Bee had a week of leave before being sent overseas. It could have been a week and 2 days, but a combination of airline's ineptness and Air Force beuracracy left her stranded in America's Heartland all alone while they kept delaying and cancelling her flight for 2 days. Way to take care of our troops, United Airlines.
But, back to the positive. Bee came up to our new place to visit AND she brought 2 of our nieces (who happen to be Lanky, Specs, and Matilda's best friends). It may not sound like much of a sacrifice, but since Blondie had dog poop on her shoe and used Bee's car rug (which Blondie then referred to as a "poop scraper") to get it off, I'm counting it as a sacrifice of love. Chalupa did her part for Auntie Bee by getting mud all over the seat/seat back/door and proudly announcing she kept the rug (aka poop scraper) clean. Nice work, Chalupa.
Playing in "The Wilderness". Rest assured, Emme, your children were only playing unsupervised at the little nature preserve/trickling creek next door to our house.
And of course I don't have any pictures of our walk to the park for lunch. Because I was too busy once we got to the park trying to keep Blondie from "exploring" the river that runs through the park complete with waterfall and rapids before flowing out to the Great Lakes. In other words, not something you're going to want to explain to your brother/sister-in-law when their little darling falls in.
But after lunch, park time, panic-inducing experiences at water's edge, I decided it would be fun to walk for ice cream cones.
The walk lasted about five minutes and then turned into a forced march through the heat of the day. (Seriously, it was the one warm/hot day we've had up here. We were going to enjoy it. We were going to enjoy it good.)
We finally made it to the oasis (which you may know as Burger King) only to find out that particular branch of royalty does not sell ice cream. We got even by using their air conditioning for free and confiscating the crown jewels. Then I bought a gallon of ice cream and a box of cones from the gas station next door and moved the
Royally exhausted.
Shade. Sweet, sweet shade.
It's lke an oasis. On some stranger's lawn.
Riding in the shaded chariot was apparently the way to go. (And there wasn't enough shade for my little redhead, so the carriage was draped with an Ethiopian shawl. Hence, the fancy fringe.)
Once you've done bootcamp in Texas, you can manage a walk in the afternoon sun with pep leftover.
So, back home for ice cream cones and refreshing dunks of their heads under the kitchen faucet (which was not condoned). Blondie stuck her head under the water with her head smashed right up to the faucet while water sprayed ever.y.where. After Bee pulled her out and dryed her, she said, "It's like she didn't have an exit strategy. No towel, no way to reach the water and turn it off. No exit strategy."
And then, because they're gluttons for punishment, they wanted right back out to "The Wilderness".
Isn't the wilderness always freshly mowed?
It's like a game of Where's Waldo. With 7 Waldos.
Waldo #8, always close at hand.
He's our favorite photo prop.
And while in the wilderness, we realized that Bee has the fashion sense of a seven year old. Matchy-matchy with the little girls
There was one last family shindig to see Bee off after this, before she left for her new home with Señor in a foreign land. But this was our last hurrah of sister time until she flies home again. Which, if is left in the hands of United Airlines, may or may not come to pass in a timely fashion.
But I've got my eye on you, United Airlines, US Marine Corps, US Air Force. And none of you are going to get in the way of more sister time.
--Kae--
No comments:
Post a Comment