But it's a Dry Heat! Thank Goodness!

Wow, lots has happened since I last posted here. We got through those last crazy days of school and got Montana graduated from 8th grade on May 23rd and Jordan graduated from high school on May 24th. Thanks Mom and Dad, for making and taking the time to come up for that. It meant a lot to him and to me, too.

Just got back from spending 10 days in the suburban Atlanta, GA, area. C's parents have lived there for about 14 years now. We have never had the funds to take all of our kids and just go visit. We have been there as a family once, but so were all of C's siblings and their families and it was chaos. Fun chaos, but crazy anyway! I told C that our kids need the experience of being the only people at their house, so that they can spend lots of time with their grandparents and build bonds and memories. We asked them back in the fall where they would choose to go if our family could take a big trip and hands down, their answer was to Grandma and Grandpa Welch's house. Over Disneyland! And SeaWorld! (For what it's worth, I was with them all the way!)

So for Christmas we gave them this trip, just had to wait til school was out to make it happen. We had wanted to go during Spring Break, but that's when N had her twins and Grandma was out here, so we just waited for June.

We really had a fantabulous time. We are not hard to please and don't have to be entertained, but I think Grandma and Grandpa wanted to make it extra fun so the kids would always remember it. We visited Stone Mt. and shopped and played in water, fed ducks, rode the tram to the top and back, rode the train, visited the plantation and watched the laser show. We went to C's sister's, B's, house one day to swim and have some southern BBQ pork and such. It was nice to see their home and now have a frame of reference for them. The little girls had so much fun with their cousin, E, and even got to spend a night at her house. We went to the GA aquarium. It's big and there were tons of people. But the exhibits were great and the favorite was the walk thru tunnel with rays and whale sharks and huge fish, and the Great Barrier Reef simulation with all the intensely colored fish that live there. We walked from there to Centennial Park, where the Olympic Ring Fountain is. It was super hot and H and her cousin, E, were the only ones brave enough to go run through the fountains as the water jets danced around. They were about the only white kids there, which might have been strange for my other kids.

We also drove up to TN to visit C's oldest brother and his family. They have recently bought a new home out in the country and are trying very hard to follow the Prophet's counsel to get out of debt, get storage and be as self sufficient as possible. I was amazed at what they have done. They sold their much larger home in the city and bought a very small home with some land and I believe they probably own it free and clear or are very close to it. They have chickens and are looking to get maybe some lambs and goats. C's SIL, C, is a great gardener and has a large garden now, but is expanding it again. They have a large shop building which has an air-conditioned workshop room for R and his tools. He is an engineer and always tinkering with stuff and designing and building stuff. There is also a food storage room in there that is air-conditioned and lots of other storage on top of the workshop room. I love how they have simplified their lives and are so happy with the choices they have made. I came away from there so inspired to get my life and home in order so I can feel peace regardless of what may come.

We were also able to take in an Atlanta Braves game. I wasn't sure how the kids would handle this, since they can go quite long, but time seemed to pass quickly, and I never once heard, "When will it be time to go?" Unfortunately, the Braves lost, but they had two home runs which were awfully fun to cheer for.

C and I and his parents drove up to see the Georgia Guidestones near Elberton on Tuesday. We had heard of them and wanted to see them. Strange story and strange place. Reinforced the knowledge that there are groups of people on this earth working to undermine God's plan. The things written on the stones may sound good, but if you really look at them in the context of 'evil designs of conspiring men' you can't help but know that there really are people working for the other side. If you're curious about them, check here

The kids travelled wonderfully. On every single flight people commented on how well behaved they are and how polite. It was truly gratifying to hear that, because most of the time C and S and I were not seated near the other kids. We assigned each of the boys to be a travel buddy to a younger sister. They were to keep track of them in the airports and such and it worked wonderfully. I will have no qualms about travelling with them again.

We got home on Wed and I had so much I wanted to get started on, but I think I must have found some water from Mexico somewhere. I ended up with upset insides and today is the first day that I've had any energy or felt able to do anything.

Plans in the the pipeline are to move J downstairs and the girls upstairs so we can cut the hole through to the new girls room and get the new furnace/AC unit in and move the water heater and frame the new girls room and yada, yada, yada. I wish I could just twitch my nose and have all this work done and my house perfectly finished. I'm tired of living in a half completed home. Samantha Stevens, where are you when you're needed????