What Happens At Papa's House Stays At Papa's House

Last Wednesday, Richy traveled to the far right-hand corner of Tennessee on his annual trek to the Bristol Motor Speedway for 5 days of "work". Yes, he calls it work. What it boils down to is days spent playing golf and nights spent watching the races. The golf and racing combo reminds me of my favorite definition of the famous mullet haircut - business in the front, party in the back. I attended my one, only, and last NASCAR event at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Can you say, "Ricky Bobby"? Anyway.....not really my scene!

With Daddy gone for the greater part of the week, the boys and I decided to pack it up and head to East Tennessee to Papa's house. My Mom (a.k.a. Nana) was on a beach trip with her friends, so we thought Papa could use a little company. Now Papa's house is quite a legend in the mind's of his grandchildren. Going to Papa's means NO RULES. You name it, anything goes - especially when Nana's out of the picture. You want to eat donuts 3 meals a day - no problem. You want to wrestle with your cousins on Nana's bed or couch - no problem. You want to stay up all night long and have a party eating donuts and wrestling - no problem at Papa's house. He's a total pushover when it comes to his grandchildren. As a child growing up in his home which he ran like a football camp, I find this no rules thing intriguing. He sometimes had trouble separating his children from his linebackers, although I think most of the time his children behaved better than his linebackers! We were expected to know the game plan and stick to it. If we didn't stick to it, there were consequences. For his grandchildren, the only consequence might be one meal of donuts is replaced with pop tarts. Now that'll show 'em!

We had such a grand time on our visit! Papa is always a wonderful host, making sure we have everything we need. On Friday, he insisted that I take Richmond to Dollywood while he kept Knox for the day. I hadn't been to Dollywood in over 10 years - in fact, I last went when I took Heather Hagood when she was probably 10 years old. (Yikes, now there's a close encounter with Father Time). Wow.....what a kid's paradise that place has become! I think Richmond was in total shock and awe that so many wonderful things could exist in one location. We had a blast - we rode it all, played it all, and ate it all!! Thank you, Dolly Parton, for making my little Richmond so very happy :) You are big on entertainment! (Please pardon the pun - I couldn't help myself. Every since my sister received the "Dolly Doll" for her 5th birthday, I've never been able to look at Dolly the same!)

The rest of our visit was spent enjoying quality time with family. It is such a blessing that my brother's family lives right down the street from my parents. That way, we always get 2-for-1 when we visit. My sister-in-law, Sherry, and I spent a lot of time sharing ideas on parenting, exercising, cooking, cleaning, decorating, budgeting, and anything else we needed to conquer. Mostly, it was Sherry doing the sharing and I was taking notes. I call her "Sherry Heloise" because she always has the most practical tips to offer. She has 4 children........need I say more?

My boys were able to spend plenty of "cousin time" with the Mitchell's 4. Abby, who is 7 and #3 of the 4, took a special interest in Knox. She basically took over his care when we were with her. After all, she "knows a lot about 1 year olds". I say, "Have at it, girlfriend!" As always, William (the only boy of the Mitchell crew) and Richmond were attached at the hip. And they, in turn, were attached to Papa's hip. Of course they were, because boys love it when there are no rules!

It was a fabulous time......one of those that sticks in your mind.......a "remember that time?" kind of time. I love those times with all of my heart, because in this rat race of a world we live in, they just don't come around as often as I would like. It's worth every minute of the "Papa detoxing" that must take place when we come home!! Yes, indeed......