Whadda Trip

On Wednesday before I left, Rebecca called and told me the doctor changed the appointment to Monday. There was no way I could stay till Monday so we decided to just meet at a local zoo so the kids could play and we could talk. She planned to bring her 2 year old. I just wanted to see her so that was ok.

I woke up at 2:30 Thursday morning to fly out of Charlotte. Almost as soon as I got out of the shower I was vomiting...hmph! I thought it was nerves or maybe new dose of meds, but after getting home I discovered that most of my family on Scott's side has had a stomach bug! So I probably shared that with a zillion people given my extensive riding on public transportation that day! SORRY WORLD!

When I landed in Atlanta for my connecting flight it was raining, gloomy, dark...just not pretty. Then we took off and as I freaked a little because I couldn't see and if I couldn't see then umm pilots couldn't see, my breath was taken as we rose above the clouds and that dismal, dark sky gave way to the bluest sky, so bright that my eyes watered. The sun was hot on my face as well, and the clouds looked like the whitest snow ever. My eyes leaked a little more, but because I felt so close to God at that moment. I can't explain it at all. Even the picture doesn't do justice. I was so sick I couldn't take many, but you get the point.

It didn't go quite as expected, hoped...but some things exceeded my expectations!
First...boy I think I rode in every mode of public transportation there is almost! I was so exhausted by the time Jami picked me up at the train station. I saw her drive up in her hillbilly truck :) and out jumped De and I hugged her neck till I am sure it hurt! Then Jami popped around from the back of the truck and I just didn't want to let go. In the back seat sat the cutest babes - twins Addison and Clark! ALL smiles! All of this did my heart good!

So we get to the zoo after HAGatha (GPS LADY) drove us around in circles, and just hung out in the grass while the twins played. She planned to be there around 3. But, around 3 she texted that she is running late, she took her son to the doctor and they were sending him to the hospital for some blood work and it would be late before she could get there. She doesn't drive, so she had to take the bus everywhere.

I was exhausted, the kids were ready for a nap, all of us where ready to go. So I texted her back that we would just go to Jami's (who was around 2 hours away) and that I hoped we could meet or talk more on Friday.

I never seen so many corn fields! :) It was beautiful country side, awesome farm houses and barns and silos and such. We get to Jami's and we all fall out and go inside. Jami has a beautiful home and family. Besides the twins she has a sweet husband named CJ who made me feel so welcomed. He is a hoot haha. She also has a super cute son Alec who when I first met him was all sweaty and stinky from football practice and still was cute! Then there was Ally who was precious! She gave me a butterfly that she made, I will keep it forever! Oh and she has a son named Pony too...he is a 100+ pound hoooge pup that thinks he is a lap dog. He is an awesome dog!

It was like I had hung out with Jami and De forever. It flowed all natural like. I loved how we could kick our shoes off and laugh and talk and give physical substance to a friendship I cherish so much. De, I hadn't known her as long and as deep but she is one of those people who you just love from the get go. She is real, tells it how it is and to watch her with the twins melts your heart. They love their TeeTee!

Jami and De...beautiful in and out!

So I slept with Jami...well, not just Jami... Pony her dog slept in the middle. Did I mention he is hooge? He snored and rolled around, but for the most part he was a good bed partner. I thought I spooned with Jami, turns out Pony is a spooner! :)

That next morning, I woke up and played with the twins most of the morning. They are so precious. I laughed so hard at them. And when either of them would say "Hello Hopie" I would melt. ahhhh. I wish I had recorded it! Clark LOVES to nuggle which is sweet, and his smile just gets you to do about anything! He had to peepee so he said Hope take me. Awww. So I walked him into the bathroom and he said turn around! I was like how cute, he doesn't want to show his weewee to me. *Shoulda been my first clue, he ran around naked all morning :)* I turned around impressed, couldn't wait to share about his modesty. After about 20 or so seconds I didn't hear any pee sounds...hmm. I turned around and there he stood over a mountain of gold bond powder he squirted in the floor. I giggled and said Clark! And he looked back and swatted at the mountain until it was everywhere! HE TRICKED ME!! Sneaky lil thing!

