Okay. I wrote this super long post last night while in the car, driving to KY (I'm in the hotel right now). Here is a picture of Gideon (I wanted to post more, but they wouldn't upload, sorry), and then you can read the actual post (if you have the time ;)
This was when he was only a few days old, so it isn't very recent, but I think it is really cute! I'm so sorry that I didn't follow through with my promises of more pictures earlier! Here is my meager attempt to make it up to you. A post from the car on the way to Scotty's graduation! I'm writing this in the car, but I will post it either tonight when we get in to the hotel or tomorrow. I also plan to post those aforesaid belated pictures of the sweetest chunk of a baby nephew that you ever did see (he just happens to by my nephew =)
So, enough about future plans. I suppose that those of you reading this will already have read the intro that I wrote at the beginning process of posting this post, so you can just disregard that whole last paragraph.
Anyway, our near-12-hour drive to Louisville, KY has really been uneventful so far, aside from numerous bright lightning strikes and the rain that we drove past/through in the last couple hours. At the moment, there are at least five semis in our vicinity. Ah, the joys of road trips! I love them. Not semis. They scare me. Road trips. I love road trips. That special love is largely due to the fact that I've had the wonderful privilege to be able to fly standby my whole life. My dad works for Northwest Airlines (soon to be Delta Airlines). It has been an invaluable blessing to our entire family. We thank God for it. But now, road trips are the special adventurous way to travel instead of airplanes for me.
I just love the feel of the road under the car's tires and the security of being on land. I know this sounds strange, but for me, I thoroughly enjoy the time spent just cruising along with my family in the car. I love reading books, listening to music or Odysseys, or just talking to my siblings or parents. It's a time away from distractions where I'm free to relax and take it easy. Nothing is urgent or needs to be done. I can take things at my own pace. Of course my dad's....ummm....technical geekyness, I guess I'll call it (used with the utmost respect and with the most affection imaginable) makes all the difference in the world for our car trips. He bought a neat gadget that allow you to have things plugged into the car (like laptops for movies or writing blog posts) as well as a cool cassette tape thing that goes into the car's tape player and also plugs into a headphone jack (in a laptop, cd player, or mp3 player) so that everyone can hear the movie or song playing. It's pretty sweet. And he's pretty sweet for doing all that to make our ride as enjoyable as it is.
We've already watched some episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Boy Meets Grill with Bobby Flay (one of my favorite chefs on Food Network, which we watch at relatives' houses) and a couple Monks. Super duper fun. Poor daddy does all the work and then all he can do during the drive is drive. BORING! Thanks so much, daddy, for making our ride so nice! I love you!
Oh, yeah! I am reading an excellent book by Louisa May Alcott. It's called, An Old-Fashioned Girl. Thank you, Rose, so much for letting me borrow it! It's been a blessing (as the mom on The Art of Candlemaking would say ;).
Wow, just saw another big lightning strike.
Anyway, I'm only about 55 pages through that book, but so far I can really identify with the main character. I think I just love how Alcott wrote. I haven't read anything of her's that I haven't truly loved. Little Women is one of my absolute favorites. Along with The Inheritance. FABULOUS!!! READ THEM!!!
Okay, I just realized that I'm listening to a couple songs from Mary Poppins from one of my Classics Disney albums on my mp3, and that Burt is Dick van Dyke. I mean, I knew that, but it's funny to listen to him as Burt when I was just watching his hilarious show. Sorry. That was very off topic, and this is a terribly long post. I'm at least putting people to sleep if not boring them to death completely. My apologies.
Well, my dad just asked my mom to call Scott to tell him that we are about 30 minutes away! YAY!
We ate lunch at Culver's today. It was super yummy.
WOW! Scott just told us that KRIS ALLEN IS SAFE! Wow. I definitely thought he would go home tonight. Not because he didn't do a fantabulous job last night on both songs (or at least, that's what I think) but because everyone kept saying that it would be Danny and Adam in the finale. Okay. That's weird. Wouldn't it be crazy if Kris actually won???
Keith, who is reading over my shoulder, just informed me that I'm blabbing too much. Here are his exact words: “Did you know you're rambling?”
I already apologized for this terribly unorganized post with a zillion topics, but I'll say it again. I'm very sorry. I bet no one's reading any more. That's totally fine. I don't blame you at all. I will STOP rambling now. There. I'm done. Goodbye.
p.s. Okay, I know, I'm totally lame because I already said what should have been my very last words, but I just wanted to say to those of you who may be asking that Scott is graduating from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity. (yes, I did have to ask my mom about both facts *blush*. I'm not even sure what a Masters degree entails. I know. I'm a horrible person.) Goodbye for really truly real.
This one's at the flower market (it is on, literally on one of the water canals!) Isn't it gorgeous?
This one seems to me to catch the look of the Amsterdam canals in all their glory. This is a little outdoor cafe where you can look out over one of the canals. This place is actually in the middle of the city, right by central station, but it looks more like the more rural areas.
There are many little bridges crossing the canals.
