Cleveland, Mississippi....check it off the list

We just got back from Cleveland, Mississippi...and the visit was good but the trip was long. Chuck moved 500 miles away from home to Houston when he graduated from Mississippi State in 1981. However, his brother and sister stayed back as well as his parents, of course, so we are the ones that have to make the trek each year. One time, we invited them to our house for Christmas and the response was, "oh, this is a really bad time of year to get away..."

Really? Tell me about it.

This trip gets harder and harder to make, but this year....after 27 years...I put my foot down and insisted we stay at a hotel. My advice to any of you newlyweds out there is to make this decision early on in your marriage. Trust me on this. I am going to credit this decision alone with the success of the visit. When mama (me) sleeps well, she's happy. And when mama (me) is happy, daddy (Chuck) is happy.

Not to mention this alleviated much of my bathroom issues and it cuts way down on the amount of sitting around and staring at each other time

I am going to make one observation here. You can be related to people and have absolutely nothing in common with them except for DNA.

But it is fun for my kids to see their cousins

and hear the tales of their Daddy when he was little.

I spend a lot of time studying the nieces and nephews hands....as they are my children's hands. That is fascinating to me. DNA.

I can sum up the trip by telling you if we weren't eating, we were shopping. Eating just because....and shopping for nothing...just shopping as an activity that gets you out of the house.

Will went along for the ride and played with the camera.

Santa in a shop window.

Loving gang members?



Abandoned.

Fun with 53, 7, 15? Football players maybe? Naughty.

No traffic problems in this town.

Hackney girls.

These two could have been brother and sister, they look so much alike.

Taylor is Chuck's brother's daughter.

Reflections.

Another Santa in another window.

Will just found out about Santa.

I want the painting on the wall but am too afraid to ask the price.

Small town...very large prices.

Very cute Christmas decorations but it's hard to even think about buying them when you know they will be 1/2 off in a matter of days.

This time the tree is on top of the angel.

Beautiful shops in old, old buildings.
The garland above the mantel was turquoise, bright lime green and hot orange. For Christmas? I loved it.

Our niece, Anna Pierce Hackney, was in a church play on Sunday evening.

She's the second girl on the right in the light pink shirt.

It was a must attend thing. It was a cute play.

There was a pot-luck dinner...but we didn't partake as there was a brisket cooking at the house. Some members of the family were off the hook of attending this play as they had to stay behind to watch the brisket cook.

Chuck with his parents before the lights went down for the play.

Always good to see children dressed up in shepherd clothes. Wouldn't be Christmas without seeing a little of this.

We ate lunch at The Warehouse on Monday....

an old warehouse that has been turned into a great restaurant.

Since we don't know anyone here...we have no shame about posing.

Tres is the only other boy cousin besides Will on this side of the family.

He belongs to Chuck's sister Beth.

Chuck's sister Beth...

check out the gas prices on that old sign.

Chuck's baby brother Michael and his new wife Elizabeth.

Chuck was 10 when his baby brother was born. And he was in 8th grade when Chuck and I started dating. So we all still think of him as so young.

And he is, compared to us.

Cousins eating out again. Hugs goodbye after this meal.

Crossing the Mississippi River to head back to Texas.

Now back at home and waiting for Santa.

The best part about a trip away is the feeling of my bed on the first night back. Yum.

I hope you are all in a safe, warm place today.