What a great trip!

I went to North Carolina to visit my sister and then on the way back home went to visit my cousin Betty B. These are the few pictures I took. I just didn't think about picture taking. My sis and I talked too much or shopped too much. Well, I shopped, she went along for the ride!
This first picture is my dear cousin Betty, and I realize that these pictures are in the reverse order, but that can't be helped.

Betty and I didn't hook up until about five years ago, after a 35-year hiatus. We just lost touch, but I saw the announcement of the passing of her brother Dan (also my cousin, of course) and it listed her as a survivor and gave the town in which she lived. I was able through a round-about means to find her and from there it's been a wonderful time for me and her each time we reconnect.

I really want to go to Italy and I have tentatively planned that the year 2010 is the year. Well, Betty wants to go also, and so we're planning on going together along with Deb, if she can manage it. Alan isn't going to go (at this point) on this trip. Well, as you all know I have difficulty walking. And it gets worse as each day passes. I have relapses and can walk pretty well for a few hours at a time, but I never know when these "relapses" will occur. So, as I walked into her home the first thing she said to me was: "Girl, how are we going to go to Italy next year with you hobblin' like that." I had to laugh and said, "We're going, and that's all there is to it." Fortunately, I have several friends who have offered to accompany me and act as a "nurse".

Now, back to North Carolina. On Friday, Deb and I spent the entire day in the car or at people's homes or shopping. This is a picture of Levi, my niece's (Jennie is her name) son. What a remarkable young man. So bright, so well versed, so able to talk to adults and keep them interested in what he is saying. Give him a slide rule he has never seen before and he can figure it out. I was very impressed. Good job, Jen.

Here we have Deb and Cody (I hope I spelled that correctly), Jen's daughter. Another bright, intelligent, and so well-versed in the Bible. I was amazed when she just picked up the scriptures and started reading something that was so indicative of the times in which we are living today. We were talking about something going on in the world, and she just went to the Bible and went through it and read it and then brought it into today's world. Amazing.

Deb and I went out to Jen's place for a short visit and I have to say that I was amazed by Jen's children and how well they interacted with the adults. Most teens would have disappeared when a doddering elderly lady came for a visit with their mom. But I have to admit that I spent more time with these two young people than I did my niece. Which was okay because I thoroughly enjoyed talking with them.

This is Cody alone. She always sits like this, no matter where she sits -- very erect. She told me her papa told her to sit like that when she was little, and she always has (according to my sister). Her dad said she wouldn't get back problems like he has if she would sit up straight. So, she does. No slouching for this one. Levi? Well, that's another story. He sits like a typical teenager. You have to love that.

Oops, I end with Betty, again. And y'all will just have to get over the fact that I downloaded her picture twice. It doesn't have anything to do with having a better time with her than my sis, which isn't the case, because I had a great time with my sis, and a longer time with her. Don't know why I did this, but I did. Bett still looks the same, just a little older. Anyone seeing her now and knowing her when she was in her late 20s would certainly recognize her. She hasn't gained a pound, I don't believe, in fact, she's probably down a few.

I realize what I did with the extra picture of Betty. I thought I had downloaded a picture of Jen, but I hadn't. So I'm going to try to download a picture of her and see what happens. Well after 10 minutes of trying to download another picture, I can't get Blogspot to connect to the picture downloading thingy, so you just won't get to see my beautiful niece. Sorry 'bout that.

So that's it (almost) for this edition of The Fat Lady Singeth. Family pictures are for family, but I hope you others (you know who you are) were able to enjoy a little of my family trip.

I certainly enjoyed the trip and am thankful that Alan let me go and that he was able to manage without me for a few days. The bad part for him was that he had to give himself his own shots. Yuck. I would never be able to push a needle into my body. I recall in college we had to type our own blood, using one of those finger piercers. I nearly flunked the course because I couldn't inflict that pain on myself. I finally got a friend to do it for me. And regarding Alan, I left him with plenty of food and casseroles and extra coffee in the fridge which he could just zap.

So, it's 9:30 on Tuesday morning and I'm off to do the things that I need to do, like laundry.

ttfn