Big state, small world

Texas is a big state. So it is not uncommon for people's paths to cross here. (Especially if the Air Force and being Mormon has already shrunken the world for you.) One of the great things about spending the year in Texas is the number of friends and family I get to see!

Last weekend the kids and I drove down to San Antonio to visit Darin and Jessica and fam, whom we know from our happy days in Turkey.

Look at these handsome boys...

Noah, Christian, David (he's mine), Jag, and Davis

They are a wonderful family. Talk about boys raised right. (Parents of girls, you want your daughters to grow up and marry these boys!)

Some of them (like mine) definitely have a silly streak...

Oh yes, Mary was there too. She wasn't too thrilled about being in the picture, but Jag was more than happy to hold her (practicing for that baby sister on way, I guess)...

Despite the pictures above, Mary had a great time all weekend playing with new friends...
Who wouldn't love playing with this adorable little guy?
Anyway, it was a lovely, lovely weekend. Here are just 7 of the many reasons why:

1. Jessica "runs a tight ship" (to use her words). It was wonderful and soothing to my soul to be aboard. For the first time in six months I didn't feel like I was sinking.

2. David got to run around and play with the big boys. This included lots of sports and activities outside, a gang of neighborhood kids (David's DREAM), and some Wii on Saturday morning (another dream of his).

3. David got to run around and play with the little kids. David thought everyone was fun!

4. This where I would post the pictures I do not have of our outing to the park. I was too busy sitting on my rear to bother with my camera. That's a good thing. A wonderful thing! There are few things better as a mother than letting your kids run free while you sit back and enjoy the company of a good friend.

5. It's always fun to see the things people brought back from their adventures in Turkey. Check out this cute little evil-eye apron Jessica picked up at the Thursday market for a lira. Being the mean mom that I am, I forced Mary to model it...

6. A happy surprise! Another friend from Turkey, Jen W, just happens to live down the road from Jessica! Jessica invited Jen W and her two girls (who used to babysit David) over for dinner. It was so good to see them. (Here is a crazy coincidence: Jessica was recently asked to serve as the children's Primary president...and Jen W is her first counselor. Back in the day, for a very brief time, Jen W and Jessica were in the Primary presidency together in Turkey. Little did they know that was just the beginning of their adventure together in Primary! Did I mention this is a small world??) It was so fun to see Jen W. She's one of my dear friends from Turkey--she was always so supportive. And just the friend God knew I needed at that time in my life. Thanks to Jen W, David and I spent our last month in Turkey watching this over and over. Now that's friendship!

7. Darin, who was busy preparing for a big hearing, was super kind and came home early to watch ALL the kids so Jessica, Jen W, and I could go out to dinner. It was a regular girls' night out! Something I never do. Yes, I am pathetic. (I think the closest thing to a girls' night out I've had since David was born was the baby shower Jen W threw for me when I was pregnant with Mary. See? I would be that much more pathetic without her.) It was great! Good food and good old-fashioned gossip.

The weekend was good for my heart and mind. I loved the hours and hours of conversation. As I have struggled to figure out this motherhood thing, from the time David was small in my arms, I have learned so much from Jessica. And after a weekend in their home, I felt strengthened by her.

I am grateful to Darin and Jessica for opening their home to us. I hope we can head that way again. If only Texas weren't quite so big...