TEXAS

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Yesterday, we picked up Chris, our old neighbor from Loth Lorian Drive and our Aunt Lola at the Lubbock airport. An event that we have long looked forward to. I can remember months ago hatching a plan with Sue for Chris to come visit while we were in the states-it was originally intended to be a surprise, but the night before we left Thailand I accidentally spilled the beans. I really was excited about the surprise but I don't think it took away from the actual reunion one bit, the boys were so glad to see Chris again. Chris is one of the 'most' missed things of VA for sure! The DiAntonio's lived through the trees and there was a well beaten path between our two homes. We have missed that boy this last year and we love him very much!

Most of you know about our Aunt Lola. She was a Godsend when the triplets were born volunteering to buy groceries for me every Friday night. Up until that point we were acquaintances at church but several weeks after buying groceries and my no longer needing that service she began babysitting the triplets every Friday night for free and became a part of our family! After 5 years of that she would firmly and forever take her position as our Aunt Lola.

So two great additions to our trip to NM in one day, my heart is full! We picked them up in the Joe's Boot Shop limo, we wanted Chris' first visit to TX to be memorable. Riding around in that attention-getter is sure to create some memories. It is a riding billboard for Dad's business and lots of fun. I can remember years ago when Dad first got the car and had the horns mounted on the hood and the mechanical horn with numerous tunes, sirens, animal sounds....installed, all of us cruising around in it and Dustin commenting at around 7 yrs of age, "Man, I wish we had a car where everyone stares at you!" while I was thinking, did he have to take the tint off the windows?!

After picking up our two new guests we headed to Amarillo for the production, TEXAS in Palo Duro Canyon. The second largest canyon in the US. This was my third time to see the musical and I thoroughly enjoyed it again. The backdrop of the play, the canyon wall, is spectacular on its own and I suggest anyone that might be in the vicinity to put this play on your agenda. There is this great, patriotic moment when they ride the TX flag across the canyon rim on horseback at sunset that is really moving.

We enjoyed a tasty steak dinner that was provided by the The Big Texan before the show. Another TX landmark. The place where if you eat a 72 oz. steak within the hour time limit you get it for free. Texans really know how to eat, the grilled jalapenos were delicious.

We finally arrived home at midnight NM time, 2 am for Chris on VA time. He had almost been up 24 hours straight. I just checked on them all to see if they are up and getting ready for a day of work at Joe's Boot Shop. The music in the bachelor den is blaring and they are getting dressed-youth!

Our 3rd week in New Mexico

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The McReynolds family, friends from Louisiana joined us in New Mexico this past week. They were good sports to just jump in and help out in the boot shop as my parents are preparing for their annual 4th of July warehouse sale. I warned people that might want to come visit that the boys were committed to work while we are staying here in New Mexico.

Our friends arrived on Monday and left on Friday after a week of activity. We managed to schedule a tour of a local peanut plant that not only sells peanuts of all sorts but has a busy peanut butter manufacturing plant as well, they supply Costco and Trader Joe's just to name a few, quite an operation.

We all went to see UP in the movie theater in 3-D, such a cute movie. There have been a few times that I have missed Thailand, when I was paying for 9 movie tickets I was longing for the Thailand movie prices for sure!

On Thursday we learned all about the dairy industry at the Prairie View Dairy in Muleshoe. James was so patient and informative. Dairies can be a messy place, in fact Tabitha commented later, "I just got pooped on, peeed on and milked on!" She seemed to have the knack of being in the right place at the right time!! Thankfully, she had brought a change of clothes!

It was a busy week, Caleb and Seth were great to help Dustin, Nathan and Ethan as they are attempting to help Pappa Joe get everything ready for the big sale next week. Safe travels McReynolds!

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We've had another fun-filled week in New Mexico. On Monday, Karen, a long-time friend from my Labor and Delivery days at Woman's Hospital in Houston flew in for a week of major visiting. On Tuesday evening all the guys hung out with the Brock's-former VA friends that have been living in Clovis for a year being transferred here with the Air Force. I have enjoyed early morning walks with LoriLynn chatting and reconnecting, they live about 6 blocks from my parents, who would have thought?? After pizza, Coli drove the guys to go-cart, batting cages, and lots of paintballing before K3 flew back to VA on Wednesday. We were really sad to say good-bye to him, we all enjoyed his visit so much. Wednesday night, Karen and I stayed at the Woodrow Bed and Breakfast in Lubbock in the Caboose, a first for sure! On Thursday another nursing friend from Houston, Kimberly who now lives in Midland drove in for an intense 8 hours of visiting. How blessed I am indeed with such wonderful friends.

