HOME!

Back in Texas, filthy and grateful and hot (it was 78 here today!) and so, so, SO tired after three straight nights of little or NO sleep. (Houston and I left Charlotte yesterday and got home today...straight through with no stopping!) Thank God for fantastic weather, not-too-horrible traffic, fun times in NC and Virginia with loving family members, delicious food, great workouts at the gym, a terrific sermon on Sunday, and great travel partners!!!! (Houston and Dolly are CHAMPION cross-country travelers.)

Pictures to come tomorrow or the next day. Or the day after that.

Off to bed to try to make up for all that lost sleep. Good night, Mama. Good night, Daddy. Good night, John Boy.

The trip so far...

I got sugar from Falisha!

She got sugar from Chris! (And The Office calendar from me!)

My eyes got a great view from Russ & Amanda Faye's condo!

My toes got a TREAT...a pedicure...while Burl Ives played on the salon stereo.
Best pedicure EVER!

Houston got hours and hours behind the wheel!

Opus got Bojangles! (Karen is simultaneously laughing and crying right now...
laughing at the inside joke Molly made about Bojangles--and
crying because she's not here to sample the 4-piece snack!)

We got TATE!

Russ got Christmas spirit!

We got PIEWORKS in Greensboro! (The "Salonika" with "burn chicken" is
the all-time best pizza ever, hands down.)

Taylor got to decorate the tree!
(Here she is putting up the Texas A&M ornament.)

I got to meet Mr. Caldwell! And see the DVD of his speech!
And meet his *adorable, feisty* wife!

Houston got to see the absolutely amazing tribute Mr. Caldwell made to the crew of the Our Belle II while a POW! Made from threads he was able to pull from Red Cross blankets and other old fabric in the camp.

We got to see the picture of our handsome Uncle Lloyd and his best friend
on the crew, Levi Frank Caldwell!

Taylor and Houston got to punch musical buildings in downtown Charlotte!

Taylor and Amanda Faye got to find out the sex of the BABY...but they're not tellin'!

Russ got to meet Old Greg!

Tonight is Christmas Eve...and tomorrow we head to Charlottesville, Virginia!!!

Charlotte, here we come! (Lord willing!)

Okay, JUST THIS MORNING, Houston and I decided to make the trip to Charlotte! Please pray us all the way in and all the way back home to TEXAS, where my bones belong.

Oh, and btw, I'm like the Harriet Tubman of the Virginia trip; so far, I've made the drive from Texas to Virginia with three teenagers and always let them drive across the Mississippi River...Russell, a stepdaughter, Bethany, and now Houston!

Oh, and in case we don't have access to a computer over the holidays...I'd better let you see the final Christmas picture we used for this year's card (now that you've all had a hearty laugh over the rejects).

Merry Christmas, everybody...God bless us, every one!

Christmas card rejects!

Here are seven of the photos we WON'T be using for this year's Christmas card...

It looks like May Bee's been sampling the nog in this last photo...

(Thanks to Hannah & Molly for serving as Photographers Extraordinaire this weekend, and to Kirsten, who really CAN turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, for creating this year's card with one of the salvageable pics!)

Look for yours in the mail around Christmas Eve!