John's house for a karaoke party, which was kindly named 'The Telford 5th Annual Karaoke Party'. There were people from Fulton Elementary and of course, John and Jenni, our hosts and good friends. 

We were the one who stayed until the bitter end, 1 am, and sang a billion songs, mostly by random selection. John has a DJ business and has more songs on karaoke than we could ever know. It was such fun!

John is now a theater teacher in Kyrene, and he has all these props that we pull out on karaoke night. There is never a dull moment. 

Once we were home and showered it was a short night's sleep for me. I was up and out of he house at 6 am to walk with Sue. She came to pick me up because Stuart needed the car to go get his certificate renewed at the state department, and she wanted me to see her new house. 

We walked for about an hour, got a tour of her house, which was beautiful and very homey, then sat and chatted for about an hour. It is always nice to catch up with friends and we have done our best to pack in as much as possible in the 9 days we are in Arizona this summer. 

Once I was back home and showered, someone came over to fix our air conditioner. It seems that when our new unit was put in almost two years ago they didn't put the drip pan in correctly and the drain was on the opposite side of the way the pan sloped, thus possibly creating the leak and damage that occurred almost a year ago. I hate house issues and feeling helpless when it comes to repairs that are done half way. However, thank goodness Sally and Rob Beck know people to call and come help. Rob sent over one of his employees and it was solved. 

Sally came over for about an hour and we caught up from the last year. Even though we knew we were having dinner together I still enjoyed seeing her and so appreciated her coming over for a while. 

Around lunchtime we finally went down to rescue my folks. The kids had a great night's sleep and lunch was ready. We had taco salad and the kids played their electronics for a bit. We then decided to take a trip to Sam's Club, a favorite activity each summer. We bought Stuart some clothes and some fruit. 

We got home and G and P came over. We headed to the Beck's for a swim in their pool and a delicious dinner of chalupa. It is a favorite meal of mine that I remember from when I lived with them almost 20 years ago. The evening was wonderful. Rob and Sally have been friends of mine for 23 years. They love the things we love and we can't wait until we can go camping with them in the future. 

The kids broke out their new swimmers for the Beck's pool. 

I had taken the kids jammies and shower stuff. I asked Sally if she minded if I showered them and then did so. It's always a good idea since Millie falls asleep in any car ride after dark, and Monday night was no exception. 

Tuesday morning was a walk with Liz and then breakfast at the Farmhouse. Breakfast was a bit sad. We were there by ourselves, which was no big deal, but Candy, the waitress who had waited on us for almost 10 years and was a dear woman to me and Julie Whitehead for much longer than that, had passed away earlier in the year. I was hoping to see the other waitress, Keri, but she wasn't there either. It was the end of a season for sure. It made me very sad to not see Candy or Keri. The Farmhouse will never be the same. 

The food was as good as ever. 

We went to Home Depot to buy some things for the house and then headed to Mequite Groves Aquatic Center. We met up with the Daniels, the Meyns, and the Schluds. All of these families have kids who are friends with Jack and we like to go to the pool each summer with them. We were there for 2 hours and had a picnic lunch. Then it was back home. 

Grammie came by and picked Millie up, while Jack walked down to her house all by himself. I think for this reason alone, Jack is ready to come back to Arizona. 

When the kids were gone Stuart and I fell asleep. Ha! It was quiet in the house and we passed out. We were supposed to go to Grammie and Pop's about 30 minutes after the kids left, but it ended up being about an hour and a half after they left. Oops! 

Once we were awake we headed down to their house and just sat around for about an hour, then it was off to the Green's for dinner. 

We arrived just before 5 pm. Maytee was still at work, but Ken and the girls were there. The kids bonded again, instantly. They played for hours and even produced a play for us. 

You may not be able to recognize it, but this was their version of the Wizard of Oz. it was actually very sweet. 

Wednesday morning I decided not to walk and have a bit of a lie in. Once we were all up the kids were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Grace, the babysitter. She spent the entire day with them while I went to have my hair done and Stuart went shopping for a bit. 

After my hair was done Stuart came and joined our friend Bethany and me for lunch at Oreganos. I forgot how fantastic their meatballs are. 

