The First Good Day This Week

No two ways about it . . . I have missed Tyler so much this week it hurts! I have been brooding all week, going through the motions of life with the rest of my family but being preoccupied with his absence. Randy's mom has often told me that when we are traveling, she doesn't rest well until she knows we are all home and safe. You always hear that once you become a parent, you never really stop worrying about the safety of your children, even when they're grown and have become parents themselves. They are still your children, after all. I have found that to be so incredibly true this week. I am terribly grateful for the opportunity Tyler had to go to camp this summer but I will confess, I have been miserable since 3:15 a.m. last Sunday. I want my boy back!

But I've got to say, if anything can put a smile on my face, it's a trip to Argyle to spend some time with my brother and sister-in-law and their kids. I will just say for the forty-eleventh time how blessed I feel to be living here in Arlington, smack-dab between both of my brothers and their families. I haven't had lunch with Clark in a while, unfortunately, but I feel certain that once school starts back and three of the mouths that I currently have to feed are back to eating in the school cafeteria, we'll get back on track.

Anyway, we hadn't seen Brian and Jamie since Memorial Day (it is amazing how quickly the time flies, isn't it?) so we headed to Argyle for a day of fun in the sun. We grilled hot dogs, swam for hours (the kids longer than us, actually), played Crokinole and--best of all--hit the local 7-Eleven for a free Slurpee, what with it being 7/11 and all. I haven't had a Slurpee in years! And 7-Eleven has really stepped it up in the Slurpee department; no more of the plain Jane cherry only flavoring. Now you can get Dr. Pepper, Pina Colada and even a mocha-flavored Slurpee! Actually, I do think you could also get a Coke-flavored Slurpee when I was a kid, but I remember the cherry ones most of all. Heaven in a cup! Well, not really, but when you're a kid and it's hot they sure taste good!

Shockingly, for the first time in a while I forgot my camera before heading to Argyle but it just so happens that I have some photos from our Memorial Day get-together, so I will post them instead. Look at the size of that bullfrog Christian is holding in the last picture!