My Kentucky Home...

Thanks to the thoughtfulness of my husband, and the amazing generosity of Mom Frandsen (and Dad F, Hannah, Lafe, Jonny & Mel...), my actual birthday celebration came about three weeks ago when Michael and I went on a big adventure to Kentucky. It was kind of my last hurrah before I'm too pregnant to travel, and thereafter too tied to a newborn to freely go on a trip.


I lived in Kentucky from 8th grade until I left for college. My family has since moved to Oregon, and it has been about 6 years since I've been back. Mary Ann (she's like a second mom to me) was the reason for the visit...


Here she is with her husband, Wes, and Tiffany, who thinks she is human...


They are known to my kids as Nana Mary Ann (who spoils us with amazing packages) and Papa Wes. We didn't tell Wes that Michael was coming... and he was pleasantly surprised to have a buddy for the weekend.


This California boy got a taste of country living, Kentucky style. Mary Ann and Wes' home is an elegant log cabin out in the country surrounded by wild forest and rolling hills. I had forgotten how beautiful it is--even in the wintertime. Next time, though, I will go in the summer--nothing like the green, green, green of those trees and rolling hills.

Here's the country boy in the "work boots" Mary Ann got him to wear on the farm...


They have 6 horses, a barn, a pond with bullfrogs, a tractor, a 4-wheeler... and lots and lots of open space. It was fantastically peaceful (...so good for this mama!). But the best part was being with Mary Ann and Wes. Much of the time, Michael palled around with Wes.


His favorite part was riding Sandman...





...and attempting to catch bullfrogs in the pond.

We did other things, too... including meeting up with high school friends, visiting wonderful people, and visiting favorite places (thanks, Angela, for reminding me about the infamous GAP outlet!).

I left my camera behind far too often, but here are some things I did get pictures of...

My Old Kentucky Home (looks like the new residents had lots of company)...


(... this one's for my family... the Bumpas dogs down the road have multiplied and replenished since we left...)


The Old Washington Park, where dad would run miles around this lake each morning before work. (Dad... Michael cracked up when I told him your story about being attacked by a mother duck.)


A trip to DeSha's for a Brownie Fix (they still make them like they used to, Matt. Don't you wish you could have eaten our leftovers??)...


A trip to the high school... where the field house was sporting the newly acquired boy's state championship trophy... Go Royals!


(Two days after I left, this same high school field house would host Pres. Bill Clinton, who was campaigning for his boss--I mean--wife. In little old Maysville... who would've thunk it??)

It was also Easter weekend, so we were lucky enough to have a holiday "Mary Ann style." She always makes holidays special. Michael went on an Easter egg hunt with some kids from the primary, colored eggs and had an egg hunt at the house...


And the Easter bunny left Michael and his mama amazing baskets of lovely goodies. We had a great Easter dinner, complete with a special lamb cake.


Aside from enjoying being around Mary Ann, my favorite part of the trip was going to church in my little Maysville Branch. It was good to see my church family, and feel the strength of the spirit that is with them there. It brought back so many feelings and memories of the formative years of my testimony and faith. I owe much of my foundation to the experiences I had there.

Thanks to Mary Ann and Wes for a wonderful, refreshing, and memorable Easter!!

It was about that time that Michael was at the height of a sickness we later diagnosed as the flu. He was a trooper and was really pretty pleasant, but slept a lot. We flew home the next day as I started experiencing its early stages. I'm just glad it didn't really hit me until we left... but was sad that Mary Ann got it too.


It was sad to say good-bye... but they told us that their home is our New Kentucky Home. So long for now, but we'll be back--next time in the summertime!