We came home and sent the kids to Grammie and Pop's. It seems in these first few days of our America tour we haven't spent a great deal of time with Jack and Millie. However, we want them to be with G and P as much as possible, so we aren't too worried about our time with them. We went down to G and P's a bit later to just hang out. 

We left at about 4:30 to head to dinner at Mack and Mary's house. Elisa, Sherry and Paul joined us and we had a fantastic night catching up and laughing. And, as always, we had unbelievably tasty food. 

The kids went swimming for a while and then, as I usually do, I brought their jammies so they took a shower and were ready for bed. It enabled us to stay a little longer, which is my main purpose in that activity. The kids played with the cat and dog and Millie cried when we had to leave the animals. It was so sad. 

Look at her eyes. She was bawling. 

Leaving was tearful for me, knowing that I wouldn't see them again for two years. It's hard for even a year, but two years is a bit unbearable. These women are like family to me, so I might have had some tears as well. 

Thursday morning I got up and went for another walk with Sue. This time we went around the water at the Farm Bureau. Again, we had some deep conversations and heartfelt talks. The test of a true friendship is being able to pick up where you left off each year. It seems my friends here are all of that caliber, which I believe is something to be cherished. 

After my walk with Sue, I went to Ryan Elementary and spent 3 hours with Diane Wells. I had stopped by Starbucks for coffee, and we locked ourselves in her office. We talked about everything as if no time had passed. But eventually I couldn't take up any more of her time because she had to work, and I needed to get back to the house for a shower. There was still a lot to be done in the day. 

I was supposed to have lunch with my mom, but in the end she decided we would be best to eat at her house because she had food that needed to be eaten before we all headed to Branson. After we had eaten, and Stuart had hooked up their electronics, Grammie and I headed out for a little shopping. We had a little over 2 hours to ourselves, which is not much, but Branson will provide more quality time, I am sure. 

Thursday evening we left Millie at G and P's for a sleepover while Jack went to Gavin's for a sleepover. Stuart then took me to Connie's for a Bunco Babes gathering, while he headed for sushi and a movie with Ken. 

While at Bunco, we laughed until we cried. I relived moments from the last year and was filled in on the happenings of each of their lives. Gretchen (Connie's daughter), Connie, Marion, Jennifer, Brenda, Susan, and Marty were in attendance. It was almost 6 hours of uninterrupted laughter. These are also women whom I consider family and nothing we ever say to each other is taken too seriously because we have been through life-altering events with one another and our trust in each other in unbelievably strong. 

Love my Bunco Babes!

Stuart came to pick me up and ended up joining the fun for almost an hour. We headed home and were out like a light. 

Friday morning we were up and packing by about 7 am. Stuart Skyped his mum and we enjoyed coffee and conversation without child interruption. We headed to G and P's while Jack was having an adventure with Gavin at a local bounce/skateboard/scooter/BMX facility. They went for lunch and then had continued fun at the Meyn household on their water slide bouncy. He had more adventure in those 18 hours than he had in our entire time in Arizona. Lucky boy!

Here the boys were on Thursday evening with waffle ice cream sandwiches. Yummy!

We hung out at G and P's for a while and then headed home to meet John for lunch. Stuart went to get Chipotle and when he returned I headed to the Metn's to pick up Jack. Of course he was a bit distressed by the fact that I was there and he didn't want to go home. But when I told him we were going to need to go home because we had company coming that evening, he relaxed a bit. Vicki and I chatted for about 20 minutes and then we headed back home. 

John brought the kids little gifts, which was very sweet of him. He stayed for a few hours and just laughed at Millie. She kept doing gymnastic stunts and acting a bit crazy, to be honest. 

Once John left, I finished up a load of laundry and ordered the pizzas. The Neeleys and Greens showed up around 5:30 and Stuart was getting the pizzas. We sat and talked for 3 hours, and once again enjoyed the people who remain lifelong friends. 

This week in Arizona has been one of reflection for me. We have packed so much into so few days. I can tell that the UAE, although fulfilling its purpose for now, will not be our home forever. Stuart and I, for the first time since we left three years ago, started talking about all the things for which we really wanted to sock money away. It made me happy to think about our return, whenever that will be. 

Thanks to all the friends that made our trip so enjoyable. Although this is the shortest time we have been in Arizona in the last three summers, it's quite possible it has been the most enjoyable. 

