Ah, vacation!
Yes, friends, I am about to depart on a road trip and get away for a while. Gas prices? Who cares? Well, sort of.
When it's all said and done, few things are more important than family, and from that truth hath sprung my mission, er, vacation purpose. (I think a vacation should have some sort of, at least minimal, reason to be. It gives you something to anticipate, even if you only plan to do nothing.) And the sole reason for this vacation is to visit family. It started as a desire to visit my younger sister and brother in Shreveport, LA, then it took a life of its own.
My sister Pam recently underwent a second surgery to put a rod in her right leg in place of her femur which was shattered in a wreck on July 4, 2007. (Those things can be a slap in your face and make you think how quickly you can lose a loved one.) The original surgery was performed with the wrong parts, so she had to endure the second one, this time with a much better doctor and without trauma from the wreck. She has recovered very quickly and the pain she was having before has abated greatly. So, I want to visit her. Ditto with my brother Richard and his wife Debbie, who have reared a really cool son Matt who will be starting his second year at Tulane in the fall.
Since I will be so "close" to Houston (only 4 hours!) I have also decided to run down there and pay a visit to my Aunt Shirley, who is my father's younger sister, and who turned 90 in May. Still sharp as a tack and in good health. She has some old family pictures and info she is working on to give to me.
A couple of days there, and I'm off again, this time to the Baton Rouge and Belle River areas of south Louisiana, again to visit more family. There are about 5 sets of relatives there, including my Aunt Mary who is also my godmother, and who turns 89 this year. Last time I saw any of them was at my mother's funeral last year, so the circumstances will be much improved this time. I also want to take some time to record some family tree info from this side (my mother's) of the family.
Then after several days of visitin', head back to SC via the Florida gulf coast, where I may hook up overnight with some friends who are there for the week. I should be back home on 7/28, and hopefully my cats will speak to me after being gone for 10 days! (I have a great neighbor taking care of them in my absence. She needs a good "cat fix" every so often.)
So those are my plans. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone. It satisfies a need to be in touch with family, and to reacquaint ourselves again.
I can't wait...
When it's all said and done, few things are more important than family, and from that truth hath sprung my mission, er, vacation purpose. (I think a vacation should have some sort of, at least minimal, reason to be. It gives you something to anticipate, even if you only plan to do nothing.) And the sole reason for this vacation is to visit family. It started as a desire to visit my younger sister and brother in Shreveport, LA, then it took a life of its own.
My sister Pam recently underwent a second surgery to put a rod in her right leg in place of her femur which was shattered in a wreck on July 4, 2007. (Those things can be a slap in your face and make you think how quickly you can lose a loved one.) The original surgery was performed with the wrong parts, so she had to endure the second one, this time with a much better doctor and without trauma from the wreck. She has recovered very quickly and the pain she was having before has abated greatly. So, I want to visit her. Ditto with my brother Richard and his wife Debbie, who have reared a really cool son Matt who will be starting his second year at Tulane in the fall.
Since I will be so "close" to Houston (only 4 hours!) I have also decided to run down there and pay a visit to my Aunt Shirley, who is my father's younger sister, and who turned 90 in May. Still sharp as a tack and in good health. She has some old family pictures and info she is working on to give to me.
A couple of days there, and I'm off again, this time to the Baton Rouge and Belle River areas of south Louisiana, again to visit more family. There are about 5 sets of relatives there, including my Aunt Mary who is also my godmother, and who turns 89 this year. Last time I saw any of them was at my mother's funeral last year, so the circumstances will be much improved this time. I also want to take some time to record some family tree info from this side (my mother's) of the family.
Then after several days of visitin', head back to SC via the Florida gulf coast, where I may hook up overnight with some friends who are there for the week. I should be back home on 7/28, and hopefully my cats will speak to me after being gone for 10 days! (I have a great neighbor taking care of them in my absence. She needs a good "cat fix" every so often.)
So those are my plans. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone. It satisfies a need to be in touch with family, and to reacquaint ourselves again.
I can't wait...
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