Visiting Family

We made the drive to New York in 3 days. Much longer than we expected
it to take. We thought we would make the trip in 2 days, but weather
and the kids made the trip longer. Nearly the entire way to our
destination was spent having to deal with thunderstorms. As we reached
New York, the storms worsened and we drove through an area that was
under tornado warnings. The visibility was very low and we had to use
our hazard lights to make our car more visible to other drivers. Joe
did great driving through the storms. I would have been much more
nervous if I had been the one doing the driving.

Micah had a rough time as we were into the second day of driving. He
seemed tired of the traveling and enjoyed stopping to get a break quite
a lot. By the time we reached our destination, Micah was more than
ready to have a break from the car. I am really proud of Micah though.
This entire trip has been hard on him, yet he is managing better than I
thought he would. He is accepting family members that are new to him.
There is very little awkwardness in the way he reacts to them. He seems
to be enjoying them. He enjoys being around Grandpa. He has stood on
the couch seat behind Grandpa and leaned against him to show affection.
Grandma & Grandpa both are enjoying the kids being here.

Abigail is such a joy. She has shown great patience with Micah during
the long drive. Often she has helped in feeding him or entertaining him
as we drive. I am proud of her for the way she relates to Micah. Abbie
has met cousins and has been having fun playing with them. It is so
nice to watch her with them. This is the first time she has met any of
her cousins. Guess that is a downside of living so far from other family.

Dad is seeming to be doing a better. They changed his medication
dosages to give him more relief. He felt good enough today to take a
short ride on his motorcycle. As nervous as I may be able him riding
now, I am happy to watch him do something he enjoys so much. I am
loving getting to know Joe's family better. There is a lot of love and
laughter in his family. It is a precious gift.

During the drive to New York, we had the opportunity to drive to my
childhood home and get a picture of it. The old Methodist church I
attended as a child still is there. It is funny how large that
community seemed when I was a child. In reality, it is a very tiny
community with houses much closer together than I remembered them
being. The house looked good though and was easy to recognize. It is
still the same color that I remembered. The only major change to the
property that I noticed was the large old barn had been torn down. The
little trees that Dad had planted are large now, providing much shade
and privacy. There are so many memories tied to that home.

In 3 days, we will start the journey going back towards home. Joe has
to be in Dallas by the 5th in order to report back to work. He is going
to be assigned a different truck than the one he was using. Dallas has
a larger terminal, so this will make it easier to get him another
truck. From there, it is an easy day's drive home.