In the Deep South

We arrived in Jackson, MS, last night at @ 6:00 pm. Greg, Claira & I made our way to the baggage claim where we were to meet Cyndi & Mikhael. Just as the bags started coming around on the turnstyle, I looked out the door and saw Cyndi walking in. We both smiled GREAT BIG smiles and hugged for awhile. Mikhael was out in the van (Ugh - he can drive - I've sprouted about 50 new gray hairs from the stories...) and once Greg & Claira were introduced, & our bags were collected, we headed out to the van.

Mikhael came around to the back of the van and I could NOT help but hug him. He's about 5'8" and perfect for hugging. I was SO thrilled to see him and thanked him for wanting to meet me and gushed about how cute he is. I couldn't help it. Claira went right to Cyndi, but even when Greg introduced Mikhael to his "little sister," she was hesitant to go to him. She would grin and hid her face - and just about every time he wasn't looking at her, she would smile a great big smile at him.

We had dinner together at Cracker Barrel and when Claira saw Mikhael's large class ring, she was hooked. She is a jewelry girl (it's in her genes), and once she got to play with his ring, she started warming up to him. We had a long ride from the airport, so we had a lot of time to talk. This is when Mikhael shared his many driving experiences, some of which were seriously hair raising. I'm not sure I could survive raising a boy. =)

Once we got to Mikhael's house, met Cyndi's husband, Darrel, and got settled in a bit, Mikhael finally got to hold Claira and I think they both enjoyed it. I know I certainly did. There will be plenty of stories, and many more pictures.

Cyndi's parents and her brother, Ronnie, & his family are all here. We're having a big fish fry and will spend some time in the backyard pool. Mikhael is cooking dinner tonight (grilling steaks if I understood correctly), and the time is already flying by SO QUICKLY!!!

I can see a lot of myself in Mikhael - I can also see a lot of his father. What's really funny, is that I can see a lot of my brother, Dave, in Mikhael, too. He has a lot of the same mannerisms & gestures Dave has. I will share more of these specifics tomorrow. Claira is finally napping (thank you, Jesus!!!) and we're getting ready to share some really great food. We haven't even dragged out the picture albums yet, but you can be sure that we will.