Sunset approaching Houston

Wednesday
Thankfully nearing the end of our long drive from Cincinnati to Houston to spend a belated Christmas with our daughter and son-in-law. Jen, a nurse, was working Christmas Day and today, so we had timed our journey to arrive this evening, approximately when she got off work. We left home late afternoon yesterday, Christmas Day, and spent the night in a hotel in the Birmingham Alabama area. We had originally planned on driving through Arkansas, which is about 100 miles shorter, but unfortunately there was a big snow storm going through, so we headed more directly south with the hope of getting south of the snow, which we succeeded in doing. However, our journey still took us through the same system - except, instead of snow, we experienced torrential rain and lots of sheet lightening, with the chance of tornadoes! Fortunately, Roger was driving this section, and we thankfully arrived at our hotel safely and without incident. Today's drive was less eventful, with dry weather and even some sunshine during the afternoon hours. We picked our son, Philip, up from George Bush airport on our way in - so good to see him again - we hadn't seen him since last Christmas, and he had spent six months in Afghanistan in the meantime. He lives in New Mexico, which is the next state west, but even for him it would have been an 11-hour drive - Texas is one huge state! When Jen got off work, we went to pick her up and went out to eat. It was good to be together again, but of course we are missing Laura, our youngest daughter who is spending her first Christmas away from home, serving as an English Resource teacher with the Peace Corps in Macedonia. To make things even stranger for her, since their Christian religion is Eastern Orthodox, they don't celebrate Christmas until January 7th! We love you and miss you Laura - you are in our hearts!