Graysen's BackStory: This is what love is

Saturday night. Girls night out. So much fun!

I got a text from my friend, Leanne Morgan, Friday morning letting me know that she was in Austin and that she had shows on Friday and Saturday nights. She wanted to check on Graysen and offered tickets for us to see her show. We were thrilled! If you don't know who Leanne is, you are missing out. She is a comedian and is just hilarious.

So, off we went to Cap City to see Leanne. In our minivan. With Graysen's pillows in tow.

Leanne did not disappoint, she had us cracking up the whole time. They say laughter is the perfect medicine for many ailments. It was the perfect medicine for my recovering girl. Thank you, Leanne!

Sunday morning brought a changing of the guards.

We said good-bye to our dear Katelyn. I forgot to mention that Saturday afternoon she made her yummy sugar scrub and essential oil lotion for us and left them as gifts for us! Ahhhhh...

We said our good-byes to Kate and right behind her came a whole new crew!

Christina, Maggie, Lindsay, and Sara flew down to spend four days with us. Graysen was thrilled, to say the least. These are four of the nearest, dearest, most cherished people in Graysen's life. They have lived life deeply together. Laughed together. Cried together. Studied together. Prayed together.

Graysen, Maggie, Christina. GMC. That's what we've called them for as long as can remember knowing them.

They are true friends. They are the "drop everything, one of us is crying, so the other two immediately show up" kinda friends. They are the "can't stop laughing over some stupid inside joke" kinda friends. They are the "look across the room and know exactly what you're thinking" kinda friends. They are the "sing every word at the top of our voices and including hand motions" to High School Musical kinda friends. Yes, even now. Yes, I am serious.

They are the "fly down to Texas because our best friend had back surgery and needs us" kinda friends.

The first day they got here we had some funny moments. They weren't supposed to be funny. But, they were.

When they finally got to the house and got settled, it was time for Graysen's first walk of the day.

So, off we went.

We asked Lindsay if she didn't want to leave her blazer off. It is Texas. And summer. It's pretty hot here.

She told us no, that she would be fine. Okay.

So, we started walking. Down the street to the stop sign. You remember? Turn the corner, up the street, around the cul-de-sac, on up to the school, past the school to the intersection.

Okay, this is about the time that Lindsay realizes that Graysen has advanced past walking to the stop sign. She decides that the blazer wasn't such a good idea, nor were her sandals. She told us she was totally misinformed about the nature of this walk. We did feel bad for her, but it was hard not to chuckle a little.

Well, we got to the point where we normally turn around and I had the (not so) brilliant idea that if we just went to the next corner and turned left it would make a square and we would be right back home.

And that was true, but it was much further than I thought. Emphasis on much.

I felt like the worst person ever by the time we FINALLY got back home. It was way too much walking for Graysen. And it was way too hot for all of us.

So, we counted that as the walking for the whole day. We were done.

The last two days have been just fun. We have cooked, watched TV, shopped a little, eaten at Kerbey Lane (of course!), laughed, and just talked, and talked, and talked.

Graysen continues to receive sweet notes and cards every day. We have decorated the mirror in her bedroom with the cards, letters, and drawings she has gotten.

Graysen continues to get better each day. She is sleeping better, moving better, staying awake and interacting more and is a eating just a little bit too.

Graysen wears a t-shirt frequently that says, "Love is a Verb." Isn't that the truth.

Letters, cards, gifts, food, texts, messages on Facebook, a thoughtful comedian, family and friends who fly half-way across the country.

This is what love is.

Making lotion and sugar scrub