whirl of gaeity and beautiful creepy houses

I tried to find an appropriate quote from "little town on the prairie" to begin this entry, but couldn't find the one I imagined was there. We have been busy in the best sort of way. We vacationed down around my family in Fla with the Nasekos Family and Jon and Christie Pearce. It was very, very fun to sleep a lot (Tuan needed it and I gladly joined in), to shop, eat out, and especially to have ready and willing baby-sitters (mom and grandmother). Tuan and I enjoyed our time of self-indulgence immensely and are now jumping back into life full throttle. We spread our vacation further out with a trip to Columbia to see his folks, then spent Saturday at Shuqualak, MS.
Much as my dear friend Micah once questioned why anyone would want to go to JCjC and hang out in Ellisville, anyone who has been through Shuqualak may wonder just why we would visit there (or want to for that matter). Well, the Parent of our dear friends Eric and Amanda bought a plantation--truly. It's an incredible place: acres of pastureland, woods, an incredible "big house" and a carriage house. They've just finished redoing the carriage house and are nowworking on the "big house." Big it truly is. I remember shortly after the family purchased it, a bunch of us had a "Pajama Pants Christmas Dance" out there and played hide and seek in it. Hide and seek in an empty old house with seven bedrooms, more baths than seven, dressing rooms, closets, a library, parlor and so forth makes for the creepiest and coolest game of H&S ever. I remember seeing someone's shadow on the wall as they ran to hide in the master bedroom closet and being totally unable to open the door and catch them. I just held it shut and called for someone to join me so I could find the hider not alone.
Amanda's parents are also using the land for cattle and as Eric toured us around, I learned lots about the geography and interesting cattle practices. Did you know that while Southern Baptists abhore "mash" and other liquors for personal consumption, they have not scruples giving it to their cows? I thought that was funny, but, I am being silly. Thanks so much to Eric and Amanda for a wonderful, wonderful day.