Reunited...And It Feels So GOOD!

Abby and I drove home from Mobile yesterday (her 14th birthday). Chris had to stay behind to work in Louisiana. We had such a great reunion with Brittany. Abby and I hadn't seen her since Aug. 21st when we moved her into her dorm room. It had been a LONG time coming!

As soon as we got to her college campus, we called her and told her we were there. We waited at the front doors of her dorm for her to come down...my heart was pounding with anticipation! As soon as I saw her face, I burst into tears. Of course, it was magnified when I hugged her. Had it really been 7 weeks? We went up to her room for just a bit so she could grab a few things, then we walked out to the car. Chris was walking Maddie and Bella. I figured as soon as they saw Brittany, they would run over to her, but that wasn't exactly the case. They'd gotten distracted by a squirrel, so their attention was somewhere else.

Here's Brittany not long after we picked her up. We're back at our hotel and she's laughing because Bella isn't giving her the time of day.

Bella...surely you remember your ol' buddy, Britt!

Oh, but Maddie remembered! Brittany's the one who always gave the BEST belly rubs!
On our 2nd day together, we drove over to Foley, AL. for lunch and to do some shopping. Then, on our way back, we stopped at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, AL. for one of our favorite activities there. We had some hot tea and freshly baked cookies. YUM!

Here we are standing out on the pier just outside of the Grand Hotel.
Abby and Chris just taking in the pretty sights on a HOT autumn day!

Brittany glancing out into Mobile Bay.

All three of us doing the same. I never tire of looking out at the ocean.

My two beautiful daughters on the last day of our visit. We spent it doing more shopping and we took Abby out for her birthday dinner at Olive Garden. We shared so many laughs! I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was to have us all together, again! It was exactly what my heart needed!

I baked Abby a birthday cake a few days before we left for our trip so that she'd have time to enjoy it. She requested a Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. I always decorate her cake with things having to do with Fall or Halloween. I think it turned out pretty good and it was so tasty! Here's the birthday girl, whom I grow to love more and more with each passing year!

We had a fun birthday celebration for her with Brittany and she got a lot of things she's been wanting. Happy 14th, Abby...I love you to pieces! Always have...ALWAYS WILL!

I realize I still have to finish sharing with you about our trip to Hawaii. Hopefully, by week's end, we can finally close that chapter and move on to the next one! 'Til then!

The Flight Of The BUMBLEBEES!

Brittany had another cross country meet on Saturday in Carrollton, GA. Chris and I woke up at 4:40 AM so that we could get her up and moving and have her to the bus by 5:15 AM. No rest for the weary, as they say! Chris, Abby, and I hit the road around 6:30 AM; it's close to a two-hour drive.

Here's a couple of pictures of the girls I took before the start of the race. They were sporting their new running socks. I told them they looked like a bunch of bumblebees! One good thing about them is that they were so easy to spot during the race...you couldn't miss them!

Brittany and her BFF, Alicia, striking a pose... Warming up before the start... The gun sounded and they were out of there in a flash! Brittany is right in the middle. Here, she's finishing her first loop...And she's sprinting into the long finish! It was a good race! Brittany placed first on her team and 16th overall (out of 164 runners) with a time of 20:17, which is the same exact time she ran last weekend, oddly enough. She got her first medal of the season and was the only one on her team to get one, so she was psyched! Her team placed 8th overall out of 19 teams.

I felt so bad for the girls because they were all complaining about having dead legs, including Brittany. It's a condition runners get where they just can't get their legs to move like they want them to and they feel heavy. Quite honestly, I think their coach is working them too hard. So many of the girls are getting injured. Brittany has an issue with the joint on her big toe. The #5 runner pulled her calf muscle on Saturday and could very likely be out for the rest of the season. Another top runner has severe shin splints. The list goes on. I just wish the coach would open his eyes and take a look at what's happening to the girls. He's already told them that he expects them to finish in 5th place or higher at STATE. At the rate we're going, we won't even make it to STATE this year.

As soon as the meet was over, we had to zip over to the Univ. of West GA. and meet with the head cross country coach. We thought we were the only ones who were going to be meeting him, but 5 other girls and their families showed up, too. It's funny because they were girls that Brittany has raced against numerous times. Plus, the girls on the Univ. of West GA. team were all familiar to us for the same reason. The visit lasted almost 2 hours and it went well. We got a tour of the campus and the coach talked about college life and the expectations he has for his teams. We got very good vibes from him and the runners we met. He said only 3 girls will be chosen for running scholarships on a first come, first serve basis. So, we plan to go back for an official visit in Nov. or Dec., as well as look into other schools. The decision about where Brittany is going to run has to be made by early February, so we're getting down to the nitty gritty. It's an exciting and bittersweet time, but very stressful, too!

On a totally different note, would you believe that I've contracted poison ivy for the first time in my life? I don't even know how I got it! It started on my right leg and has spread to my waist, shoulder, back of my ear, and my arm. It's itching like crazy, but I'm trying to refrain from scratching it. I've been putting some sort of calamine/Benadryl medicine on it, which helps. If any of you knows of a cure, please pass it on! I tell you, if it isn't one thing...it's something else! :)