Galveston and my Friend, Jutta!!

Jutta and I have been looking forward to meeting each other in person for over two years!!

Last year she was in Florida and I had planned to fly down there for a few days.....and then my mother had to go to the hospital! Jutta made her travel plans for this trip way back in June.

Little did she know that her son in law would be battling cancer. Life changes so quickly!

Still, she flew all those miles to land right here in Texas! She's been in Galveston since Tuesday and I am taking her home with me on Wednesday!

All ready to hit the road this morning!

I had to leave my sweet Louis Dean here at home unsupervised!!!

Oh, MY!!! I did tell him NOT to play on the roof with his leaf blower while I'm gone!!

I so enjoyed the road trip down and didn't even turn on the radio!

Of COURSE, I had to stop at Bucee's!!

Bought a jar of candied jalapeno slices which make a delicious dip when you mix some with a package of cream cheese!

I could have stayed and read all the signs and posters there but I had to hurry!

This one was at the entrance and I love it!!!

My mission was to get here before DARK!

I truly enjoyed the drive and used the time to think and pray and meditate and talk to Summer on the phone as well as Louis Dean. They kept me up on how the Cowboys were playing and I was thrilled they WON!!!!

I made it!!!

What the Internet said would take 4 hours and 9 minutes - I managed to do in a whopping SIX hours and TWO minutes!!! I only stopped 3 times for potty breaks. Well, there WAS one other stop!

My left shoulder has been all achy with the muscles knotting up so I put one of those pads that have something akin to Ben Gay on it and heats up to make the muscles relax. It was working pretty well and I was talking to Summer on the phone when what had been a little tingling in my lower back turned to a steady burn! My medicated pad had slipped off my shoulder and slid all the way down to the bottom of my back....the very BOTTOM!! I had to pull the car over and get out in order to get to it!!!! OOPS!

The traffic was heavy but kept moving all the way - getting a LOT heavier as I entered Houston.

At long last!!!! May I introduce you to my friend, Jutta!!!

You pronounce her name much as you our state of Utah!

YOU-T-TA

we talked to Louis Dean on the phone after I got here and he was having trouble saying it so he asked, "Can I just call you JUDY??"

She said yes but I think we can learn to pronounce it correctly!

Let me tell you, it was like we were old friends meeting up again instead of for the very first time!

We already knew we were sisters of the heart!

She is such a beautiful lady inside and out and I am still pinching myself that our dream came true!!

She is HERE!!! In Texas!!! And someday I will be THERE!!! In Finland!!

Our country and culture may be different but you would never know if you could see us together!

Our hearts are the same.

We ate dinner at one of my family's all time favorite places - Benno's on the Beach!!

I ALWAYS get the Shrimp Pasta Salad and Jutta got a Cajun Seafood Platter! 

We BOTH saved half of our meal for lunch tomorrow!!!

You gotta love a place that serves wine in a chilled beer stein!!!

It's been a wonderful Thanksgiving Week starting with the Family Gathering at Amber's and Mike's on Saturday and now with Jutta today! We have two more days here before we head back home!

What a joyful Thanksgiving Day we will have when we celebrate all together in Fort Worth!

I can't wait for everyone to meet her!

Now, I know this is shocking and I don't want anyone to be alarmed - but at 9:40 - as soon as I publish my journal entry - I am going to bed!!! Jutta went to bed an hour ago and she is an early riser.

So am I - now!! I do NOT want to miss any of our time together so when SHE gets up - so will I!!!

Who knows? I have been pretty tired the last few weeks and I can really use the extra rest!

Perhaps this will become a new habit! Naw.....I don't really buy that either!