12 Hour Roadtrip

This post is one of the hardest to write.  I lost my last living grandparent, Mamaw, a week ago on Friday.  It wasn't unexpected as she was suffering with pancreatic cancer.  Our family is grateful for her 93 years on this earth, and we celebrated her last Saturday in Louisville.  

I knew the weekend was going to be exhausting for a number of reasons.  It was probably the busiest we've had in years. (1) We are in the middle of golf season.  This means after the start of school, all of our tournaments fall on the weekend.  This particular weekend placed Miles in Pineville and Paris, KY. (2)  It was move in day for both of our college students.  Isaac had asked me weeks earlier the best day for us to help him.  Thank goodness for the golf schedule because I had chosen Friday not knowing what this particular weekend would even look like.  

Without Matt, I'm not sure I could've made it emotionally.  I am thankful that God blessed me with the greatest husband on the planet.  His schedule is such a hectic one that I never like to add anything extra to his plate.  He told me that he was going to leave early on Friday and help get Isaac moved in.  What a relief?!?!  Moving college students into dorms is a very physical task. 

FRIDAY::

Miles had to leave early with his team to play a practice round in Pineville at Wasioto Winds Golf course.  This meant he needed to be at his coaches house no later than 7:30AM.  We got him packed up and sent off!

Karson spent the morning gathering all of her stuff for the move back to Louisville.  She didn't have much - mainly clothes and a handful of other things.  This semester she signed a 3-month commitment with an Airbnb.  It made sense not to sign a full-lease until she figures out if she's staying in Louisville.  She received her nursing assignment today which will most likely conclude by the end of October.  To save money, she'd like to move home after for a few months while figuring out her next steps.  

She didn't have school on Monday but sent some "back to school pics" yesterday when she had class.

Today, she received her capstone assignment which will be at Jewish in the ICU float pool.  It's day shift, and she's excited to see everything and figure out what she likes.  My hope is that she is paired with an incredible nurse, loves the ICU, is offered a position, and her choice after graduation is clear.  Let's go Cards!

Isaac's living space this year reminds me of a mini apartment.  He is staying in North Hall which is much newer than Telford where he lived last year.  It's very spacious and part of me wishes that EKU had year round campus living options for students, like UofL offers.  We're hopeful that at the conclusion of this year, he will be able to transition into an apartment and not have to move everything back home.  Plus, it will give him a chance to work and possibly find an internship nearby.  

His haul was much larger to pack up.  I made him some sausage squares for breakfast Friday morning before we got everything loaded up in his car and Matt's Highlander.  We took off a little before lunch headed for Richmond with his move in time around 3PM.  About midway through the trip, a huge storm passed through.  It was impossible to see for about an hour into the drive.  However, we made it around 3:15, secured a cart and got everything loaded in.  I did some quick cleaning of furniture, but it wasn't needed as the room was very nice.  We got his bedding together, things unpacked, and pictures hung.  Isaac isn't much on us hanging around long, and I get it.  Plus, we had a two hour drive to Pineville. We took him and his new suitemate James out to dinner at Chick Fil A.  I hope he has a great semester and year!

 

Monday was Isaac's official first day of class.  

We made it to the Sleep Inn in Pineville around 8PM.  It is about as far Southeast as you can get in Kentucky and absolutely breath-taking.  We'd like to go back and stay sometime in the near future!  The team got rain delayed during the practice round, so they headed to dinner and then the hotel.  Miles was already checked in when arrived.  All of us crashed after such a long day!

SATURDAY::

Miles and his Grayson County friend Jackson have been battling for YEARS.  Love their friendship and when we get to reconnect on the course.

 

We drug ourselves out of bed early to get Miles to the golf course.  Unfortunately, the driving range had flooded so the boys weren't able to warm up the way they would've liked.  Plus, Miles  really wanted Matt to see the range - bummer.  The views at this golf course were amazing.  One of our players said he wished he had a GoPro camera to strap on  Tournaments are precious and quickly dwindling away, but we had to miss this one.  After drop off, we made a three hour trip to Louisville for my Mamaw's visitation and funeral.  It was a long, emotional day.  We got to catch up with family, share memories, and had some good laughs.  My Aunt Bev had asked all the grandchildren to reach out to the officiant Larry Sawyer about why we're the favorite grandchild.  

This was my argument:

I can say with certainty that I am my Mamaw’s favorite - She gifted me with the most magical baby blanket – my pink strawberry shortcake which is, to this day, is my most prized possession.  It provided me with security, comfort, and an immediate connection to her.  It was soft, cozy, and so special that when our daughter Karson came along and was gifted with tons of different blankies, guess which one she chose?  MINE.  We loved it hard and were loved back by our precious Mamaw and great-Mamaw!

It was a fun way to honor her memory and celebrate how she made us all feel special!  

I received the kindest messages from loved ones via text, social media, and through the mail.  My coworkers got me a lovely bouquet along with a very generous gift card.  It made me feel very loved and supported.

After the service, we went to Okolona Church for a meal.  Once it wrapped it, we took off for Paris to meet up with the team, which placed third in the Wasioto Winds tournament.  Miles didn't have his best round and battled all day according to his coach.  He finished with a 79 which is still impressive.  Because the team had reservations at Malone's, we decided it would be easier to meet them there instead of going to the hotel since it was on the way.  

With full stomachs, we headed back to hotel stopping off at Graeters Ice Cream first for a treat.  Night two of crashing after such a long day!  Fortunately, we were able to sleep in late at the Best Western.  

SUNDAY::

A special surprise exists ONLY in Paris, Kentucky and that is the world's last Jerry's Restaurant.  I felt like I hit the jackpot when I saw it was only a few minutes from us.  Due to an afternoon tee time, we were able to eat lunch there.  I had my favorite meal which consists of coleslaw, Captain's Wafers crackers, and Italian spaghetti with garlic toast.  It was heaven!  We also couldn't leave without getting a slice of hot fudge cake.  

 

I asked our server about the restaurant and if any other Jerry's exist.  She told us - this is the last one.  It was packed too.  

The late tee time, while nice, made for a very long and tiring afternoon.  It wasn't the best round for anyone in Miles's group, nor for our team.  The course and pin placement was long and incredibly hard.  It felt like the round would never end.  Miles had a doomsday attitude from the start.  As soon as we pulled up to the course, he immediately said, "why do golf courses hate high school golfers?"  Hah, he noticed how difficult the pin placement was on the greens.  One the first tee, he completely mishit, and his coach told us that a butterfly flew straight in front of him and almost landed on his ball in the his downswing.  That was the kick off to how the day would start.  He managed to hit the ball well and actually played great. It just wasn't his day, got some unlucky breaks, and that's how golf is sometimes.

We didn't get home until 9:15PM completely wiped out.  After getting the car unpacked and a load of laundry washed and thrown in the dyer, I finally made it to bed around 10:30PM.