RV Road Trip - Week One

Rick had been waiting patiently until I finished with my bible study group and Fitz got here. So we left out this past Saturday morning in the RV to head out on a road trip. Our first two nights we stayed at a campground in Mansfield. Saturday night Jared and Jenna hosted an impromptu Cinco de Mayo party at their house. Jared did some mighty fine grilling. Sunday afternoon we went to one of his uncle's houses for a crawfish boil.

Monday morning we got on the road. We decided to go to Fredericksburg again. It had been about four years since we had been down there. We stayed downtown at the same campground we stayed in last time.

Tuesday afternoon we drove back to Luckenbach to walk around. I love seeing that old place out in the middle of nowhere.

Wednesday we drove back to Gruene. This is another favorite place to always visit. Someday I would love to dance in that old dance hall to some country music. HOWEVER, I will have to talk Rick into taking dance lessons with me. We grabbed some chicken fried steak at the Gristmill before leaving town.

On the way back, we stopped in some place called Martin Bros Custom Automotive Body Shop in Johnson City. Rick lucked out because all the workers were on their lunch break, and they let him walk through all the shop areas. We saw some really great cars but weren't allowed to take any photos. Their new season of shows will begin airing in July.

Thursday we went to Bandera; this was a new one for us. We had lunch at the Old Spanish Trail restaurant which has been in business since 1929. We sat in their John Wayne room (four walls of memorabilia). On this wall is a picture of his birthplace home. I shared a picture on my phone of this same house which I took last November on our girls' trip to Iowa.

Today (Friday) is our seventh day on our road trip. We just enjoyed being lazy and watching some movies.

Headed to Joe Pool next.

My Two Moms

This is a repeat post about my two special moms.....

Our mom (who became "Nannie" in 1981 when Justin was born) was someone very special. She was a devoted daughter, wife, mother, sister, friend, and the list could go on and on.

Of course, there are so many things to say. Mother was determined that Marilyn and I would grow up with certain skills and abilities. She provided us the opportunities to learn to sew, crochet, cook, keep house, and anything else she thought beneficial. She paid for piano lessons for several years—this did not stick for sure! I also remember coming home from school one day and being told to sit down at the kitchen table. She said, “Today, girls, we are going to learn about table settings and manners.” The table was set with her fine china, silver, etc. We proceeded to get our first lesson in proper table etiquette that afternoon.

Probably most importantly, she was determined we would be women of character.  We learned about honesty, responsibility, trust, joy and peace. She taught us by example how to serve the Lord. We weren’t dropped off at church; we went together. We went on Wednesdays, Sunday mornings, and Sunday evenings. Once a year or so, we got to skip a Sunday night to watch “The Wizard of Oz.”Woohoo!!!

Mother taught us to love people. We visited relatives and friends all the time. We went with her to the hospitals and nursing home. We genuinely loved to go and learned about ministry through her examples.

 I thank God for blessing me with a lifetime of her tenderhearted love. I thank God for the care she showed me through the years. I thank him for the closeness we enjoyed in times of laughter, tears, joy, health and pain. The Lord truly blessed me through Mother.

Edna was also a devoted wife, mother, sister, and friend. For me, she was the epitome of what a mother-in-law should be. I never had to try to even remotely understand all the mother-in-law jokes that one hears. I looked upon her as my "other mother," and she loved me as a daughter. She always exemplified those things that she knew God wanted all of us to be as a person, a wife, and a mother. She taught all of us to invest our main efforts in spending time with our families and loving God. She led by example to love and trust him. She believed you should always stand up for what you knew to be right in His sight.

Edna became affectionally known as “Ganna” when Justin, the first grandchild, was born. Her Ganna role expanded as Jenna, Matt, and Ashton were born. Then, although not by blood, she became "Ganna" to Greg and Chad as well. She never missed anything one of her grandchildren was involved in. She made almost as many basketball/baseball games, track meets, regional and state meets, choir programs, soccer games, and banquets as we the parents did. She was one of their biggest fans.

I am blessed and most grateful to have been loved by my two awesome mothers. I miss both of them dearly, but treasure the many memories. Thank you, God!

Fitzgerald Carl Davis - April 30, 2018

Monday morning Marilyn got the call we were all waiting for. Tara was headed to the hospital. After Marilyn loaded her car, she picked me up and off we went. About an hour into the trip, Chad let us know that it would be an all day event, so the stress level went down a little. We would get there before the baby was born. Tara's family, Marilyn, and I all waited patiently in the waiting room. Little did we know that would be our home for the next four days. 

Fitz was born about 5:40 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces, and all seemed well. Marilyn and I went to Chad and Tara's to stay the night. The next morning we received a text at 6:30 a.m. Fitz had some issues and had been moved to the NICU at midnight. He would be facing surgery and many tests. 

In Marilyn's words...."What we know for sure is that there is a cyst on his ear, they fold over, and his anus is not developed nor can he be circumcised at this time. Over the next several days he was tested for hearing, eyes, bones in his arms and legs, and his heart. We knew on Wednesday that we were not going to get to see him anytime soon, so we drove home Wednesday night. Fitz finally passed all his tests, the parents passed the dilation test, and so he got released on Saturday night. He will be facing several surgeries in the coming months. Even though Fitz had an emotional start, God blessed us and prayers were being answered daily/hourly. He is a beautiful little boy that has many of his father's characteristics -  his looks, his buppy, and he already moves a lot. Maybe Chad will see why we called him 'the worm' by the time he was two weeks old."

Chad, Tara, and Fitz.....Aunt Di loves you!