Comin' Round the Mountain

It seems I am half way through my waiting period (YAY!!!) and will go in for the second test in two weeks so that I can get started with my next FET (frozen embryo transfer) cycle.  Many have asked me what's going to happen next and all I can say is that you'll know as soon as I do.  I don't know what medication if any I will be on - I am assuming a trigger shot and perhaps progesterone (butt shots) but I don't know.  As soon as I get the second negative I will probably have a teaching visit and then I can tell you more. 

We just got back from our trip to Louisiana Saturday and I am sorry I didn't post yesterday but give a girl a day or two to recuperate from a 2 day drive ;).  I have to say that Handsome did almost all of the driving.  When we got back home I realized that unlike most trips where I take hundreds of pictures, on this trip I got very few and in fact they were all of some giant walking sticks so I will have to borrow from family.  On the way to Louisiana we took I40 and took the northerly route so we could stop in Albuquerque so I could meet up with my best friend.  We had a great time eating out at a tapas bar with Charlie.  We stayed much longer than planned and didn't get to our stop for the night, Tucumcari, until 11:30 pm (which is actually 12:30 pm here) and we were exhausted!  Here are some pictures from the first half of our trip.  The northerly route was really nice although we did run into a lot of seemingly unnecessary road construction in New Mexico

Our second day of travel we stopped in Ft. Worth so that I could have some "real"food.  I was so tired of burgers and other fast food.  We stopped at Outback but I was so hungry I forgot to invite my cousins who live in the area ( I heard about that all week, lol).  We got into Shreveport, at my cousin's house about 9:30 pm.  My cousin and her family were out of town but my aunts were staying there and one of them let us in.  We talked for a long time until I just had to go to sleep.  Handsome was already in the room and told me to turn on the ceiling fan - it was on low (barely turning) and yet it was clicking like a metronome or fast clock - that kind of thing drives us CRAZY so we slept without the fan and without covers to help with the heat.  My cousin came home Monday and the house got much cooler.  Monday afternoon Handsome and I went to a local independent pizza place nearby (great pizzas!) called PieWorks (we almost drove by because we though it was pie not pizza).  Afterwards we went to the Boardwalk, ate at an Irish pub and went to see the movie Brave in 3D.  Of course I cried and Handsome laughed at me.  Before the movie we also did a lot of driving around and happened upon this old cemetery.  Parts of it were falling apart and even though we were in the middle of the city it felt like the world had stopped around us.  The stones told such stories - of men in the war, families dying.  One stone just said "Infant" meaning he/she probably dies at birth or soon after and another had a 17 year old who Handsome postulated had probably dies in childbirth. 

Tuesday my parents got in (they were on one of their epic motorcycle road trips) and we all (parents, my aunts, and Handsome and I) went to Herby K's, home of the shrimp buster and the BEST crawfish etoufee anywhere!

Tuesday night I stayed up and chatted with the girls while Handsome sat out and chatted with the guys.  By this time there were about a billion children there bit it was fun!  That morning, I also asked my cousin's son about his horrible ticking ceiling fan but he said he had gotten used to it.  I told him that was too bad because if it bothered him I was going to buy him a new one and install it.. before the words were even out of my mouth he was telling me how much he hated it and it bothered him.  After Herby K's with the folks we stopped by Home Depot and got him a new fan.  My husband installed it and we had silent moving air for the rest of our trip - HEAVEN!

Wednesday was the 4th and not only was much of the family there (my cousins, aunts, parents) but many of their friend and neighbors as well.  Before it got started my Aunt took us out and took pictures of each family - here's a picture of Handsome and I

My parent and us - check out my Dad's cool motorcycle cap to cover up his helmet hair.  I can't believe that Mom agrees to these road trips and that she can pack in such a small  suitcase!!

We had hot dogs and hamburgers (my cousin-in-law made mine perfect, burned on the outside and hot and steamy on the inside!), live fiddle music, kids in and out of the pool, a zipline (Handsome helped catch kids on the way down) and a kickball game at the end adults vs kids.  The kids kicked are butts - I took myself out half way because lets face it - I was hot and I SUCK at kickball or anything athletic pretty much.  Here's the official picture for the 4th of July reunion.

Okay, okay I know I promised pictures of giant walking sticks and I know you are all DYING to see them so here they are.  We say three in all but I only got pictures of two.  I have also included video.  The first picture is one that took me a while to realize it was a walking stick, I thought it was a branch from the tree behind us.  I couldn't get a good picture of it on the chair so I had Handsome pick it up and it scrambled up his arm, across his back and over his shoulder where I captured a picture of it.

It could curl and straighten its butt which allowed it change its shape and better blend with different types of branches and plants.  We moved it to a tree so the dogs wouldn't get it and I took a short video.

This second one was found by some of the kids and I caught a picture of it on my cousin-in-law's muscular arm.

Thursday all the cousins and kids, Handsome and I went to Herby K's for lunch - mmm more crawfish etouffee! 

Then back to the house for a dip in the pool before Handsome and I went out for dinner at the Wine Country Bistro.  We later met up with the family at the Boardwalk and then back to the house.  We told some funny stories about the time I hit Handsome's truck with my car.. in the garage and the scorpion booby trap. 

Friday Handsome and I made our way home.  We stopped in Pecos where we had a nice meal at Alfredo's and the worst bar experience at the Alpine Lodge (which for some reason Handsome referred to in an Irish accent which was hilarious!).  We got home on Saturday, I drove a small portion and started singing "She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain When She Comes" which prompted Handsome to start yelling no... I found that so funny I could barely breathe and so made sure to complete the first two verses!!  So much more happened but I am wiped so I'll try and talk more next time - about Bremen eating money, Ringo hating us, the horrible Alpine Lodge and more. ttyl

She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain When She Comes
"She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes,
She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes,
She'll be comin' round the mountain,
She'll be comin' round the mountain,
She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes.

She'll be driving six white horses when she comes..."