Family

My family.

There is so much I could say about them.

We're funny, crazy, caring, honoring, forgiving, supporting, and loving.

This weekend I had the chance to see one of my younger cousins get married. It made me feel so much older thinking, "wow are you really old enough to be getting married?" But he is and he did. Hannah (which also happens to be his sister's name) is a very fortunate young woman. I hope and pray she never forgets the reason for marriage. Some days it's hard, especially at a young age.

But on with the story. Even though I live only 2 hours away, my other family is about 10 hours away. They all decided for us to stay in a cabin at The Beech Fork State Resort. Although I was a little skeptical at first, it turned out to be really nice. I was able to spend a few nights enjoying the love and laughter of crazy card games and shopping with my mom before the wedding. It was such a welcomed time just to be.....to be me without being mommy. Don't get me wrong, I love my children. But sometimes a woman needs to be without a child tugging on her or saying, "mommy, guess what?" We attended 2 receptions. They held a light one for the church goers....and the poor ladies doing it were a little overwhelmed at the amount of people. And then there was a dinner and dancing reception at the local country club. It was nice to sit and talk to my granny and Great Uncle Gerald (my grampa's brother) whom I hardly ever get to see. She will be 85 next month, and is as beautiful as ever. I know she won't live forever, but on days like yesterday it seemed as though she will. I was able to have my mom by my side, visiting and hugging. Some days I miss so badly the chance to see my mom on a daily or even weekly basis. For those of you reading that have your mom living close, be grateful. Be very grateful you can just drop in and say hi. Take the opportunity to do so whenever you can. I was also able to visit with Uncle Glenn and Aunt Susan from Memphis and Aunt Debbie from Jackson, MS. Uncle Mark, father of the groom, was there at times as well. Of course, Andrew the groom and his sister Hannah, were a little busy, but I was still able to steal a hug here and there. After the hoopla of the wedding, we all headed back to the cabin. After changing clothes and getting a little drink :) we all headed outside to watch for meteors. Crazy right? But it was so much fun!!!! We saw little ones, and then others that truly lit up the sky. By about 1am I was toast and had to give it up. I was snockered until about 8:15am when I heard everyone rummaging around. It was nice to sleep a little, but wished for more. Uncle Glenn was the chef again, making eggs, bacon, and toast. We had cinnamon rolls and coffee, orange juice, and milk. It was just like a restaurant, except I could eat in my pajamas. Is there anything better?

Leaving was hard.

I had to get back to real life. The life of a wife and mother. The life of a gym instructor. There wasn't a lot of down time, but at least I got to see my family for a while. I love them so much and can't wait to see them again next month.

So tonight, hug your family closely. When you are with them, don't fight or bicker. Have fun. Support. Care. Love.

Love you all,
Renee