The Rest of the Vacation -- The No Tears Edition (except for those moments when we drove away from family ....)

We have family in Oklahoma and Arkansas (and that's just on my side -- Atticus' family has spread out all over the country) so we headed south for a visit.

There's not a lot to show you about the drive to Oklahoma. Most of it looks something like this:

So we'll move on.

Here's Ramona, getting ready for Mass and deciding whether or not her silver sandals match the new dress her Aunt Kathy gave her:

                            

Here is Atticus, jailed by Sheriff Ramona (at a history/children's museum to which my sister took us):

                           

And here I am with my sister, who is beautiful, an amazing hostess, and one of my very best friends in the world:

                                             

From Oklahoma, we moved on to Arkansas to see my parents. They live in the middle of nowhere, though it's a beautiful kind of nowhere. But, beautiful or not, please join me in bugging them with the express purpose of getting them to move closer to civilization (i.e., us, and roads that don't make Anne-with-an-e and me carsick.)

We had a great visit. Here are my father's feet, next to Mom and Dad's 15-year-old cat, who apparently loves to stick close to tennis shoes. Doesn't she look brighter and younger than 15? She takes after her people, who also look much younger than their grandparently ages. 

When we arrived, Mom and Dad had a birthday cake waiting for Ramona -- her third cake of the month (the others included one at her party and one from Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim upon arrival in Oklahoma.) Before we left for the trip, Ramona complained that she didn't want to travel on her birthday, as "We always drive on my birthday!" By early last week, however, she was on board with the whole plan.

From Arkansas, we headed to Mansfield and took the scenic route, despite the sensitive stomachs in the family. We were rewarded with a  gorgeous drive through the Ozark Mountains:

                                             

As long as Anne stayed in the front seat, she handled the climbing, winding roads. I sat next to Ramona in the middle of the van, and as long as I kept looking straight ahead, I was able to stomach it, too.  The views were worth it all:

                                             
And now, Ramona is urging me to help her cut out some paper dolls, so my travelogue has come to an end.