lunch with funny-faced girls!

Yep, yep, that's them!

Miyah was crying, missing her bubba, tired and taking refuge in the fort atop the slide.

Next thing I knew, the twins had joined her as well as her baby sister, all to keep her company.

Then, to lighten the mood, Leila crossed her eyes...

I made a big deal of getting out my camera...

and all tears disappeared as the other three girls joined in making funny faces!

That's Leila, Alyssa, Chloe, and Miyah, with three out of four able to cross their eyes at will!

Miss Chloe hasn't quite gotten the knack yet, but she's trying!

All of them thought it was hilarious as pretended to be freaked out, clicking the shutter over and over again, sharing the photos with each of them before taking another.

What a wonderful way to chase tears away!

The twins had to leave shortly after, as Monday is a school day.

The other two blondes were soon to bed as well, for the same reason.

I stayed on to give moral support to their mom as she plowed through online homework - in algebra - for the next four hours.

Boy oh boy, it really showed that it's been more than three decades since I had that!

 

But what fun we had earlier!

Michael and his girls had arrived in Hinesville just minutes after me.

We were all there for the cookout!

Beef brisket with Apple Crown barbeque sauce!

Pork chops, hotdogs, bratwurst!

Baked beans, German green bean salad, cheesy hash browns!

Angel food cake, popsicles, and strawberry pie!

Well, none of that last thing for me, of course, but more cake instead!

This was the girls holed up in the living room, waiting for the hotdogs to get done, ready to eat and wanting to make sure not to miss out.

LOL! Like that would happen!

That was the only time they were all inside, as the day was beautiful and warm and called for all of us to come outside and enjoy spring!

So we did, naturally.

So did this caterpillar, attracted to the flowers on my top and the bright salmon of my skort.

Christina rescued me from it - or vice versa, maybe - and Michael looked up what it's future self would be.

Oh, poor thing!

A drab brown moth is what it becomes, not a brilliantly hued monarch!

I guess it needs to enjoy its yellow dots and sage greens while it still has them.

As for me, I'm going to enjoy these beloved ones every chance I get.

Thank you, Christina, for this invitation and for sporting the jewelry I'd given you.

Thank you, Chris and Christina, for cooking up a pile of deliciousness to share and granting me CJ's room for the night.

Thank you, Michael, for the dessert and the reminder that I need to call more often.

i thank You, God, for this time we had together.

Life is short.

The distance between here and there is a scant 47 miles.
I checked.

It doesn't matter if I take DeRenne to Veteran's Parkway to 95-South to their exit, as I did on the way there yesterday.

Nor does it make a difference if I go from their house to 17-North to Abercorn to Truman Parkway to my home, as I did this morning.

Forty-seven miles.

And I didn't even need the GPS this time.

i thank You, God.