I'm back from my trip to SC ( my home town)It's good to be back home to Michigan where my kids and husband are. Frank, my kitty, is lying beside me in a basket that is full of recycling papers...My teenage sons are watching a Sharks show on discovery channel again. My husband is at work. It was so good to see Marc at the airport...my hero, mentor, friend, lover... I'm getting things together for work and school. My husband and I have a busy month ahead of us, but we are ready for it! I can't wait when I am finally a nurse and I have more options in my life...I can go anywhere and know I can take care of my family. I was just talking to my husband on the phone that out of the 40 in our nursing program...only 20 made it through the clinical last year. There are 27 of the 40 of us that made it through Theory, but I saw that some of them didn't make it through the clinical...and won't be with us...I will miss them. I know we will lose probably another 5 or 6 the next round, but it won't be me...It won't be me. While I was in South Carolina, Mama bought me a memory disc for my camera after the reunion so that I could get some pictures of the family and the house. I didn't get a whole lot of pictures of the family reunion, because my camera only had about a memory of 20 pictures. The reunion was so awesome. People don't change a whole lot, do they? Just age. ha! They were horse shoe playin' as usual...lots of laughter and hugs and food! I heard the sisters (Daddy's Sisters) talking as I was walking away..."Them Jones girls got dem Jones hips, don't they!" It was so cute...Yep, they are here to stay, I guess. ha! I had lots and lots of sweet tea, fried chicken, barbecue...and lots of hugs and southern warmth from sweet hearts and sunshine...It was so wonderful!!! The food....the macaroni and collards!!! Oh my word!!!! Mama and Daddy, Beth and Bo and Marcie took good care of me and paid for my meals while I was there. I was spoiled rotten. Mama picked me up at the airport and we had lots of time to catch up on the way there and back..both times. We got to spend a lot of time together hugging and kissing and gossipping! ha! Marcie has done good!!!! Her livin-boyfriend is the very best to her. She deserves the very best, and Jamie is the best! I hope he is a part of our family for good. Jamie makes us laugh and is just a teddy bear. He treats Marcie as she should be treated and Marcie treats him as he should be treated. He fits so perfectly!!! Oh...My Grandmama was so precious and we had an awesome time together...When I saw her standing out there waiting for her, I secretly hoped she smelled like she always did. So much had changed since I had been down. She is in a condo now and Pappy is gone...the town has changed...I knew it was silly to hope that she was the same. As always, she had her lipstick on and her hair done...and smiling that warm beautiful smile...We always met grandmama with a kiss...and there she was...shining like the sun...I went up to her, and yes...the same soft skin and the same smell. I sighed a relief. Silly, huh. HB, you know what I mean. Grandmama and I got to catch up on a lot. There is nothing like looking into my grandmama's eyes and seeing all that love. She called out to me..."OH Chelle!" Like she always did. I was her "chelle" It was so awesome...When I got home, and was telling the boys about my trip,I heard them mumbling..."We could have gone"...I really hope we all get to go next year.. Grandmama let us look in Pappy's drawer that hadn't been looked through yet...(when pappy died suddenly 8 years ago). No one had looked in it yet. We went through the drawer and found Pappy's wallet...He had pictures of my boys and his oldest grandson, Scotty...There were no pictures of me or the other grandchildren...not even pictures of his children...but he had a picture of Caleb and Micah...actually 3 pictures...It meant a lot to me...to all of us, didn't it? He was such a private man...and it was hard to get close to him, yet he had my boys in his wallet. It was so special going to his grave side. I will send you pictures of HB laying a wrinch down on the grave stone...It was very moving for us children...to be there with him.
We went to our hometown, Cordova, SC, and visited people we grew up with in the church...We went to the Hutto's store across the street from our house...to get out 50cent candy as our tradition we did on weekends after we worked the yard...Daddy would give us 50 cents to spend at Hutto's store... The red dirt roads, the pine...the sunshine and heat!!!Oh, I was in heaven! I think I have enough southern food and southern warmth to last me until Christmas. Love, Michelle | 
