Stephenson Family Ties: MIMI MONDAY

"Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn?"

she inquired. "Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps

you know the silence when you havent the answer to a question you've

been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause in

a roomful of people when someone is just about to speak, or most beautiful

of all, the moment after the door closes and you're all alone in the whole house?

Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful,if you listen carefully."

from: The Phantom Tollbooth

by: Norton Juster

Many of you are probably familiar with the sensation of humming, ringing, cotton stuffed ears. My ears hum after a road trip. Especially after a road trip that includes driving over mountain passes.
The other day my ears were humming. My Builder and I took a spontaneous road trip to Salt Lake on Friday. My Builder had rabbit food that needed delivering, and we saw it as an opportunity to see some of the beloved Grands.
So the reason I mentioned the ear thing was this...
We delivered several hundred pounds of our freshly milled rabbit food to our loyal, local pet food store...and then made arrangements to meet Natalie and the boys at a nearby McDonalds for a visit. This begins the reason for mentioning my ears...for we quickly learned that Beckham has picked up Liams notable talent for squealing and has magnified it a hundred fold!! The little dickens is the handsomest little guy, with those BIG brown eyes...but its his squealer thats most impressive right now. In fact I think we were all a little surprised that windows didnt shatter after one of his high decibel squeals.
But his talent for hitting the high notes will never, ever be a deterrent for a visit. Never. I wouldnt trade our short visit for any amount of peace and quiet. We shared fries and many fun stories of their latest adventures and hopes for the summer. We heard about swimming lessons that begin soon and a week long camping trip that's coming up soon. We learned that Liam starts soccer and that Logan got a new bike with training wheels so that he can pedal around the neighborhood with his cousins. We saw the prizes they won at their school carnival and heard about their new kitten name Shadow.
These are some of the most precious boys that I have the privilege of loving. And their mother, Nat, is a generous and loving mom and daughter-in-law. The boys were generous with their hugs and blew me kisses from the back seat of their van as they drove away.
Was the 3 hour drive (roundtrip) worth it you ask?!?
What do you think?
My ears hum with the warmth and good memories of spending time with those I love...so its ALL good!!