Hosting Dad and Mom

So, my parents came to visit this past week. We had a great time and ate like kings. It's great to have some good old fashioned home cookin'! On the second day I made french toast for breakfast... of course, with honey butter. Later, we had an early dinner, consisting of a fabulous stew, southern cheese biscuits and a very yummy apple pie for dessert. Everything was made from scratch and it was delicious! After supper, we headed down to Seattle to experience a Mariners game at Safeco Field.

On the way there, I smelled something strange in the car as we sat in traffic. Thinking it was just another car, I ignored it at first. Then I smelled it again while we were stopped at the next light. I started to worry a little because my car is my baby and I take such good care of it. I would hate for it to break down or have something go wrong with the engine. I was trying to figure out what the smell was, and after my mom and I went through a couple of guesses, we ended up on radiator fluid. At that point, I saw a small amount of smoke coming out of the side of my hood. Oh no!!! I quickly drove off the road and turned into a Schucks Auto Supply. My dad and I checked the engine and I found a small leak in the primary radiator hose. It was actually a very tiny leak, but the pressure had sent radiator fluid squirting upwards onto the hood, which then was leaking down onto the engine and creating steam... and that disgusting smell. A quick fix with some special tape, and we were off again to the game.

Safeco Field is an incredible venue, and we had some great seats right behind the Mariner's dugout. Even though they lost, we still had a great time. We did see a lot of runs scored as the score ended up being 10-6 in favor of the LA Angels. After the game, it was pouring down rain, so we ran all the way back to the car and headed back home.

Getting back to the car... don't worry, I had the hose replaced the following day. I have to take good care of her, cause I'm hoping to get at least 400,000 miles... and at just past 166,000 miles, the car is doing just great.

Anyways, the next day was a fabulous opportunity for both me and my parents. I was able to have both my dad and mom ride along with me while I worked as a police officer to keep the streets of Monroe safe. They each rode for three hours, with my dad going first... and probably stealing most of the action. During his time we had a hold up alarm at a bank (which turned out to be false), a warrant arrest, and another arrest for a case I had been working on. Sadly, mom only got a couple of traffic stops, but at least she did get to experience running code to a call.

All in all, it was a great time and I am so thankful they were able to come up north and visit. It was especially good for me since I've been going through some interesting and difficult times lately. Especially on Thursday! What a day that was. I won't go into detail, but it's very encouraging to know I have many people out there praying for me. I hope everyone has a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. As you celebrate this weekend, remember those who have died for this country and pray for those who serve it now. In a nation with ever growing animosity towards its military, many have forgotten, or just plain don't understand, that without our great military, the United States of America would have never existed.