back from Vanceburg

I will write more about this later, but just wanted to pop in and say, I had a great time!

EDIT:
As I mentioned, Uncle Al had found a family graveyard, and we were cleaning it up. I should have called Uncle Al to find out how much work this was going to be, or perhaps what clothes I should have worn, but I didn't. I'm preggo, and I have a hard time tying shoes, and it's summer, so I've been in flip-flops for awhile. Yes, I wore the flip-flops for the weekend.

When I got off the freeway, Uncle Al called my cell-phone and started to give me directions to the graveyard (instead of going directly to the motel), and gave me the first turn-off, and then I lost all reception. So I decided to drive to the road, and if I still couldn't get a signal, then I'd turn around and go to the motel. It was a looooong road! And there was only 1 store, which we stopped at so the boys could use the bathroom. But they were closed (aaaaaarrrggh!), so I gave the boys the extra pull-ups I had packed, and basically told them to wet their pants. LOL Better than peeing on someone's prized begonias, ya know? Besides, there was NO shoulder on that road.

At the corner, I saw 2 guys standing at a car, but I didn't see the boys, so I kept on driving. Luckily, the guys turned out to be Uncle Al and Uncle Doug, and they trailed me until I figured it out. :) So we drove right to the graveyard. At one point along SR-344, it looked very similar to the road leading to our subdivision, and Krillin commented on it. "See, how the dirt is high up on that side, and on the other side, there's houses? It looks like our road. See? And right there, that could be the chicken house!" Yep, there's a house near us that has chickens. :D

As soon as I stepped out of the car, a tick landed on my foot. I said a silent "thank you" prayer for the insight to bring insect repellent. Then Uncle Doug showed me the grove that the graveyard was...er...buried in. The land had not been properly cared for since it passed out of the May family, and it showed. It was a little grove of trees on the top of a hill in a farm. Trees had to be cut down, underbrush cleared away, and headstones identified and cleaned up.

Krillin and Kenshin are more city-boy than farm-boys, so they balked at the work, but were willing to help clear the sticks/branches. I helped by writing down the headstone inscriptions (made more visible by baking soda!), and raking.

The man who owns the farm stopped by to talk for a bit, and even let us borrow a "real" chainsaw (I guess Doug's 2-bit wasn't enough) and other tools. He told us that in the 90 years that his family had owned the farm, no May family line had ever come to visit it.

At about 7:30 or so, Uncle Al called it a good day's work, and we headed to the motel. What a beautiful drive! The roads were narrow, and some parts unpaved, but God's hand could be seen everywhere in that countryside. I love it! At the motel, I took the registration card to fill out my license plate number, and Uncle Al surprised me by paying for my room. I was very touched by his blessing. :) For dinner, Uncle Al and Doug got pizza and milk, and some cookies.

I can't fully explain it, but eating the pizza and milk (no cookie for me ;)) really made me feel at home. Sitting out there on my cooler, in front of the motel, talking with my uncles, and the boys getting to know their cousins... I guess it reminded me of the fun times had while camping, when I was young. The only thing missing was P-chan.

I had to check the boys over for ticks, and was relieved to find none. Then they got to check me! LOL Then I found I had a signal on my cell-phone, so I called P-chan. After I read the boys their good-night story (Little House on the Prairie), I also fell asleep quickly. When I woke up, I sensed that something was weird... I finally figured out that I could breathe through my nose. LOL I guess one-star motels agree with me. ;) (I have had horrible allergies during the pregnancy, and have to sleep with tissues!)

I spent a bit of time at the local Family Dollar, looking for a pair of crocs-like clogs for me, and some socks for the boys, but ended up with only socks. At least I had some jeans on that day! :) We worked until just after noon, at the graveyard. The local Stake President and his family worked along with us. President Smith reminded me (in both looks and voice) of Micheal Gaston, of "Jericho" fame (at least in my mind). Nice family!

While Uncle Al went to the Genealogy center in Vanceburg, Uncle Doug led me to another cemetery, where my Great-great-great-great-great grandfather is buried, along with several family members. I got several pictures. Uncle Doug pointed out the nearby stream (which was very dirty and gross), where some people had been swimming the day earlier. LOL

We headed back to the motel for some R&R. Uncle Doug took Casey to the Genealogy center, and the boys and I hung out in the motel room. I considered a nap, but then decided against it... I always end up groggier after the nap. go fig! At about 3, everyone came back, and we hung out for a bit. I found out that Uncle Doug lives in Ohio, just a few hours from us, so I hope we can visit each other again, soon. I don't like driving at night, and I wanted to be home before it got dark, so I decided to leave a little earlier than I would have if P-chan was there. We got some pictures, lots of hugs, and said bye-bye.

We ended up right behind a dumptruck full of dirt, all along the windy, no-passing road. LOL Krillin likes to peek over at the speedometer and tell me I'm either going "too fast" or "too slow!" The truck afforded him many "too slow!" comments. :)

We had been on the freeway for about 10 miles when the cell phone finally got reception again! Why it would work on the other road one day and not the next, I'll never know. We stopped at McDonald's for dinner, and we got home just before 9pm, so still plenty of sunlight. :)