~The last of my pics from my FUN trip to TN!~

~Last week I was extremely sick and I asked several people to pray for me.  Thank you to those of you who have been praying for me, the Lord has answered prayer and I'm feeling LOTS better!
~Yesterday...Our Noah finished his school year!   He's SO HAPPY to be done with 2nd grade!  I'm happy and think he did well getting done this early with all of the moves from country to country and all of the sickness we've had!  Our girls are faithfully plodding along and hope to be done soon as well!
~Thanks for all your fun comments on Elijah's birthday post!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~So, on Monday...after our 2.5 mile hike back to Abram's Falls in The GREAT Smoky Mountains...~

~This is what we saw!  Pretty isn't it?!~

~The falls and I.~

~Katie and the falls.~

~Laura let Darla and Bryan get into the water to play.  It was FREEZING cold like mountain water normally is.  They enjoyed it, I think.  ;-)  ~

~Laura and I after we got back to the car from our 5 mile hike.~

~The kids after our hike.~

~Then we finished the loop and enjoyed seeing the neat cabins and scenery.  I REALLY wanted to see more deer and see some bear, but we didn't! =(  ~

~This is called the "Tipton cabin" in the loop.  I just found out that My great uncle Clyde was BORN in this cabin!
How neat is that?!~

Then we headed back to Maryville and went thrift store shopping.  We had an appointment we had to be at by 6:00.  I HATE to be rushed when I'm thrift store shopping, especially since this is A-ONCE-IN-A-2-YEAR-SHOPPING TRIP...for my family of 7!  But, Jesus and my family helped me and I got some fun deals for nearly all my family in just a short amount of time.  One thing that was nice of Jesus (and Laura)...was that I was able to use Laura's receipt and get 10% off of my purchase.
That was a happy thing!
~While I was shopping, this cute lil' man (Bryan) wheeled past me in a wheel chair.  =) ~

~Then on our way home Katie said she wanted to make choc. chip cookies.  So, we stopped and got some choc. chips and she made us some DELICIOUS choc. chip cookies.  Thanks, Katie!~

~On Tuesday morning Brittany (who LOVES thrift store shopping as much as I do =) and I ran out the door and ran to 2 thrift stores before she and her family had to load up the car and head back to Cincinnati.  It's FUN shopping with Brittany...although it's a tad hard...for we wear the SAME SIZE CLOTHES AND SHOES, and we have similar tastes, so we go diving for the same things.  =)
[Then one of us tries it on...while the other one waits outside the dressing room and prays that it won't fit them asks Jesus to give it to the right person.  Hee! Hee! =D]  I love you, Brittany! =)
 I took this fun pic of Brittany in Goodwill.~

~Brittany took this one of me in Goodwill.  (The blouse I'm wearing is an "Anne Taylor Loft"  X-Small!  I plan to take it in more on the sides so it doesn't appear that I'm trying to make a "baby announcement" while wearing it!  =)
Thanks, Brittany, for going shopping with me.  It was so FUN!~

~Dear GG with her favorite planter...a ceramic boot that has holes in it and little bunnies peeking out the holes.  =)~

~GG's 91 year old neighbor took this picture of us right before Laura and the kids left.  I was SO HAPPY that Laura and her kids and Katie could stay over to be with me until Tuesday afternoon!!! ( I had to be at the airport Wednesday morning, so after they left I got finished packing and ready to go back to Colombia.)~

~Back in Dec. 2010 Kimberly made this lap throw for GG and sent it to TN with my Moma to give to GG.  I wanted to take this picture of GG with Kimberly's lap throw, so Kimberly could see it!~

~GG and I right before I went out the door to the airport to fly back to my WONDERFUL husband and PRECIOUS children!  I was SO GLAD that the Lord worked it out for me to go to TN and be with GG and all of my family there.  I have TONS of HAPPY Memories from my 6 days in TN.  The only way it could have been happier was if my Phillip, Kimberly, Sarah, Noah, Elijah, and Mary could have been with me!!~

~I sat in this rocking chair by the Knoxville airport window, read a book, ate my lunch, and waited until my airplane came to fly me back home to my SWEET FAMILY!~

~Since our kids were sick with the flu, I didn't think Phillip would be able to pick me up at the Colombian airport, so was planning on finding a taxi alone.  I nearly CRIED with JOY when I looked outside the airport (Here...NO ONE is allowed to come INTO the airport to pick up anyone, they all have to wait OUTSIDE) and saw my wonderful man standing "head and shoulders" above the Colombians and smiling at me!  How WONDERFUL to be back together as a family!~

I already KNEW that I had done the RIGHT THING in going to GG's 90th birthday party and seeing GG...but it was even more confirmed when my airplane seat partner told me that the reason she flew back to the USA was to attend the funeral of her brother-in-law, who died of cancer at 49!