Indiana recap.... part 2

If you missed yesterdays post you can go here and read about our trip into Indiana and our first weekend home. 

So on Monday Brayden and I go up and going and drove a little over an hour to our old town we used to live in. We met up with two of my girlfriends Kristen and Gina for lunch. Kristen works at a school so she had a limited amount of time for lunch so we grabbed some Qdoba. Gina is normally off on Mondays so we were able to chat some more once Kristen had to leave. 

A funny story....when the movie Bridesmaids came out us three girls decided to have a girls night and go watch it. We grabbed some dinner first with a few drinks then had the bright idea of going to the Dollar Tree to get snacks. Everything at the theater is overpriced so we thought we would beat the system and stuff it into our purses. We were walking out of the Dollar Tree to my car and Gina lost her footing or something but the next thing I knew she was down on the ground. Kristen and I were dying laughing. This was like a laugh where tears were flowing and you couldn't catch your breath. In the meantime while she was in the middle of falling her phone dialed me. While she was down on the ground I was trying to answer my phone until I saw that it was her. We have all laughed about it so hard still to this day! 

Kristen is on the left and Gina is on the right

Once we left lunch Brayd and I loaded up and headed to his old school. His Kindergarten teacher Mrs. M was the only one who knew we were coming. She opted not to tell anyone so it would be a bigger surprise. When we walked in the front door the principal Mr. F was walking past and did a double take.  He immediately came out and gave Brayden a huge hug. 

Next up was to see Ms. G Brayd's teacher he had last year for 1st grade. Brayd knocked on the door and a kid let us in. Brayd walked right in and said "Hey guys", Ms. G was so surprised she said "Brayden is that really you"?

Right after he walked in they tackled each other

It was the sweetest thing and I had to hold back the tears. If you have followed for very long you will know how much Brayd's old school means to us. All the staff has always been so nice and always treated us like we were part of their family. 

Ms. G needed to get back to class and recess was going to happen in a few minutes. The kids asked if Brayd could come back to play with them. Of course the answer was yes! Next up we went walking downstairs to find Mrs. M. She was not in her room but heard our voices and came out and also grabbed Brayd with a big hug! 

Brayd took both of his teachers fruit snacks so they wouldn't get hungry later! HA HA He is always giving something to someone. He is the most selfless kid ever! Once we were down talking with Mrs. M other staff members had heard we were in the building and they came running to Brayd. He was surrounded by a good six staff members. Then Mrs. M asked if he had gotten to see his best friend Charlie, which we hadn't made it that far yet. So we went looking for Charlie and found him around the corner. To say Charlie was stunned is an understatement. (I am not posting his picture because I didn't ask him mom for permission). It was the cutest thing watching the two boys talk it up for a few minutes. Meanwhile the other kids in the line realized it was Brayden and started yelling out his name and waving. 

Mrs. M did not leave us while we were there. (I don't think she missed him at all! HA HA) We went back to Ms. G room for recess. The kids really enjoyed talking with Brayden. A teacher or two said they could tell he has been living in the south because he has picked up a twang. Once recess was over it was time for us to leave so they could resume class. It was so hard for Brayd to leave. He kept giving Mrs. M and Ms. G hugs and kept talking so he wouldn't have to leave. 

My family is so thankful for these two wonderful ladies. They have shaped the start of Brayds schooling and have set the pace and standard for him. They always believed in him and cared so much. I knew when dropping him off for school they treated him as if they were his mom and he was taken care of and loved. There are not many times that you can know your child is safe and protected. These two ladies are more than just teachers to us, they are close friends and thought of as family. Being a teacher is a hard job. Not only do you have to teach your lesson but you have to figure out how you can teach to 24 different students who learn different ways. These ladies are so special and I am so glad that even being gone for almost one school year that we all still stay in touch. I love that they want to stay up to date on Brayd and even write him letters so he will get his own mail. He talks about them all the time so I know they hold a very special place in his little heart. 

Once we left the school we decided to run past our old home. I had saved this for last in case there were some tears a flying. I am happy to report there was not one tear that shed. It was weird to see how the new owners changed a few things. I do have to say that I loved our first home together and it was bittersweet to drive past it and take pictures, these new owners don't keep it up as well as Todd did on the outside. I might be a bit biased too! :) 

We headed home after our adventure up in our old town. Brayd was on cloud 9 and talked about his day the entire way home. He was excited to tell my mom about his day and everyone he got to see. While he was chatting about his day I had to get ready to have dinner with some girlfriends from school. 

The girls and I decided to meet up at a Mexican restaurant in a neighboring town. These are the ladies that I had lunch with every single day from Junior High all the way to high school. We had our certain spots we sat at for lunch and we sat that way every single day. I have some of the best memories with these ladies and it was so good to see them and catch up. Of course we were friends outside of school too and would do sleep overs and what not. Once we were together I just sat there taking it all in and it was as if nothing had changed. We all just picked up right where we left off even though I had not seen them for years. I can't wait until the next time I go back home so we can get together again! 

 Kimberly and I

Brittany (left) and Courtney (right)

Tuesday was not as busy but we still had a people we were going to see. I had to help dad with a couple of things that morning first. Once I got that out of the way I went back home and picked Brayden up and took him to my Aunt Theresa's and Uncle Joe's place. Aunt T out grew her old shop so they built a new one and I couldn't wait to see it. I was so amazed when I walked into Hollies Eats and Treats. 

Aunt T makes fresh dog treats and cat treats almost daily. She also has custom signs made for your animals and a lot of other dog and cat supplies. She stays so busy with customers calling her and coming in. She is one of the cheapest around that boards dogs and is getting ready to bring a groomer into her shop a few days a week. She also has some customers that she ships items to out of state. If you think you need something she will ship to you! 

That evening my bestie LB came over with her kids. They were so excited to see the boys. They all played so much together and truly missed each other. While they were playing LB and I were busy making supper for everyone. You could tell the kids had worked up and appetite they ate all of their food at supper. They stayed for a long time that evening and it was hard for them to say bye to the boys. They weren't on Spring Break yet so they weren't going to get to spend much more time together until this summer.