Proud

When our boys were young and they obeyed without back sass, it made me proud (because I was one sassy kid and if I avoided that, that's great!).  As they got older and they would do their chores without complaint, my chest would puff out in pride.  But this past month, my "proud meter" is full tilt on overload.

You know I have been bragging about Spencer and his new found independence with me being gone and his summer job.  I talked with one of his customers the other day (who happens to be my good friend, Mary) and she said he was so professional on the phone when he called.  Insert puffed out chest here.

Well, yesterday I was able to witness Cole's blossoming independence and business acumen.  He has been participating in an intensive acting workshop for the past week and last night, he attended a party with Casting Directors, Agents and Managers.  By the time I picked him up at 10:00 p.m. (in my pj's of course), he had an Agent following him to the car, two Managers who were dying to rep him and 12 Aussie girls drooling over his perfect Aussie accent!  He was calm, cool and collected and when someone ask him where he got his business sense from, he said, "My dad.  Definitely not my mom."  Ha!  I reminded him that he DID get his sense of fun from me and really, fun is what it is all about.  Just saying.

I have a lot of proud Mom's showing up in my newsfeed for Facebook.  Karmen's girls are in Peru, Valerie's daughter is in Haiti and my cousin Jackie's kiddos are spread hither, thither and yon, all helping at different charities.  Through the blood, sweat, tears, prayers, prayers and more prayers, I love when God gives us a glimpse of what we have done right as parents.  Makes me want to go to the rooftop and shout but in LA, I would either get shot or have the police called.  Guess I will do a jig instead.

So join me in puffing out your chest and strutting like a chicken as we savor these proud moments.  Got any good proud mama (or daddy) stories?

"Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit  All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better."

~Colossians 1:10

Mishaps Abound

I will be the first to admit that I am a little accident-prone.  Ok, well a lot.  I can walk barefoot across a straight street and manage to trip and fall (think Sandra Bullock walking across the tarmac, after her makeover, in Miss Congeniality).  So, I guess it doesn't surprise me when crazy things are happening to me but usually I am not inundated like I have been these past two days.

It started yesterday while I was riding my bike.  I was at the end of my 10 mile ride and as I was trying to avoid hitting a very large bush and a stop sign, I somehow managed to run off the curb and almost hit a car that was driving by.  I don't know who was more scared....me or the driver of the car.  If anyone was taping me, they would be the guaranteed winner of $10,000 on America's Funniest Videos.

Cole is participating in a six-day intensive workshop this week so after I dropped him off at class, I decided to look for a bookstore to pick up a daily devotional for a birthday gift.  I checked my GPS and noticed there was a store close.  My phone rang as I was getting out of my car and I was concentrating on my conversation instead of paying attention to the store I was entering.  I stopped dead in my tracks when I went through the front door of the bookstore because there were naked pictures hanging everywhere and the guy behind the counter looked like this.

I hung up my phone as he said, "Can I help you, hon?"  When I mentioned that I didn't think I could get a devotional in his store he laughed and gave me the address for Barnes & Noble.  Hello floor, swallow me up now.

After I picked Cole up from class, we headed over to our old stomping ground of the Burbank Apartments to have dinner with Tara, Paleigh and Lawson.  When Cole and I finally headed home, it was 9:00 p.m. and we realized we needed to print out a couple of head shots for this week so we headed to Walgreens (our first mistake).  We uploaded the picture and while we waited for it to print, we shopped.

I was shopping for shampoo while Cole was having fun in the toy aisle.

As I was paying for the pictures, I noticed that my debit card was missing.  As in M-I-S-S-I-N-G!  I was trying to stay calm but it was all I could do not to start screaming and running around like Chicken Little.  I grabbed the photos and ran out of the store.  We tore my car apart with no luck.  I drove across town, back to the gas station I had stopped at earlier and low and behold, some sweet samaritan had found my card on the ground and turned it in.  Cole was so excited he hugged the gas station attendant!  I think the guy (who spoke very little English) thought he was going to be robbed!  Ha!

As we were pulling away from the gas station and thanking Jesus for our good fortunue, Cole decides to look at the photos that were printed at Walgreens.  When he pulls them out, I immediately start laughing because they had cropped the picture so much that Cole looked like he was scalped!  Back to Walgreens we go so we could sit and wait for them to be reprinted.  

At 11:00 p.m., we fell into bed and lost consciousness until 6:00 a.m.

