Thankful whatever day it is~

I wasn't quite up to it yesterday and don't know if I will be today BUT I'm so very thankful for my cousin Eloise.

Eloise is having some tummy trouble and is going to have to go in for a little slice and dice and I'm worried about her and so I called her yesterday and we had a good talk and I feel better now and so does she :)

There was never a time in my life that Eloise has not been a part of it...( ok 3 months ;) )

This picture is with our Mom's with us and big sister Lea. I know how much fun it is to have a baby the same time as your sister in law and share the ups and downs.. I read a lot in to these pictures, I think they were having a fun day.

Eloise was my Grandma Kepharts shining star:) But Grandma had to help raise her when her own mother was ill. Eloise was always all fixed up with ruffles and frills and bows in her hair and she was just plain adorable.. as she still is.

When I think back to my childhood Eloise is always in the picture.. Either her or my other cousin Jerry, besides my immediate family of course. Sometimes we were dressed alike but mostly we just loved being together. I don't think big sister Lea quite got it and we probably annoyed her, but that's ok, that's what little sisters do best!

I love this picture because there sits my faithful dog Peggy with her head close to my knee and I have dirty shoes but freshly scrubbed faces have we all! and our hair is done just right. I wish I could remember what we did immediately after that.. I'm SURE it was something to irritate big sister cuz she's sitting just as far away from us as possible!

When we got in to our teenage years, Eloise and I shared everything. Every single thing I think and we never tattled on each other. We will probably go to our graves with each other's secrets!

I was already taking pictures!!!!!!! Love our "Peddle Pushers"

Eloise always listens to me :)

After I got married I had to move away and I didn't get to come 'home' and visit often. We were busy raising our children and just getting by. Trips were out of the question and even the occasional phone calls were terribly expensive and not on our budgets..... soooooooo we just didn't have a lot of contact for a lot of years. When I went there to visit I saw her, and she came down here with my sister one time and we had so much fun. We went to Lynchburg and didn't even need Jack Daniels to laugh ourselves silly.

Now we see each other more often. When I was going out west fairly regularly I always saw her and she wings in to see me some time. Even if we've been a part she's an integral part of my life and I love her very much.

About 5 or 6 years ago, she and I made plans to travel together. My husband is not fond of going out of the country, and Eloise needed a traveling partner so we made plans.. Our plans changed on a regular basis but we knew we were going to England! Most of the planning time, I was working and my brain was mush from a house full of preschoolers so Eloise did our research.

3 years ago we made our big move! We got our passports, our wardrobes our shoes, our every detail and away we flew to the UK!

Do we look like we know what were doing????

Our first night in London on the River Thames.... Doesn't she just look like a local :)??

She said I took a picture of every sheep in the UK and I say she brought home all the sand!

I did NOT push her in to the "Bath" at "Bath" :) When Caroline was a little girl, I use to tell her stories about the country girl and the city girl and one of the stories is, when Eloise FELL into the pig pen and I got punished. It was terribly unfair! I DID NOT PUSH HER!

Ice Cream and sacks of "stuff" were the norm~

We laughed more then was legal I think!

The video is at Windsor Castle and I still crack up!

I'm sure we were very close to being put away in this position!
While we were being entertained by our sweet hosts in Wales. See sometimes we can acted proper :)

Oh Mercy, she's lost again! ITS CHESHIRE ELOISE IT"S RIGHT ABOVE YOU ON THE SIGN :)

Anyway, from one end of England to the next and up to Wales and back we had a blast. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world and had the best traveling partner ever!

Eloise came to visit me a couple of months ago. She wasn't feeling great but I am not able to get around a lot so we had a good visit. I miss her all the time.

Now she lives in a little house behind our Uncle George. He's almost 93 years old and they sort of look out after each other. It's good for both of them. I want her to be well and healthy and to be able to travel all over the world.!

On Thankful Tuesday or any day, I'm thankful for Eloise! XOX