Seeing AmyLou

So, yes, we did go visit daughter AmyLou last week. What a treat!!
She goes to school very far from home and we don't see her during
the school year. I miss her.

A Lot!

(Even though I don't usually let myself think about it too much.)

But!... Her singing group was traveling for spring break, And while they were traveling one direction, the rest of the fam piled in the car and started off the other direction!

We met somewhere in the middle!! Ooh!! So fun!! So great to see her!!



We met in a little town called Eureka, Ill.


Turns out this is where Ronald Reagan went to College! So we visited the
tiny but well-done Reagan Museum.

Husband studied the history.

And we caught up with her group right there!

A student at the college (Left) gave us an impromptu tour, with lots of historical tidbits and stories. Two of my daughters are there on the right, in the baseball caps.

And AmyLou, whose orthodontic treatment was recently finished
out at school, showed us her new mouth...

This is the first time in a long time I have seen her smile a full smile. Well, sort of a smile... more like a "see my new teeth?" kind of expression. I thought she was already beautiful. Her new smile only adds to the charm, in my opinion.

It was spring there. We are still waiting for the flowers here, so this was encouraging...

Do you see those tulips?? Pretty cool, huh? It's a big deal to us who wait for the beauty of warm things. Oh, and all those people around her -- that is her singing group.

Flowers!! Beautiful!

The siblings were glad to see her, and it was good to see them together.
Yep, those are three of my offspring right there.

The beauty in the middle is my oldest daughter.... ok, the two blonde curly girls are mine... can you tell they are sisters?? The others are friends from school who are in the ensemble. Older daughter went to the same school so it was great for her to see old friends, too.

Sound check ... I was loving their sound already.

And it was fun to see them goof off just a little, even as they all did their jobs: setting up the equipment, ironing the shirts, etc. They are all good friends and work together well. They have a sense of humor, too. Fun! Made me happy that my girl could be part of it.

Once they got in their outfits, they were serious and did a great job! I loved the music they made. Very beautiful, very worshipful, very fun, too. Good concert.

(Maybe I can get you just a little sample in a minute.)

After the concert, we visited a little. My girls with a friend from school, Betsy from Georgia.

It was great to just hang out with my daughter for a little bit
before we went back to the hotel.

Oh my goodness!! We DO look alike! I was surprised when I saw these pictures.
(Her director said he saw that family resemblance. I don't think she believed him at first.)



The other kids had a good time just being with their sister, and oh, yeah,
just being who they are...

It's the closest to roughhousing they could get in shirt and tie.


We said our goodbyes, and left each to our own place. She, as did all the students , stayed with a host family from the church where the concert was held. They were starting early the next day and had many miles to cover. We had to go get supper...

where the family waited patiently for the pizza to get done...


and then...

We went back to our hotel and relaxed.

Yes, we sure did...

ya gotta savor the hot tub...

and youngest took a break from the pool to try out the equipment.

Here's where we stayed:







This was right across the street from our hotel. I think it's an interesting little barn
... and a pretty scene to wake up to.

Which we did the next morning, and after some breakfast and some more pool/relaxing time,
we headed home.

Along the way, we traveled into farm country. Clusters of houses and outbuildings scattered on acres and acres of brown earth. And wires!! So many power lines!!

It was a good trip, and I was glad to be on a road trip without fear, since the last one didn't go so easily. And it was so great to see the daughter for a bit.... she'll be home again in just a few weeks now. It'll be good to see her.

OK, now let's see if I can find that little clip of them singing that I promised.
It's not a whole song, but you can get an idea...

I wish the quality were better, but it's the best I've got, so here y'go.

Nice, isn't it?