Saturday morning came way too early. We hustled around to strip the beds, pack our toilet bags, wake the kids up, and load up for the airport. Liz took us to the airport just before 6 am. Once we were checked in, which was in lightning speed (kudos to Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor), we got some breakfast and settled at our gate. We had about an hour before we boarded and the kids were bored just after their chocolate milk and pastry was finished. So we bowed to the electronic god and said they could get out their screens. Millie chose not to do so, but instead sat on the floor in front of me just staring at people. Jack sat quietly and played games on his iPad. What on earth did we do before these luxuries?

Our obligatory 'check in at the airport' photo. We always have to bribe the kids to do a decent photo by promising them we will do a goofy one after the nice one. This goofy photo seems fitting for the blog. 

We boarded the Southwest flight which stopped, briefly, in Albuquerque. On that leg we flew with Millie in the middle seat and me on the aisle, across from Stuart on the aisle and Jack in the middle seat. It was perfect. The flight was only about 45 minutes and everyone was happy. Well, we made the fatal error of putting both kids on the inside of Stuart on the leg to Kansas City. Millie had a slight meltdown about halfway through the flight, requiring me to take her back to the ever so tiny bathroom for a 'come to Jesus' talk. Ugh! I hate those! You know there are people on the flight who can empathize with what you are going through, but you also know there are critics on the flight who wonder why your almost 5 year old can't deal! It took about a minute for her to see the error of her ways and we were back to our seats, all happy. 

We landed in Kansas City and headed to the car rental counter. Because we don't have insurance, we nearly had to give up a kidney to get a car. Pretty sure we could have bought a car and resold it for less money, but we were stuck and at their mercy. It was robbery at its finest. 

Once we had all of our luggage stuffed in the boot and in between the kids, we were off in search of lunch. And, as we were in BBQ country, it seemed only fitting to stop at Smokehouse BBQ. 

Once lunch was paid for we headed to Branson. It was a 3 and a half hour drive from the BBQ joint and Millie slept the entire trip. Excellent!

Our drive was anything but boring, however I did not catch all of the interesting things we saw on film. For instance on the highway we drove past an Amish horse and buggy. I totally forgot Missouri had this population, and of course the kids were asleep when this happened. Then we saw two police chases, both of motorcyclists. The second chase was two police cars following the motorcyclist who had to have been going at least 100 miles per hour. The driver was a big gal with green pants. She kind of stood out. We finally came up on her being cuffed and stuffed about 10 miles after she had initially passed us. It was very exciting but I didn't get an actual picture of her being hauled off. 

Here we were coming up on the arrest. 

So long criminal, it's off to the slammer for you. Naturally Stuart and I wanted to know the background story, so we may have made one up. 

We also saw this warehouse of fireworks. It still amazes me that these places don't explode every year. The people running them, I'm sure, have lost a finger or two at some stage. 

We finally arrived in Branson at 7:30 pm. We went straight to my parents' house and Mith was there to greet us. Their house is amazing and we definitely feel blessed to benefit from their hard work over the years. I will post pictures in next week's blog. 

We decided we had better quickly unload and head to grab a bite to eat, assuming the streets of Branson rolled up at 9 pm. We went to Freddy's burger joint, which was awesome, and then went to get some provisions at Walmart. 

Walmart in any town is quite the experience, but I'm pretty sure 'the people of Walmart' pictures I have seen on the Internet originated at this particular Walmart. Naturally I was brave enough to take one picture. 

This baby had on a swim diaper and a fleece jacket. Interesting? This wasn't even close to some of the other frightful things I witnessed, but as you can guess, it was the only picture I could justify taking and play it off as taking a picture of Stuart and Millie (as they walk away). 

Once the scarring had been done from the Walmart run, we headed back to the house to settle in for the night. Stuart and Mitch unloaded the groceries while I showered the kids. We all sat in the living room for an hour or so and the kids had their headphones on, watching their electronic devices, while Mitch, Stuart and I caught up. 

Because we were in a different time zone, when the kids went to bed at 11:30 pm, it seemed like 8:30 pm. I'm sure that will catch up with me at some stage. 

Clearly Millie's three and a half hour nap had no effect on her in regards to her ability to drop off again just 4 hours later. Poor kids. They actually were troopers in the travel world. 

The three adults hit the hay just before midnight, hoping for a good night's rest. On to the next adventure.