Well, it's official. Mama and Daddy made it to the airport with Uncle Mark, Aunt Margie and Mikelle. I got the call a bit ago that they had made it through security. All bags were within their proper weight restrictions and held nothing prohibited. Of course, it was the traditional mad dash out the door that anyone who knows us well would expect. Daddy was running wayyyy to many errands that anyone with half a brain could have done for him. And Mama stayed up til nearly dawn racing about the house. But it's all finished. Every dish is washed. Every shirt is ironed. The church book work is complete and they are out the door nearly late and exhausted! Mama,"Well, can't I just sleep on the plane over there?" So keep checking the blog. They've promised to keep us all updated on the adventures! I can't believe Johnathan, Heidi and I are at home right now and not on that plane!
On a sad note, we are mourning the end of an era in our family. Our dear Uncle Carrell Die went to meet Jesus about 7 a.m. this morning. He was the last of Grammie's seven brothers and sisters.....a gang of larger-than-life Texans who could put on a show with a pair spoons, a fiddle and a carving knife. They were tall and told tall tales. They were loud and laughed long. They were lovers and livers of life. We miss each of them. We'll especially miss Uncle Carrell's famous BBQ. No one could do it like The Middle Buster. We'll miss his flirtatious wink and smile. We'll miss his stories (and Aunt Ted's corrections). Most of all we'll miss the feeling of being apart of family with a long, proud, rich history. They could capture it like no other. Our challenge is to pass just a little of that "Die magic" on to our children.
He left a hole the size of Texas in our hearts.
Jaime
So, Mom can run through a detailed itinerary of what all we saw and did, but the miles are taking their toll on me and I can't do it right now. What I can give you is a stack of pix from our various side trips and Jerusalem. Having my family here was an absolute dream come true. I've wanted to share this world with them and this being my mom's first trip overseas was just bonus. We ran all over the country (granted, it's a small one) and covered a lot of ground in Jerusalem & Palestine. We've the bruises, blisters and Bedouin cell numbers to prove it!