We're Home

Thanks to each of you who prayed for our safe travels. We have been home one week and it seems like one month. We hit the road running. We landed right on time in Lubbock, 30 hours after leaving our home in Pattaya. One really realizes how far it is when you are making the trip. When you are busy with the every dayness of life and e-mail and Skype with friends and family you tend to forget how far it really is. It was just the best to land in DFW after that 12+ hour airplane ride from Seoul and then to see Mom at the Lubbock airport-lots of hugs and much rejoicing. We loaded up all 8 of our bags and headed straight away to a most delicious meal of Mexican food. It was hilarious listening to the boys, "Ahh, the roads are so smooth! Everything is so clean! No dogs! WHATABURGER!" Dustin explained it to Grandmamma this way, "Thailand looks a little like a tornado hit and no one bothered to clean up the mess!" That accurately describes some parts of Thailand for sure.

We then stopped by to visit my grandmother and Aunt Sara at their new home. My grandmother has moved out of an assisted living facility and my Aunt is caring for her. Nanaw looked amazing and her stamina and health has improved since saying good-bye to her last July. There is a lot to be said of homecooked meals and loving care. We are thankful for her continued health.

We left there and headed on to Clovis, NM. Within an hour we were outfitted in our western attire and headed to the rodeo where our nephew, Coli was competing in the Wild Cow Milking Contest! It is surreal, I've felt like have we not only landed on a different continent but we've entered another dimension! I felt teary when the rodeo queens were parading the American flag around, the National anthem was being sung and the announcer prayed in Christ's name-I am glad to be an American.

We were exhausted by the time we arrived at Mom and Dad's house. On Sunday, Cory and Angel joined us for brunch and then that evening we enjoyed a good, ole'fashioned cook-out with my parents, my sister, her two boys and their families and my Aunt Sara. What fun getting to know Coli and Jenna's new daughter-Jaylee who was born in April.

At 4:00 am on Monday morning Mom, Aunt Sara and I headed to Dallas to shop for 3 days for the boot shop. The boys stayed to work with Pappa Joe at the boot shop. We returned on Wednesday night from Dallas after lots of shopping, several hours I spent in the car trying to adjust to the time change and catch up on sleep that was lost on the trip over. On Thursday, the boys' friend, Kelly flew into Lubbock for a visit. It has been so great having him here and the boys seemed to just pick up where they left off. After a day he was fully outfitted and ready to work along side the boys at Joe's Boot Shop. He has been such a good sport, eager worker and joy to have around. We have missed Kelly and we are so thankful for this time for all the guys to hang out together.

It's been an eventful first week back and we're trying to just enjoy every minute of it and hoping the time here doesn't speed by too quickly. My US temporary phone #806-368-1629 for the summer. Call me!

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Going Home

We're going home!! We have been finishing up the school year here with lots of music performances, end of year parties, assemblies, and good-byes. We leave tonight at 9:30 p.m. and board our plane in Bangkok at 1:15 a.m. and arrive to our final destination of Lubbock on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. We are flying through Seoul, Korea on Korean Airlines and I think that it's about 27 total hours in the air and a lot more hours transferring in airports, getting through customs...We're excited! even though we don't look forward to the 'getting there'. I'm just posting a hodge-podge of pictures of our life here the last few days before heading to the US for a couple of months. Mark will join us for a couple of weeks in July for the closing ceremonies of the boys camp, a Northcutt lake trip, visiting with family and friends and eating lots of Mexican food. We will be spending the month of June in Clovis, NM with Mom and Dad, if you are in the vicinity come visit us at Joe's Boot Shop where the boys will be working some. They will attend Kamp Kannakuk in MO with cousins for almost two weeks and then we will be at the lake house at Possum Kingdom in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area before heading back to West TX. We will return to Thailand on August 8th and Mark returns a week before us. Pray for travelling mercies please and I'll keep you posted stateside too. Much love!