Memphis Update

The girls and I are still in Memphis, and will be until Sunday. Aunt Anita's visitation is tonight, and the funeral is tomorrow morning (Thursday). The burial will actually be in Paducah, KY at Uncle James' family plot, which is three hours away. The girls and I probably will not go to that, since it will be 6 hours in the car for about 20 minutes of graveside time.

We've been able to spend some nice time with my grandma (MeMaw) and aunts, uncles, & cousins. MeMaw's apartment has a pond outside full of ducks and geese, so we've been feeding them bread which Rae LOVES.

My sister, Amber, and her family arrived late last night. It will be so nice for the cousins to have each other to play with. Missy & the kids were going to come as well, but had to change their plans. They were originally coming on Thursday (when Anita was still alive), but now don't have enough time to pull everything together and be here in time for all of the services. We will miss them!

I'm trying to get some pictures from my phone to my computer to share with you all, but it's not working. The girls and I left JP small gifts all around the house, yard & workshop, and each day we've been sending him a clue where to look for one. Whenever he finds one, he takes a picture and sends it to the girls. If/when I get it to work, I'll share them with you all.

I've been so blessed with how flexible the girls have been on this trip. They are not used to being dragged all over, sleeping in different places all the time, sharing close sleeping quarters, and eating southern cooking, but they've done so, so well. Right now Ruby is taking a nap in the hotel room while Rae sits quietly on her bed, coloring. She whispers if she needs anything so she doesn't wake Ruby. Everywhere we go, people comment on how sweet and cute they are. I couldn't agree more. Don't get me wrong, they're not perfect angels and we've had our rough moments, but overall I'm very proud of them.

I guess that's all for now. Please keep the family in your prayers as these next couple of days are bound to be difficult. Even knowing that Anita is pain-free and whole now, it's still hard to say goodbye. It's very different to even sit around and visit with the family without her boisterous personality enlivening everything. Like I said before, she was always the life of the party.

Much love to all...