Mama On The Move

Kerry and I went down to NC to work on our house.  The girls stayed in VA by themselves.  I was anxious about leaving them alone for two nights and I texted them regularly to make sure everything was okay. At one point I texted each of their phones, "I love you!" I immediately got a text back from Katie saying, "I love you too!" A minute or so later, Emily texted, "Katie just shouted, 'There can be only one!' and tried to strangle me."

We were heading out to see a movie and we had all gotten a little more spiffed up than usual.  While we were riding along, Emily said, "We are a good looking family!" Kerry responded, "Yep, it's really not fair to all the other families out there." Katie piped up, "But they get to look at us so it all evens out!"

Katie got invited to an ice skating birthday party in Colonial Williamsburg.  She talked her physical therapist into letting her try it.  It's the most strenuous thing she's done with her foot since her accident.  Her physical therapist said she could only skate half as long as everyone else and that she had to hang on to the rail as much as possible.  She was thrilled but I was a bundle of anxiety. It went well, she didn't injure herself and she really had a good time!  It's so nice to see her living a normal life!

We went camping with Katie's scout troop.  Unfortunately, I can't post most of the pictures I took because they have other girls in the troop in them and that's against the rules. Our campsite was right on the edge of a river. There was a tent set up for all the girls to stay in together, but Katie opted to stay in mine and Kerry's tent.  She likes her sleep and she had a feeling the girls would giggle and talk for a long time. Katie and Kerry planned the menu and did most of the cooking for the campout.  Katie was working on her Fire Safety Badge and her Outdoor Cooking Badge. We happened up on a rowing regatta and spent a good bit of time watching the race. All the girls had to carve their own skewers to cook hotdogs. Katie had to start a fire without matches! If you are ever in the market for a tent, get one with a door that opens and closes without having to be zipped every time you go in or out.  It's worth it's wei

 Katie had her second foot surgery.  This time, they removed the plate and five screws that were holding her ligaments together. She studied while she waited to go back. A couple of weeks later we were back to get the stitches out. She has a very cool scar on her foot now that lets people know she's had a tough life!

So....Emily totaled her car. This used to be Ben's car.  His first words were, "What did you do to my CAR!?" Emily was trying to edge forward in order to see if she could pull out. But she edged too far and got hit by another car, which then bounced off her and hit a third car. No one was hurt, but all three drivers were shaken up.  It happened on the campus of Emily's college.  All three drivers were female students.  Emily said they all sat on the grass trying not to cry. A woman who had stopped to see if everyone was okay came up to Emily and said, "I'm going to give you a hug because you need one."  She hugged each girl in turn just to help calm them down. Emily had to go to court because of the accident.  I couldn't go because Katie had class that day so Kerry accompanied Emily to the courthouse for moral support. He spent the last few days before her court date looking up Virginia laws and terrorizing us with everything

While we were in Georgia, we toured the Andersonville Civil War Cemetery.  I grew up going there at least once a year and I always forget that other people in America don't always know the story of the most notorious prison of the Civil War. I once had a friend in Alaska ask me, "What was the Civil War even about?  Didn't some of the states try to become their own country or something?"  I can't imagine what the expression on my face was at the time.  I hope I had good control of my features. Anyway, Katie is covering American History this year and I wanted her to see this so when we cover the Civil War she will have some personal knowledge of what was going on there. I don't really want to write about everything there but here are some pictures and if you want to go google it to learn more, feel free.

While we were in GA, Katie got to do some sewing with my mother. They made a pajama top (which I don't have a picture of for some reason). And a skirt, which I DO have a picture of!

Going on a trip with the dogs along is always entertaining. Especially for Katie, who has her leg in a boot and is trying to keep it propped up to keep the swelling down. Katie has to sit in the middle row of seats and the dogs don't like to stay in the rear by themselves no matter how hard we try to make them. Here are some of the positions they found themselves in on our latest trip to Georgia!