Cole has the most obnoxious alarm clock (and it still does not wake him up) so when it went off at 6:00 a.m. I fell out of bed.  I promise I am going to throw that thing out the window!

He had coaching at 9:00 a.m. to prepare for his Producer's Call back that was scheduled for 12:30.  As soon as we left the studio after his coaching session, our Manager called and said the call back had been rescheduled for tomorrow at 12:15.  Really?  Cole was sooooo ready to rock it.  Ok, Plan B.  Cole strips off his audition clothes and we head to McJunkies to get sweet tea (the ONLY place in town that has it!) before I drop him off at his class.  What joy $1 can bring you in the form of a large sweet tea.  Yum yum.  As we are pulling out, I pick mine up to take a big slurp and instead, dump the entire contents in my lap.  Do you know how much liquid is in a large cup?  Think tsunami, with ice!  We both cracked up laughing.  What else could we do?

So, he's at class and I'm home lounging in my pj's because, of course, I have no clean clothes to put on (I really should do laundry more often).  So thankful I didn't get upset at all these "challenges" and have learned to laugh at the small things.

Ever have a day like that?

"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing..."

~Psalm 30:11

Busy, Busy Fun

Over the past 13 years, I have often wondered if we would ever be able to lead a "normal" life and by normal I mean something as simple as going out to eat with Brad without having a nurse at the house.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that not only would Cole and I be living an adventure in California, but Spencer would be healthy, have a job that he loves, and getting rave reviews from his boss!  I can't even explain how incredibly blessed we are.

Our acting friends, the Knight's from Austin, Texas arrived in Los Angeles last week so, of course, all us Southerners had to hang out over the weekend.

We headed to Santa Monica beach on Saturday.  This place is crazy on the weekend.  The weather was a perfect 72 degrees and we had a ball.

Lawson and Paleigh Knight along with R. U. Faster.  Yes, that is really his name!  He is a 59 year old homeless man who lives at the beach and is a personal trainer to many people but mostly people with a lot of money.  This guy is hysterical and is in fabulous shape.  He has been approached to be on the next season of "Survivor".  I will definitely watch it if he participates!

Gorgeous!

We walked down to Venice and the street was rampant with local entertainers.  These guys were so good at their pop-and-lock dance style and their acrobatic abilities.  They pulled Cole from out of the audience and quickly named him "White Chocolate".  Ha!  He was one of five people from the audience that bent down while one of the dancers ran and flipped over them.  It was crazy!

After 8 hours at the beach, we headed home.  But not to rest.  Oh no, that would have been too easy. We showered, changed, picked up Paleigh and Lawson and met the Shea's at Racer's Edge so the kids could enjoy some neon black light go-cart racing!  They had so much fun and I was so happy to fall in bed at 10:00.

Sunday, as we headed out the door for church, Cole comes running down the stairs in his plaid shirt, his underwear and carrying his shoes.  He could not find his jeans but he was sure they were in the car.  We get to the car.  Guess what.  They were not there.  He finally found them (hanging in the closet) and we even made it to church on time!

The rest of the day involved swimming, resting, more swimming, cookout with the Shea's and the Knights and finally, SLEEP!

While we are having fun here, Brad and Spencer have managed to have some fun on their own.  They are loving the nighttime Traveler's games where the intense Arkansas heat is not quite as bad as it is during the day.

So cute!

Here are a few of Cole's headshots he had taken last week...

Love that Denice included this one with Cole and Sid!

Cole was notified yesterday that he has a Producer's Callback on Thursday at 12:30 for a pilot that will air this fall.  He is so excited!  We're keeping fingers crossed and saying lots of prayers.

Have you had a fun summer so far?

"You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith, for they trust in you."

~Isaiah 26:3  

Doctor, Six Flags and Headshots

It has only taken me three+ weeks to come to a conclusion that most of my family and friends have already made; Spencer being on his own is a good thing.  I know, I know, you all tried to tell me this in the nicest way possible but if you haven't noticed, I'm a little hard headed (so hard to believe, right?!).

On Tuesday, Spencer had a scheduled check up with his Pulmonologist and a new appointment with an Endocrinologist.  Mom was able to take him for his appointments which means I got a very detailed report from her and she got to spend all afternoon with Spencer.