We went to see the lawyer, he was awesome! He had pictures of his kids that he had took all over his walls! GREAT pics too. We talked a lot and he is hopeful this will be pretty easy and straightforward. Him and Jami knew some of the same people, not always a good thing haha, but at least she knew him from their boy's playing ball together and not from some crime she committed. Though there was a murder in Dixon and it wasn't me. hmmm He feels he will be able to get us temporary custody pretty quick and we can come home. But, we will have to go back up to be before a judge to sign papers later. That made me feel SOO good! He will call Rebecca this week and set up a time to meet and go over things, find the father if possible and get the legal ball really rolling.

As we were leaving, Jami gets a text from Shannon and I get one from Rebecca. Rebecca asks for Jami's address - her mom is bringing her to see me! Ohh I about lost it. I said Jami...I need to give her your address!! She looked at me like I was nuts and said that Sha knew how to get to her house. I said yes, but Rebecca doesn't!!!! She bout wrecked that hillbilly truck! Rebecca said she would be there between 6 and 7! We all were excited.

We get home and a few minutes later...Shannon and Kari walked in. Oh goodness, I hugged and hugged and hugged and cried and hugged. I even pinched Shannon a little later to make sure she was really there. We all were going to dinner, but we wanted to wait for Rebecca and hope she would go with us. We waited. And we waited. She texted me that they were behind, but about 30 minutes from the exit. Then about an hour later she texted that she needed the turn by turns so I texted them to her. She said she had one bar left and would call me from her moms phone, but they were 1 mile from the Dixon exit...2.5 miles from us! This was around 830 I guess. By 9 we knew something had happened. De and Bre left and we ordered a pizza and just hung out enjoying each other. It was soo good to see them and to just be in their presence!!

Jami, me, Kari and Shannon

After that we fell asleep on Jami's gynormous sectional. It was all good until about 2 when I started hearing about every 30 minutes MOOOOOooooooo MOOOOOOOOooo or a rooster crowing. I thought how odd of a ringer for either of them. ALL NIGHT LONG...finally after we woke up and everyone thought the other had a crazy ringer we realized the kids left toy on the table and it wasn't us. SIGH!

I left about 530 or so, CJ took me to Rockford. He was so sweet to take me and talked to me the whole way. I sat to wait for the bus and pulled out my receipt for paying for the ticket. I stand in line when the bus gets there and he puts my luggage on the bus and takes my 'receipt'. Then he hands it back and says this isn't my ticket, and he can't put me on the bus. I lost it, as he was taking others money and tickets, I just lost it. Blubbering like a fool, I said I am from NC in the middle of IL with no clue of how to get to anywhere from here. I have to fly out of Midway and can't miss the bus. He asked if I had cash...I had 5 bucks on me. He doesn't take credit or checks...I was done fore. Clear as a bell on the receipt it says THIS IS NOT YOUR TICKET grrr. I blubbered some more for him to give me my suit case back and he shuffled the wallet of money for the bus and got his own wallet out and paid for my ticket. I begged for his name so I could repay him. He wouldn't tell me. He had no badge on. He said it says I paid for a ticket and if it came off my credit card then the office would reimburse him...if not either way my ticket was paid for. I cried even harder. When we got off the bus, I asked again for his name and he said not to worry about it. Mom says he was an angel, I tend to agree.

Getting home was sweet as soon as I saw my love, he just makes everything ok in the world. The lawyer was taken aback a little that we are so close and had such a short engagement. But we KNEW! God KNEW! Almost 20 years! We are doing something right.

Well, I will think of more later...but I am so tired! Thanks again for the prayers!

I did talk to Rebecca today...she is dilated a 1 - not that that means too much ;)