So we returned from Stitches on Monday evening and late Tuesday night Dutch suggested that I drive back to Kansas City with Niqua so she could get her car back there. A quick conference with her husband and a quick oil change on the car and we were off to Kansas even before noon on Wednesday!! No planning or anything, just: Let's GO!! We were already over an hour into our trip when we started remembering all the things we COULD have taken with us, like all the houseplants she left behind when they moved right after Christmas. But we decided to keep on driving and not turn back. Of course as we went we kept thinking of more and more things that we SHOULD have packed.
We had a wonderful trip. The car worked great, the weather was beautiful, we enjoyed each others company and even our hotels. On Friday it became clear that we just MIGHT make it in time to pick Caitlyn up from school. She knew we were coming, but she had NO idea that we would be there to pick her up from school. Niqua kept texting her
husband, telling him where we were and when she saw the first KANSAS CITY sign, she knew that she was almost home!
As it turned out, we made it with FIVE minutes to spare to surprise Caitlyn and pick her up from school! She was soo excited to see us!
From there we went right to their house, and I got to see first hand where they live and Niqua showed me through the house. Within the hour I was really sick and was bleeding and wound up in the hospital that night!
This probably wasn't the way I envisioned my first night in Kansas City! In retrospect, I am thankful that things worked out the way they did. I could have been sick on the
trip but I wasn't. Niqua was there to help me drink this HUGE container of fluid in preparation for the colonoscopy that was scheduled and I got some much needed rest. 
Again, I probably would NOT have planned it this way, but then who am I to plan things anyway :-))) I am so very thankful that God was in control and worked everything out for good in the end. I have since been told that what I had was FOOD poisoning. Go figure!
After a "wonderful" weekend in the hospital, I got to immerse myself in Niqua's family and learn to love their new home as much they they do. I was so worried about leaving Dutch at home alone. With his medical issues, I have not felt that he should be alone, just in case..... Perhaps you can imagine how blessed I was to have people from our church bring him meals, take him out to dinner, check up on him, call and remind him to take medication and most of all, keep him in their prayers. It taught me a great lesson and relieved from the burden of being a "caregiver" and realizing, that after all, God is our caregiver.
Niqua took with her a number of my sample sweaters and we decided to list them on E
tsy. So we spent days photographing and writing descriptions and listing. At one point there was a brief snow storm outside and I thought how cool it would be if we photographed summer sweaters in a snowstorm. Well, you had to have been there.If you are interested in any of these garments, please check them out at
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5515002