Spencer has been a patient of Dr. Warren, the pulmonologist, since December 6, 1999, our first day at Arkansas Children's Hospital.  We were flown from Beth Israel Medical Center in New York to ACH and Dr. Warren was the first doctor in our room.  I cannot even begin to explain our overwhelming gratitude for all he has done to (literally) keep Spencer alive.  On Tuesday, Spencer got the BEST report he has ever gotten from Dr. Warren!  His lungs are so healthy, he's gaining weight and Dr. Warren is so pleased with Spencer's proactive approach to staying healthy.  Another prayer answered.

His second appointment was with an Endocrinologist.  Spencer has had some trouble in the past with his blood sugar (remember our ER visit in August while we were in LA?) so I wanted him to establish a baseline with someone in case any trouble arises in the future.  Good thing my mom and Spencer went instead of me because evidently the doctor had a horrible bed-side manner and really felt they were wasting his time.  If I had been there, ACH would be less one endocrinologist.

So, Spencer got a great report, he got to spend time with his Grandma and I realized how grown up and responsible my son has become.  Can I just tell you how my heart has swelled with pride and admiration?  Thirteen years ago, the doctor's told us he wouldn't live for six months and now he is working and taking charge of his life.  Makes me cry with joy.

Another realization this week came when Cole and I headed to Six Flags water park.  Kari, Logan, Allie and Olivia Shea joined us and we had SO MUCH FUN.  

The kids loved all the water rides.  However, Kari went on one and then was DONE!  Must have had something to do with the fact that that particular ride shot water in every orifice of your body!

After six hours, we closed the park down and headed to Wendy's for dinner.  

I love Logan's expression!  Cole had on the "Minute to Win It" headband and was giving me the "skank" eye.  Ha!

I think Kari's skank eye is the winner!  She must use that on her children!

We got home at 7:45 p.m. exhausted and happy.  I realized that we would not have gone to the water park if Spencer had been with us because a) he hates water, b) there's no way he could have spent all day there, and c) Cole wouldn't want to go and leave Spencer at home all day alone.  I am so thankful to have this time to spend with Cole.

On Wednesday, Cole had new headshots taken by Denice Duff of Duff Images.  You can see her official website here.  She is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  So professional but so much fun.  I can't wait to share the new photos with you.

While Denice and Cole were working, I was playing...

with Angel.  Such a love bug but she was way too heavy for me to pick up so I layed on the floor with her!

Rita.  So sweetsie and she tolerated me smooching and squeezing her.

Sid Vicious who doesn't have a vicious bone in his body!  He was fine with me petting him but drew the line at the holding and smooching.

We were at her house for over two hours so my "animal loving" tank is full.  I loved getting to know Denice and her beautiful daughter Paris.  Can't wait to work with them again.

Isn't it amazing when we are so scared to do something but once it is done, we realize it was the best thing ever?  Let go and let God, right?

"Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works."

~James 2:26

Blessed

Let all that I am praise the Lord;

with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

Let all that I am praise the Lord;

may I never forget the good things He does for me.

~Psalm 103:1-2

Weekend of Fun

Don't you love how God orchestrates everything in the background and you may not be able to see it for a while but when He finally gives you a glimpse, you're like, "Wow!"  That's the way I felt this weekend when I realized how fortunate we are to be living in the same city (only a couple of miles from each other) as the Shea family.  They have been the answer to so many of my prayers.

Friday night, Darrin, Kari, Allie, Olivia, Cole and I headed to City Walk at Universal City to have dinner and see a movie.  Of course, we had to visit the store Sugar Rush...

Don't you love one whole wall of every imaginable flavor of jelly beans?!

Saturday, I cooked a pork loin and invited the Shea's over to swim and eat dinner.  We had so much fun swimming and eating.  As the Shea's were leaving, Logan forgot his shorts and undies so Cole decided to throw them down to him on the street (off the second floor).  Well, let's just say that Cole is a bad shot and Logan's undies are now a permanent fixture in the tree outside our condo.

Haha!

Today, we went to church, had lunch at Chili's with the Shea's and Cole just called to ask if he could spend the night with Logan.  Ahhh, more time for me to watch the Hallmark channel and enjoy my glass of wine.

If you are a dad, I hope you had a great Father's Day.  I miss my Dad and miss spending Father's Day with Brad but love that God has blessed us with this adventure.

"Listen, my child, to the instruction from your father..."

