Returned

Wonderful hearing your voice. You sound great and I am so pleased you had a great time exploring in-country. Lots to see and do and yes… the need to solo is always a push when you feel you are balanced with the situation. As for you .. You are one to adapt, fit-in with your enviorement. You are with wonderful people and they have you…a win-win mix. As Pacard would say..”engage”…..to new wonderious frontiers. Ciao hijo, mas tarde. Tu Padre.

Lucian and Jilly,
I want to thank Jilly for that.
What about the hundreds of times I remembered the sugar?
Ha Ha,
I love you guys,
Mommy

Hey kid,

Just checking to see what I’ve missed – man I’ve missed alot.

So so happy to hear all is going great where your feet are placed. Hope youre keeping that journal up to date!

All is okay here. Getting ready to take dad to his navy ship reunion in Va. Beach this weekend. He’s very excited, as I’m sure you can guess. On of his navy pals is driving down with us. This makes the trip smoother for me and mom.

Maggie will be keeping your ole room company this weekend as I understand it. Mom and I told her over dinner [we were having hamburger helper] to take zippy bags so that she could being us some of Irenes cookin’. Jilli and your folks came in a few weekends back – and they brought dinner! Sweet Emmett, was it good. Mom and I enjoyed left overs for lunch at the office and we would not share. Maggie also took a trip with you folks to Joey and Sharons place, love her time there! She still talks about it.

Mom is doing great, my heavens that woman is a saint. We’ll be getting into making a winter project [crazy quilt] once we get all our to do lists for everyone finished, which I think will be after this weekend.

I took my first wedding pictures two saturdays ago. I was scared to death. I’m taking a dig photo class to learn all the game pieces on this camera… ahhh give me the days of the film cam’s. ha!

k, guess that about fills you in from kerr’s creek. WE LOVE YA!

TAKE CARE OF YOU – AND BE SAFE!

remember – ya gotta inhale to exhale, meaning – learn their way, to fit it into your way!

xxxooo

I love your enthusiasm for the process — the journey is always half the fun of any experience, no? It seems as if this was the “best fit” for you, Lucian — this side of you that wants to dig in and help in a meaningful way. Don’t sweat the last part of training — it’ll be like, cough-cough, chemistry and stoichiometry — now, how useful did you think that would be to you at the time??? Giggles and hugs all around, Leigh-Ann (LA)

HI Lucian–
how are you…things are going well in the great state of Virginia…not much new but a whole lot of rain and the leaves are beginning to change…which is pretty but we know when that happens our days of tank tops and sandals are limited!!! Jillian has a new hobby…stalking on myspace…you should see her lucian…she’s crazy about it…but so are the rest of us…I believe that I spend half my waking hours looking through thousands of strangers to find one that I knew from back in the day…wow, who would of thought that this what being a grownup entailed…anyway just a bunch a rambling thoughts from me…hope you’re doing well and that you’re sharing that beautiful smile with all that you meet!!
xoxo,lisa

Hi Lou! The pumpkin pie talk got me laughing! My mom makes the best pumpkin pie anyway! Sounds like you are on quite an adventure-like Jillian says enjoy it- not much new going on here! Going to visit grandma this weekend before she heads back to Virginia. Payton calls her “Big Grandma.” Its very cute! Well just wanted to say hi. Love ya!

Hey Lou !!!!

So glad to hear you are doing well . Sorry I have not written but this computer stuff really gets me . I am so very sloooowww at typing …. Soon and very soon you will be free to do what you went there for .” To Make A Difference ” And you already have Iam sure … Michael and I went to the shore well here it’s the Beach Yikes ! . We had a really relaxing time . And now we are back in the burg and working . Kacey is good and so are Uncle Pete and Aunt Eleanor and they both send their love and “heys” . On Nov 10 we are taking the folks to AC to Gamble ….. for Aunt El’s 75 b’day . Your Spanish must really be improving …hey when you get home we can due tunes en Espanol ‘……. we sweetie I am off to slumber land getting ready for another day of doing my part in keeping America beautiful Yeeehaaaaa . Love you Lou … Take care , Be safe , and you are in our prayers every day …. Ellie

hey louie lou. I was just thinking about you and decided to write and say hi. All is well here. The kids are keeping me busy. We enjoyed having Grandma here for a while. Big Halloween parade this weekend. Jacqueline is going as Cinderella, Nicholas as Elmo and Payton is going to be a pirate. Should be very cute! Well my dear cousin, I enjoy reading your blog. Stay happy and stay well. We all miss and love you very much!!!!! xo, Lisa

Hey Kid,

I tried to write you a letter, several times actually. But it’s a pain with my hand the way it is these days. So, here I am at the key board where the space bar can be used with the left thumb.

So, I’m going to pull from what I had tried to write with pen and paper.

