Little Rock with Mike

We had an amazing weekend at the Lake. There was a lot of fishing (we threw them all back, for which I was grateful, since I am lousy at cooking up fish), some napping and school, and your general hanging out time. I was, and I can't believe I am not only admitting it but also putting it in writing, very happy to be in a regular kitchen and cook. The irony is that tonight I discovered that my RV oven/stove is not working. Something must have happened to my gas. Another project.

We left the lake and drove 2 hours back down to Little Rock, stopping at the Old Mill for a picnic lunch. It was just as beautiful as it was the day the kids and I went. From there we drove by Central High, the scene of the Little Rock Nine. Nine black students were trying to attend the school in 1959. Eisenhower had to call in the National Guard to safely escort these kids to class due to all the protests and riots. We stood on the steps, trying to imagine how scared those kids would have been during that time. Jackson, Lilly and Sam asked some great questions. Sammy said her favorite thing was learing about the soldiers walking up the stairs wtih the black kids. Jack said, "I liked how much history the school had behind it, and how it looked--like it was a building that was really important." Lilly said, "I like learning about the nine black kids, and I liked learning how the soldiers were with guns, ready to shoot to protect the kids. I also liked the building because it was so big and pretty."

Our last stop before the airport was the Clinton Library. People say it looks like a trailer (a 5th wheel to be exact, because now I clearly know what a 5th wheel is). It is a beautiful building, and we were able to take a self guided tour. The library had an Oval Office, the Cabinet Room and a small dining room exibit. The Oval Office was an exact replica of what the office looked like when Clinton was there. We also got to watch a short film, full of information. Jack and Mike liked the Secret Service exhibit, Sam liked the area where it showed Mrs. Clinton's party dresses, and Lilly liked the movie and the "pretty party dresses."

We got to the airport and the girls' tears came quickly. We all had a such a nice time being together. The next time Mike will be able to join us is at Thanksgiving in Arizona. I had to kind of pull away quickly so the girls and Jack wouldn't try to fly home with Mike. It was sad to seem him go. We all miss him.

Moods improved with our evening stop at Wal-Mart. I bought a bag of Bordeaux cookies to cheer me up. Kids ran around. Too bad, my walkie-talkies were not charged, so I spent an unexpected 15 minutes of "alone time" waiting to find the kids. Jack was finally paged, so that helped.

Now, we're back at a KOA, we've had our microwaved dinner (since the oven isn't working), and they are doing math and journals. Tomorrow we head south to Vicksburg, MS to see one of the greatest Civil War battle fields. I am really looking forward to that.

We'll sign off saying Happy Birthday to my Dad, Poppy, Tres Pittman and Jack-y-D. Hope you all had a great day, and we hope eveyone else had a great Halloween!