Sunday, June 26, 2016

12:34 June 26

Smith Bros. Wiffle Ball has moved about 1000 miles southwest to Lake Charles, LA.

Yesterday, we made it safely from Atlanta to Lake Charles, Louisiana. Lake Charles is where my parents grew up, met and married. I was born here but lived here less than a year; I grew up (mostly) in Columbus, Georgia. My brother and his wife live here in Lake Charles, as well as some more of my extended family including my dad's sisters, whose house we are staying at. Lake Charles evokes a lot of nostalgia in me. I grew up coming here every summer and usually over the holidays, when my mom's parents still lived here. Memaw and Papoo raised my mom and her five siblings in a house on Twenty-third Street. My sister and I went out for a walk this morning and ended up walking to Memaw and Papoo's old house and back--about a two-and-a-half-mile round trip. We stopped in front of the house, which sadly looks a little worse for the wear and possibly vacant, and chatted about our memories there: playing all kinds of ball in the front yard and street, eating loud, happy meals with the kids in the kitchen and the adults in the dining room, and climbing nearly to the top of the magnolia tree in the front yard. I'm thankful for those sweet childhood memories and that my own kids get to make their own memories visiting Lake Charles.

Lala building with Aunt Louise. 💜

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