She's Back!

We ran down to Joplin, MO to bring Swim Girl back home.  She has completed her year of Vista/Americorps service and is now ready to dive into making some money so that she can get that 'big girl' job she so desperately wants.

I say 'ran' down, but bear in mind that it is an 8 1/2 hour drive (or more).  Each way.  Now remember, Grocery Boy just moved Alaska Girl out west (2418 miles, he will quote).  It goes without saying that we were not looking forward to this.  Oh, and I got to drive through my all time favorite conditions: snow, dark, county roads, no plowing.

Luckily for us, Swim Girl has learned a few things and she was all packed up when we got there.  She also had 3 friends scheduled to help load the 16 foot truck the next day.  The truck was supposed to be a 10 footer, but they didn't have anything that small.  Oh well.  It's only gas money.

Speaking of gas, I took a picture of the gas prices in Joplin over the weekend.  Now those are numbers we haven't seen for a long while.

We went out to dinner at a local place called Big R's while we were there.  Nom nom.  I had homemade rolls, bear battered onion rings and a great big ole piece of chocolate cherry pie.  Can you say food coma?  I got two servings out of that pie!

Mmm.  Pie.

So, we have sent one child away and in return we cycled one back into the fold.  This one has a cat.  A cat that my cats don't like and will never like because she is an interloper and not of their world. Despite the kitty pheromones being pumped into the air by the handy (expensive) Feliway dispenser, there is a lot of hissing and paw batting going on around here.  Maybe I can get some great cat fight pics.  Laters.