Planes, plains and automobiles.

Example of the anthill I referred to in last post:

This pic is the girls of 5th period plus me... they were a fun class. 

Then it's ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh sweet freedom.   

We are getting better at being hosts, and we really really like it ... We had several teachers over on the afternoon school let out.  And we had the two guys I play guitar with at church and their girlfriends over one night.  Here they are gathered around my granddaddy's table.  (My mom and aunt are looking at this picture and saying, "SEE, Look how many people can sit around a round, pedastal table.  You just can't sit that many people around a regular table as you can a round pedastal table...")

Some improvements have been made in regards to the house....

Like this new table in the happy nook

and these plants Joe planted by the mail box.

And just regular grooming and maintenance.  

So far, I haven't exactly found a place in the yard work.  My job has mainly been turning off the sprinkler and snapping pictures (from the window) of all moments when the husband looks extra precious at work.  

 As usual we started with Special Session 1 at Camp Bratton Green where we got to be married at camp for the first time.   Which means we got to stay in the same cabin... which really means we only have to pack one tube of tooth paste!

On our way to camp... Joe had been awake since about 5:30 (so excited he was)

 Then a few lazy days interrupted by a couple weekend trips to a bachelor party for Joe and a wedding in Alabama.

 Joe began learning Yankee Doodle on the mandolin.  

(we've decided we may need to get summer jobs next year.)

 This past weekend we went Nebraska.  NO, not to the College World Series to see MS State play baseball (my crew was composed exclusively of 3 Ole Miss fans and one "I don't care" fan).  Joe's grandmother lives there.  I mean, really, what are the odds we would plan a trip to NE during the exact time of the CWS?  Everyone in Omaha (airport people/ car rental guys) assumed that's what we were there for first.  But no.  Joe hasn't seen his grandma in about 8 years.  A couple months ago Joe watched some documentary on older people and it inspired him to call his grandma which, in turn, sparked some sentimental tears and inspired him to "plan" a trip to see her.  I say "plan" because for Joe this means calling up his sister Marguerite, encouraging her to come with her husband Chris, which ultimately results in her planning the trip for us.

Total trip:   Friday - Monday.  

Friday we ran into a 4-hour weather delay in the Chicago airport.  Joe is a somewhat restless traveler in the best of conditions.  The 4 delay almost sent him over the edge. 

A good citizen did stop and ask if he was ok.  

"No ma'am, he just does this."

Besides Grandma, I met 3 cousins (plus their spouses), 1 uncle and 1 aunt.  Oh and one new little cousin.

Saturday:
Breakfast... Uncle Randy has it prepared by like 7:30 even though no one (including Grandma) woke up til 8:30 or 9.  Eggs are room temp and unsalted (confirming the rumors we'd heard about bland, mid-west food).  Cousins begin to invade the house.

Morning Activity:   Boys go to car museum.  Girls do what girls do.  Pedicures.

Me and two cousins.

And Grandma got her first manicure...ever... at age 88.  She talked about it over and over again throughout the rest of the weekend.  

Grandma and Marguerite in below picture.  Marguerite said Grandma barely moved during the whole manicure.  She didn't want them to cut her finger off. 

The rest of the afternoon went like this:

-Eat at local diner.
    Grandma talks about manicure
-Walk through down town
-Dairy Queen
-naps at Grandma's - ooo and ahhh at the 3 month baby cousin that came to town.  Grandma
  shows off her manicure to the newest arrival of cousins.
-Dinner at Ruby Tuesdays
-Some tv time then bed time.


Sunday:
-Breakfast - same idea as Saturday.  Less cousins.  Grandma's manicure looks great with church outfit
-Church with Grandma... this made her very happy.
-Lunch - Uncle Randy brings KFC home.  We had literally just eaten breakfast.
-Drive to Grandma's old house and to see the assisted living place she hopes to live.  (This was a
  caravan of at least 4 vehicles.)
-Back to Grandma's.  Ooo and ahhh over baby cousin some more.
-All cousins depart.  Joe, Marguerite, Chris and I go to movies.  World War Z  (more snacks are eaten)
-Dinner - leftover chicken but Uncle Randy had provided us with Chinese take-out menus just in case.
-Park with Grandma.  Really pretty park.  Had a tower we climbed.

After eating and sleeping for 2 days straight, if felt awesome to run up some stairs. 

Things about Nebraska I/we noticed:  

-Pretty pretty land.  However we were disappointed that the corn wasn't full grown yet.  There were times while driving that we could've easily been cruising through the MS delta. 

-Lots of wind.  Little humidity

-Little to no black people.  Which we really noticed when at the movies a preview came on for Anchor Men 2... Will Ferrell makes some ass-like racial comments at a table full of black people.  I think if we'd been in a theater with more black people it would've gotten more laughs.  Maybe the Nebraskans don't get those kind of jokes since that culture isn't a strong presence in NE.  Or maybe it just wasn't funny.   Either way- I saw maybe 2 black people the whole time.  And one was from west Africa.  

-Top local news stories are about farming and reports of yearly deaths in giant grain holders.    

-If the southern accent makes a person sound a little stupid (even when he/she says smart things) then the mid-west accent makes people sound like nerds.   

-Nebraska dictionary:   guys and gals,  what else ya got there, oh my gash (pronounce my like "eye"), ruts (instead of roots), pick-up (not truck or pick-up truck.. just a pick-up), and "I suppose" used as a response for more than an answer to a question.  Example:  someone says, "Oh my gash that's a pretty pick-up"  you respond with "I suppose." 

-One of the cousins' names was Myra (I think spelled Mira actually) -- which I've decided is maybe the most midwestern name.  Much like double names are to the south, I think midwestern names need some strong vowel action.

-"Rednecks" exist everywhere.  But even though they look like rednecks in NE (jeans, boots, "pick-ups") they don't sound like it.  Look country.  Sound nerdy.  

Finally got home Monday night after a 14-hour travel day: 

3 hour car drive to Omaha

1 hour 15 min. flight to Chicago

1 hour 45 min. flight to Jackson

3 hour drive to Oxford   

buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I took several pictures of old pictures around Grandma's house.  I will leave you with one of my favorites of Joe's family (pre-Susan).