Ramos Tribe Adventures: The Parker visit

Sometimes you have close family, sometimes you have close friends, and sometimes you have close friends that are practically family. The Parkers have been in my life since I was in 4th grade, well technically before I was born, though I would not know that till my college days. Here's our story:

Once upon a time there was a missionary family, who while on furlough, visited a little church in Cuero Texas. This church was actually a church that the missionary wife, Lindy, grew up in, as her father was the pastor of the church many years before. On their visit to this church, the missionaries daughter, Tabitha, went to the 4th grade Sunday school class. She doesn't remember much, except her teacher was a man named Dwayne Parker and he had a box of donuts. The missionary family gave little carved elephants to all the families in the churches because elephants never forget, and that was a way for people to remember to never forget to pray for the missionaries around the world.........Now, fast forward 10 years, to Lake Jackson Texas, the missionary daughter is now in college and is sitting in Sunday school, next to her boyfriend Keith. A new girl is sitting across the room and keeps looking over at Tabitha. Tabitha asks Keith if he knew who she was, but neither one knew. She keeps looking so Tabitha asks Keith if she had something on her face or in her teeth.... hahaha. Nope. OK after Sunday school was over this strange girl, walks over to Tabitha and asks, "Do I know you?" As a missionary kid, you get that A LOT! Usually it's from a church visit or someone has your picture/prayer card on their fridge. Usually that is the embarrassing picture of you with freckles, clashing clothes and your tongue sticking out because you're tired of pictures being taken, you know that prayer card?. Well I went through my questions of How would I know Tina? Me: "Where are you from?" Tina: "Cuero" Me: My Papa was a pastor in Cuero and I think we spoke there one time. Did we speak in your church? Tina: are you a missionary kid? Me: yes Tina: Did your parents give out wood elephants to remember to pray for them? Me: YES! ......Tina: I still have that elephant!

OK so then we continued talking and catching up and I won't continue in story form. But the story continues of Tina becoming one of our best friends. We join their family on many trips, she is one of our bridesmaids, and she travels to each place we moved to except North Carolina because we actually met up in Puerto Rico. Her dad, Uncle Dwayne, shows us the pictures he has of our family, and his connections to my family. Tina is the reason we laugh at all the Tabby Moments(moments in life where I run into someone I know or knows someone I know, the 6 connections to Kevin Bacon has nothing on me) Anyways. This family is very dear to our hearts. Uncle Dwayne, Aunt Sandra, Tina and Laura. Mark and Billy joined the family and though technically, Tina and Laura took their hubby's names, they will always be Parkers to us. Sorry guys! But it is a great family to marry into. These people are about as close to family as we can get. Glad we are adopted into it.

So the Parker family trip to Maine was a great one! We went to Campobello, St. Andrews, Acadia NP, and the guys went fly fishing almost every evening. We really enjoyed your visit Parkers!

Luke Waiting for Aunt Tina