Arrivals, the week ahead

Almost as soon as I got home Friday Mama and I left for DFW to meet Maggie, Aaron and the baby. We took the van since all the repairs had been completed. It was the first time I had to fill up the van because we were keeping the fuel level in the tank low until the straps holding the gas tank in place had been replaced. With that done we topped it off; boy, was that a shock!

As we were entering the airport we got the call from Maggie that they had landed. They were thirty minutes ahead of schedule. Mama and I parked like we knew what we were doing and ended up just outside the baggage claim area for their airline. It was less than twenty minutes later that they came through the doors to meet us.

Cathryn lunged for Mama the moment she saw her. I am not quite sure what caused the response but it thrilled Mama and much as it shocked Maggie and Aaron. We made a couple stops on the way home because Maggie wanted to eat at Chick-fil-A and Mama wanted to go through Costco. Fortunately the two sites are in very close proximity to DFW. It was not too late when we got to the farm but it was after dark. Everybody slept in the following morning – except the baby. She was up at 4 a.m.

We had a full day on Saturday – but all the activity was farm related. Aaron spent enough time out in the light that he was pretty burned by that evening, but he was a big help. He started collecting rocks for Mama’s rock garden; which thrilled her quite a bit. I spent the day working in the garden as well as running the weed eater for a couple hours. Aaron helped with that chore also. Between the two of us we got a lot of the farm living area trimmed. As for the garden, I wanted to make sure when we leave in to the care of others that the rows of vegetables are clearly defined and a couple were not so obvious until after I got done.

Cathryn was not impressed with the dogs when she first arrived at the farm but by Saturday evening she had warmed up to them; all five of them. By Sunday afternoon she was actively seeking their attention – especially Kira. With her sleep schedule so messed up by the trip and the resulting change of daylight hours, Maggie and Aaron have delighted in anything that will distract her and keep her contented. She really is a good baby.

Victoria got sick over the weekend and was not able to go to church either service yesterday. That was a shame since yesterday started our Mission’s Conference. The services will continue each night through Wednesday. By then I will be thoroughly worn out – and we have a wedding to go to this weekend.

Brittany will arrive on Thursday in the afternoon and Joshua is supposed to get to Dallas some time Friday in the very early morning. To date we are still unsure what plans Joshua has made or is in the process of making, but I will have to make both of those pickups.

It looks to be shaping up to being a whirlwind week ahead.