We arrived in Fredericksburg about 3 pm and found our camper all set up and ready for us…well, the outside was set up. The inside was a different story as it was our storage spot for over a year. We spent most of our time in Texas on a doctor marathon run; total of 10 appointments in three days along with lab work. Poor Elder Smith had to have his blood drawn two days in a row. We both received clearance to continue doing what we are doing which was such exciting news; especially for me!!! We were blessed to be able to spend time visiting with my parents, grandmother, and friends from the park and church. It was so great to see everyone and hear about their summer excursions. I was even able to squeeze in playing the dulcimer three times with Donna and Mo, my buddies. It was so much fun. We attended church at Fredericksburg which was fun surprising them by showing up. They were so excited to hear all about our adventures of the mission and believe me, we were excited to share. I was invited to do sharing time with the primary and tell them pioneer accounts and then we sang songs with Patrick the Parrot. After all, I am known as the Parrot Lady in primary.
The next Saturday, we headed towards Arkansas--another long day in the truck driving, more driving, and still more driving. Sure glad I have plenty of photos to label and what a great time to reminisce about our eventful summer. Since we are taking our pull camper back to Wyoming with us and knew we could not park it at Karl and Angela’s apartment complex, Karl found us a place across town to drop it for the week. So, they met us there and then led us back to their apartment. They are now living really close to the university at some new apartments. We were warmly greeted by Paisley, our grand dog. I never thought I would ever say that or claim a grand dog but she sure is special. Karl had school on Monday and Tuesday morning but somehow was able to go with us wherever we went. We spent our time visiting base, going by the old neighborhood, and shopping. Angela and I spent a girl’s day out with shopping and getting our hair done. It was a great time. The guys went shopping and to a basketball game. You know, the guy’s day out things. Elder Smith, Karl and Angela kept the family tradition of Black Friday shopping. They spent 2 hours waiting for a store to open, 30 minutes to get what they wanted, and then 3½ hours waiting to pay for it. Personally, I am not so sure the return on time investment was profitable…Karl would not support that decision though as he got a computer to finish up his school years. It was just great to see everyone having such a good time together. Angela and I also had an afternoon for crafting after visiting Hobby Lobby which is always fun for me.
We said our goodbyes early Monday morning as Angela headed back to work, Karl back to school, and us back on the road for two more very long days of driving, more driving and still more driving. A highlight of the trip home was getting to meet Melissa, Micah, and Maddie Harris at Flying J near Joplin, Missouri. Mike is deployed, so missed seeing him. This family is very special to us. They shared some primary songs and their Christmas wish list with us while we ate lunch. I have to research Micah’s request as he wants a racetrack that stays on the wall. Sure hope we get to spend a couple days with them this coming spring when they come visit us at the Cove.
We arrived home about 11:00 pm Tuesday night. Was a very long drive on Tuesday but well worth it considering how much work we had facing us when we arrived. We spent Wednesday unloading the pull trailer and organizing a bit in the apartment. We definitely did the right thing because we woke up to four to five inches of snow on Thursday morning. What a beautiful site it was to behold!!