I understand you will be entering the Equine world. Don’t let anyone tell you they are stupid animals. They are actually very smart, and use senses that we don’t. You can not lie to a horse. Don’t pretend around them. Just be you, honest, caring and good of heart, they’ll get this… Really. I’ve been working with a few horses, and it still amazes me how smart those boogers are. Oh, and don’t let me take you for granted, they will. Ha!
I’ve noticed that, if one isn’t in the mood. I just turn and walk away to a spot and stand with my back turned to them. Most often they’ll come to me. This is going to sound strange, but remember to listen… I mean with your heart. You’ll hear it. Just breath, keep cool and listen. Remember, too often we are trying to speak our minds, or confuse our heads with so many thoughts that we forget to Listen. Listen – this is how, I believe, we connect with the universe – connect with Emmett [my name for God] So I’m strange, but I feel the name makes it more personal … to me. God is what “it/he/she” is; we don’t go around calling each other “human” … do we? Plus when I’m disappointed, it sounds better to say “Damm it Emmett, I should have just listened.” Go on, you’re thinking… this girl is nuts, but she’s got a point.

Daily stuff going on here in Lex Vegas, just add two days of – on and off rain , warmer temps, and scattered puddles, oh and showers of autumn leaves falling to the ground, and ya got yourself a pretty sight. Until, it comes to the hand in rake deal… uggggh.
I was super woman the other day with the leaf blower on high wind. Hahaha. With all this rain, I’m glad I painted the breezeway floor a couple colors that match the mud from the yard. Floor looks great, but I didn’t take into account the color of mud when it dries. Ha! Yes, I took mud samples in to the paint store. The dogs were very good about making paw prints on the sample cards. Man, I hope you didn’t get sucked in to that. Hahahah. But really I did choose mud colors. Which I thought was a breath taking moment of genus! Makes the floor already look like muddy paws, making the real muddy paws look like they blend in. Hahaha.

Mom, Dad and Maggie are all doing well. Aunt Glenna and Uncle Tommy [NJ] and kids are coming in for Thanksgiving at Glenna’s sister [Julia's] house. This will be the first Thanksgiving since Julia passed. So they’re going to have dinner with Julia’s kids. They were here last year too. I set up an afternoon for mom and Glenna to pamper themselves with foot massages and other girly stuff before the holiday rush starts. Your Mom, Dad, Ms. Millie and Jillian are coming to our house for Thanksgiving. I’m excited; I hear Irene is going to cook… yippee! K, I know she’s very busy, and I’m being selfish, but man can that lady cook! That was one of the things I really enjoyed when I stayed with them that summer in Patterson. You and Jill were many years way from that time. OH and when Jill was little I remember the orange little tiles in the kitchen of the blue house, your mom made chicken cutlets and we had sandwiches, oh, they were good. Hey, that reminds me, I think I’ll fix broccoli with olive oil and season salt so simple and yet so taste. Oh, and the pasta I had that summer. She still makes the best Pasta Fazoli!

Hey I have a new project. I met with the City Mgr. about a “chalk walk” in Lexington. He likes the idea, wants to shoot for July of ’07. I’ve met with the chamber of commerce, we did a scout of Main Street and how I see this event mapped out. I wanted to use a side street but the city mgr. wants it on main. So what is a chalk walk, you ask. It’s a 16th century “street painting” tradition. When I was in Ca., I went to 6 of them, and fell in love with the concept. Finally I found the way to make it happen [I hope]here. There’s a group [to benefit from the fund raiser] “hoof beats” this woman takes in abused/ neglected horses, trains them and gives them a job. Kids with physical handicaps learn to ride, build self confidence and have fun. I’ve seen it work. A blind horse with a blind girl, the horse moved in to the step using it’s front leg to feel how close to get until she was leaning so far that the child could hug the horse and climb on with assurance that this horse knew her weakness. The child had repeated she “couldn’t do it,” over and over. But the horse became her bridge. Anyway, wish me luck. I hadn’t realized how stand offish some artists could be. What ever happened to the “starving artists”? Ha! I figure, if Emmett wants it to happen, it will happen. I’m just the coordinator.

So tell us, will you be getting mail at your new location? I figure email is out. I can only imagine the way I would feel… Excited to be venturing into a place that few have gone, the idea of having horses around would be very encouraging to me, because I trust them. And then there’s the human fear of “not knowing” what’s next. You are being a good boy and keeping up with your travel journal, yes? I’ll keep checking in here, and continue to add stuff as well.

Oh, I hear you want a guitar, have you gotten one yet, do you want mine? Did you know your mom use to play the guitar? I think I was 16 the time your mom played. My mom use to play too. Let me know if you want my guitar. Last time I saw it was under a pile of collect dust in the cabin. ha!

Sorry I was so chattie. I feel badly for not being here more often. It’s not that we don’t think about you. You are very often in our thoughts and always in our hearts. Really Really!

WE LOVE YA!