~Proverbs 1:8

Week of Fun with Friends

Fourteen years ago, Brad's job transferred him to Shreveport, LA.  Spencer was a busy two-year-old and I was pregnant with Cole.  I was convinced that Shreveport was not where God wanted us to be but I had no desire to live in a different state than my husband nor raise my children as a single mom, so when Cole was 3 weeks old, we made the move.  It was one of the best decisions we ever made.  Why?  Because on our very first day there, I was standing in the front yard, in my pajamas (redneck mama), and I met my next door neighbor, Tracy.  God blessed me with one of my best friends when he made our paths cross.

Fourteen years later Tracy and I are having more fun than ever.  She and her son Grey, who is 15, flew out Monday to stay the week with Cole and I.  We picked them up from the airport at 10:00 a.m. and hit the ground running so we could pack every second of their stay with touristy activities.

First, we headed to Hollywood Boulevard because who doesn't want to start their LA visit with a freak show.  Of course, Hollywood did not fail to produce.  They were gearing up for a red-carpet event for the grand re-opening of the Dolby Theater (formerly the Kodak Theater) and the streets were packed.  We had so much fun walking around and staring looking at the people.

Of course, all the people in costume want you to take a picture with them so you will give them a tip.

I'm not sure if I was laughing at his suggestion for a tip or what but, of course, my mouth was wide open.

And then Mr. Creepy had to jump in the picture.

We hopped aboard the Star Line Tour and took a two hour ride through beautiful Beverly Hills and the surrounding area to look at all the sights.  It was great.

After the tour, Cole went to his acting class while we did some window shopping.  I think we all fell in bed around 11:00.

Tuesday, we got up bright and early and headed to hike Lake Hollywood to enjoy the beautiful weather and get some good pictures of the Hollywood sign.  We walked up the mountain and got some great shots.

After our hike, everyone wanted me to drive up the mountain and try to get closer to the sign.  There is a neighborhood there so we wound our way through the streets until we got to a dead end.  The boys jumped out of the car and took off on foot up the mountain while Tracy and I waited in the car and watched them.  We were marveling at how well they scaled the slope and were waiting to see them at the sign when all of a sudden, we see them both running back down the hill.  When they get close enough, Cole tells us that they were about 50 feet from the sign when an alarm starts going off and a voice says, "Stop!  You are trespassing on private property!  Do not go any further!"  As they were getting in our car, Tracy noticed this sign...

Oh boy.  They hopped in the car and we drove a little ways down the mountain and pulled over at a lookout point to get a picture.  All of a sudden, guess what appears in the sky?  Yep, the police helicopter.  It is hovering around the Hollywood sign looking for those trespassers.  Can you guess how fast we all jumped in my car and took off?  Let's just say the Dukes of Hazard ain't got nothin on us.  There were tires squealing and dirt flying.  How do we get ourselves into these hilarious situations?  Just lucky I guess.

We cleaned up and then headed back down to Hollywood Blvd. because we had tickets to go through Maddame Toussard's Wax Museum that we were not able to use on Monday.  This place is cool and creepy all rolled into one.

Tracy and Lucille Ball.

Me and Justin Timberlake.

Cole and Kobe Bryant.

Cole's expression cracks me up when he is looking at Beyonce!

We finished the day with dinner outside at Aroma Cafe where we saw no movie stars but had a great dinner, followed by a great night's sleep.

Wednesday morning, we headed to Santa Monica beach.  Our plan was to spend the entire day there.  

We decided to rent bikes first and ride to Venice Beach.  The boys rented single bikes but Tracy and I thought it would be fun to rent a tandem bike.  And what fun it was if you count having a wreck, almost hitting a pedestrian and running off the road, fun?!  Of course we do!!!!!

This was before our bike ride because we aren't covered with sand, we aren't doubled over from laughing so hard and my hair isn't sticking straight up.

I have not laughed that hard or that long in all my life.  My abs are still sore from laughing.

As soon as we got off the bike, I got an e-mail letting me know that Cole had an audition for a Burger King commercial.  We ran home (well, it took an hour so it's not like it was a quick trip), Cole showered and then we headed back to Santa Monica for his audition.  I now have a bag in my car with a full change of clothes.

After the audition, we headed back to the beach and the boys and I rode the roller coaster at the pier and then we headed to the water.  The ocean was freezing and Tracy and I did not get close but the cold water did not stop the boys.

They loved it.

We stayed until the sun started going down and the chill set in and then headed to eat Mexican food and home to pack.

Tracy and Grey left this morning at 10:00 a.m. and I got a text from her an hour ago that they made it home safely.

Whew, what a week.  It was just what we needed.

