Today was an amazing day. ALL day we drove on never-before-traveled-by-us roads. And they were all headed south or WEST. Yes, dear friends we have crossed the Mississippi….
(seen here on the Natchez side of it)….

crossed through Louisiana – (it was just a drive through – no checkin’ out the cool stuff there this time)
and made it into the Lone Star State! Whoeeee!
We’re almost to Houston – and are settled in tonight -New Year’s Eve, can you believe it!- and waiting for the fireworks to begin.
Happy New Year to all of you!
Till next year……

Joe and Janet said we HAD to go – and go we did. We completed our Mississippi adventure with a full day in Natchez – home to more Antebellum Homes (pre-Civil war) than any other place in the south. Because of its location and the fact that all of the fighting was going on just north in Vicksburg, there was essentially no damage to the lovely pillared homes of Natchez. It is a lovely town with houses to tour, shops to visit, horse drawn carriages to ride and wonderful food to sample. We did it all. It was a lovely end to our trip down the Natchez Trace and our time in Mississippi. All of the homes have wonderful stories (not to mention being amazing houses in and of themselves!). This one – Longwood was especially interesting. It is one of the only octagonal homes in the USA – but construction halted on it when the Civil War began. The exterior was complete – but only the basement was ever finished for the family to live in. Very cool house!

So – if you love old homes (touring them not necessariy living in them!) and Southern Hospitality – take a trip to Natchez. They have a wonderful Spring Pilgrimage that must be just wonderful!

In our travels down the Natchez Trace (which we just completed on Wednesday) we came across several Indian Mounds – sacred mounds built by the Natchez Indians hundreds of years ago. The final one on the trace is near Natchez and is called the Emerald Mounds. It really is huge and there is a lot of history attached to it. However, while it might have been a temple mound with great significance to the Natchez Tribes centuries ago, today it serves the folks of Natchez as a wanna-be sledding hill!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
=)

It’s hard to believe it’s over – Christmas, that is! We had a truly wonderful holiday – and you can check out the pictures below as proof. As usual, there were way too many gifts for the little ones and really too many for the “big ones” too! We ooh’d and ahhh’d and ate too much and played games into the night. It was exceptional!
But I must admit, it’s also wonderful to be back in our moving home! We drove 14 hrs. straight from Marysville, OH to Columbia, MS and slept in our own bed last night. Ah, the good life. Today after we unpacked the truck and repacked Lizzie, we set out on the road again. Tonight we are in Jackson, MS and tomorrow we will complete the Natchez Trace (see all those entries from last month!). We hope to spend a day or so in Natchez playing the tourist and from there we will CROSS THE MISSISSIPPI and head to Texas! We’ll take our time and hopefully even get in a visit to San Antonio before we get to our final destination – Harlingen, Texas – and Way of the Cross Ministries. All New Road ahead for us!
So, here are some Christmas Pictures (and one from earlier that is just TOO CUTE not to share!)
Our Almost Family Picture – (I need to get one with ALL of us from Lara!)

Ellie in her new jacket (made by Grams!)

Hayley just looking too cute for words…

And here is the T-shirt quilt I made for Lara. It was great fun to make – like putting together a puzzle!

And here is a fall shot of Tammy and the girls – I guess I really do have the cutest granddaughters!

So it’s off to bed (our own!!!), here at the Walmart in Jackson. And the good news is, the big Semi next to us is NOT running his generator. It promises to be a good night!
=)

Oh – for my dear friends in PA and Ohio….it’s going to be in the high 60′s tomorrow. Ahhhhhhh……………….

Our December travels have brought us to our children and grandchildren. Well, all the children aren’t exactly here just yet, but they’re getting close! Josiah arrives tomorrow morning and we pick up Lara at the Columbus airport on Christmas Eve (also known as tomorrow night!). It looks like we’ll have a white Christmas (thanks to a hefty snowstorm a week or so ago and frigid temperatures ever since!), but mostly it looks like we’ll have a wonderful family-chaotic Christmas. These Christmases stretch our sensibilities – a typical Christmas at the Conrad house in Jamison was homemade sticky buns and coffee before any gifts were opened (though the stockings were always delivered to the bedrooms to stall the inevitable rush to the tree) and then a leisurely opening of the gifts one at a time. We were as apt to stay in our jammies all day as we were to get dressed in some of our Christmas Morning Fresh New Clothes. Christmas Dinner? Well, there were years of popcorn and re-heated sticky buns and the goodies from a company gift basket before we settled on a menu we could all be happy with- Chicken Cheese Steaks and French Fries! While Moms across America were frantically orchestrating the mashed potatoes and the broccoli casserole to be done at the same time, the Conrads were settling in to a showing of “The Christmas Story” and in all probability, an NAP.
Christmas at the Conrad’s in Ohio looks a fair bit different. First of all, there are house guests (that would be US, and Lara and Josiah!). Beds to be filled, meals to be prepared and towels to be found. Toby and Tammy do a great job at being the hosts, but I know it’s tiring for them. Being a Mom and Dad to a one year old and an almost three year old is hard enough without having the in-laws there (not to mention just a little excitement about Christmas!). I guess it’s good that the house guests arrive in stages, but by Christmas morning not only will all the Conrads be here, but most of Tammy’s family also. The sticky buns are still on the menu, but breakfast has expanded to include some more nutritional fare (those little girls need something other that pure carbs to start the day!). The pile of presents will be higher and the opening of them will take longer. And of course, our focus will mostly be on Ellie and Hayley. I think dinner will still be pretty simple – homemade macaroni and cheese. One of our original comfort food meals!
It will be a wonderful day – blending traditions, families, and blessings.
And my wish for you – whatever your traditions, wherever you are gathered, that this Christmas will be a time of blessing for you.
For unto to you is born this day, A Savior!