This is how Cole and I spent our afternoon...

chillaxin at the pool.  I guarantee you we will both be asleep early.

Every muscle in my body aches, my booty is sore from the bike ride, my abs hurt from all the laughter and my heart is so full of gratefulness to my friend for spending four days of her vacation with me.  I am so blessed. 

Cole has a HUGE audition tomorrow.  All prayers appreciated.

"I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ."

~Philemon 1:6

Lazy or Reinergizing

It is a curse.  The women in my family ALL have a hard time relaxing. Heck, they don't even know the definition of the word.  Give us free time and we will find something to do to fill it up.

Why is that?  God made the world in six days and gave us the seventh day to rest.  He commands it.  So why do we think that there is too much going on for us to recharge our batteries.  Isn't it selfish or self-centered to think that if we don't do this today, right now even, then our world will come to a grinding halt or at least teeter off course.  Wrong.  The sun will come up in the morning, the birds will chirp and people will go about their lives even if we don't wash that last load of clothes, or clean the litter box or clean out the sink.  God gave us the Sabbath for a reason.

My children don't have a problem relaxing.  Spencer said he watched baseball games today and Cole chilled out by the pool and played Xbox with his friends.  

Even with a sugar free Red Bull, he can still chillax!

So today, I took advantage of God's day to rest.  Cole and I went to church but when we came home, I didn't wash those two loads of clothes in the hamper.  They can wait until tomorrow.  I did not unload the dishwasher and reload it or clean out my car.  I put my bathing suit on, grabbed a magazine and headed outside to soak up some sun.  I tried not to think of it as being lazy....just some much-needed down time to get me geared up for next week.

I hope you took time this weekend to relax and recharge your batteries.  I bet you are gonna need it.

"O God, you cause abundant showers to fall on your chosen people.  When they are tired, you sustain them."

~Psalms 68:9

Fun in the Sun

Since Cole had no auditions today we decided to spend the day at Santa Monica Beach.  The weather was a perfect 72 degrees as we put the sunroof back, cranked up the tunes and headed to the ocean.

The beach was absolutely gorgeous...

...but the water was FREEZING!  I don't even know how Cole was able to get in and stay in.  Brrrrrr!!!!!!

After his swim, we headed to the Boardwalk and decided to rent a tandem bike.

You see Cole holding the bike up?  Well, this is the most exertion  he used on the entire 7 mile bike ride!  This little nut propped his feet up on the handlebars, took videos and pictures with my phone and flirted with the girls we passed.

After our bike ride, we were standing in line at a sandwich shop and the freakiest thing occurred.  In front of us in line stood my pharmacist from Little Rock who just happened to be in Santa Monica for vacation and a wedding.  So weird.  It really is a small world.

After we got home from the beach, I fell asleep on a raft in the pool.  I know what you're thinking and yes, I am lazy.

Spencer sends me daily pictures of our cat Kobe, I think just to remind me that I am not in charge anymore, because in each picture Kobe is someplace in the house he should not be.

...like my kitchen sink.  Darn cat!

Cole has an audition tomorrow for a commercial so keep your prayers coming.

Did you have a good week?

Life is your current view of things.  Change your view, and change your life.

-Virginia Satir 

No Routine

Even though Cole and I have been in LA for five days, I don't think either one of us are in a routine of being without Brad and Spencer.  We look at each other across from the table as if one of us has the secret to getting back into our "LA" routine.  Maybe it will come with time.

Cole had an audition today for a voice over film that was produced in France and now they want to dub in the English.  His voice over coach was very pleased with the work they got on tape and now we wait.  We are hopeful we will hear something by the end of June.

After the audition, Cole and I had errands to run.

He wasn't much help in Target since the giant pixie stick took all of his attention.

When we went to the outlet mall, Cole fell in love with these...

I was excited that they only cost $30 but the absolute joy on his face was priceless.  It troubles me that he loves shoes as much as I do. ;)

We were so boring the rest of the day while we stayed in the apartment and did laundry and watched tv.  Argh, we have to get out and do something, anything tomorrow.  If only Spencer was here to kick us into gear.

Speaking of Spencer, guess which teenager got his first paycheck today?

Yep, this cutie pie right here.  I can't wait to borrow some money!  He and Brad have had a good week.  I am looking forward to seeing them but sad that it won't be anytime soon.

The one thing that comforts me is that I know that we are right where God wants us to be.

"Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

~Proverbs 22:6

Home Life: Here & There

"Spencer, do you have a game? Can I play, bro?"  This is the question that startled me out of my sleep this morning.  Even before I opened my eyes, my first two thoughts were a) dang it, I have overslept for a game, and b) I am so glad Spencer is with us.  When I opened my eyes and saw that it was dark outside and then looked at my phone and it said 3:38 a.m., I realized Cole was carrying on a conversation in his sleep.  Again.  

The last couple of days have been spent getting accustomed to the two hour time difference and catching up on some much-needed rest.  We have a heated pool at the condo so Cole and I hung out there for a while yesterday afternoon.

"Heated?" you say?  Well, yes because our highs are only in the 70's. Yes, I am bragging!

Last night, Cole had the first of four acting classes with a new acting coach named Margie Haber.  It was a four hour class so I met Darrin, Kari and Olivia Shea for dinner at Aroma Cafe.  This is the cutest cafe that is within walking distance of our condo.  It is tucked into some trees and honestly, if you didn't know where it was, you would have a hard time finding it.  They have the most AMAZING food.  I think all these attributes I described are the reason that so many people flock to it, famous and non-famous alike.  While I was sitting at a table by the curb, I saw J.K. Simmons, whom you might know from the Farmer's Insurance commercials.

I saw Eddie Mills, who played Cole's faux dad in "Wrestling with Angels".

And, as I was admiring a yellow Ferrari that was parked beside me on the curb, David and Victoria Beckham walked out of the cafe and got in the car.

I knew he looked familiar and then I realized that he is the model for the team that Herbalife sponsors in soccer (sorry Spencer, I don't know the team name!)  They were casually dressed but even in flip flops, this was a beautiful couple.

Things seem to be going swimmingly (this is a "Coppelia" word) at home for Brad and Spencer.  When I called Spencer yesterday morning, he was catching me up on everything happening on the home front and telling me about washing clothes and how Kobe ate a bug and then yacked it up on the floor, etc, etc, etc.  Sounds like things are pretty much the same.  But I loved when he called me yesterday afternoon to tell me about his day at work.  He is doing AWESOME and his confidence level has shot through the roof.  Isn't it amazing that God knew just the right job for him.  I love it.

Cole has a voice over audition on Thursday.  The film was made in France so we are assuming that he will be dubbing in the English version.  Keep your fingers crossed!

I'm going to try to go back to sleep.  Otherwise, at 2:30 this afternoon, I will crash face first on the floor.  That won't be pretty.

Did you have a good day?

"Every word of God is purified; he is like a shield for those who take refuge in him."

~Proverbs 30:5

Kingman, Arizona

Cole and I made it to Kingman, AZ today which is two and a half hours further than our original destination of Flagstaff.  With the time change (we gained 2 hours) and our arrival in Flagstaff at 4:00 p.m., we made the executive decision to keep on trucking.  We pulled into Kingman at 6:26 p.m.

Mr. Cole is not feeling too spiffy so we are hanging out watching tv.  I'm not sure what else we would do if he were feeling good because Kingman is a pretty small town and I think they rolled up the sidewalks an hour ago.  The good news is that we have a short six-hour drive tomorrow and we will be in LA!  Woohoo!

So, it's only 7:30 p.m. here and guess where Cole is.....

Yep, and I am in the other bed!  Driving for 12 hours sure can make you tired!

Ok, here is my tip of the day....NEVER drink 60 oz. of sweet tea while driving through New Mexico.  There are no towns in which to have a bathroom and the scrub grass is definitely not big enough to hide an adult!  Don't say I never offered any good advice!

"Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be happy!"

~1 Chronicles 16:31

Amarillo

Cole and I hit the road right on time this morning toward our long journey to LA.  I think we were on the road for about 11 minutes before Cole curled up in the back seat and fell asleep.  Good thing I rented a John Grisham book from Cracker Barrel so John kept me busy for the next 9 hours!

We stopped in Oklahoma City to see Valerie and Don Burns!  They were so sweet to meet us in the parking lot of the mall even though they are busy with their son's wedding today!  Love these friends and miss them so much.

Right as we headed into Amarillo, this wall cloud of thunderstorms greeted us...

A little freaky that it looked exactly like a tornado!

We were surrounded on all sides.

We made it to the hotel just fine and we are pooped!  Why does driving make you so tired?

On the road again tomorrow with Flagstaff, AZ as our goal.

"Keep my commands so that you may live, and obey my instruction as your most prized possession."

~Proverbs 7:2