I'm back!
Did you miss me as much as my cats did? I'm thinking that they didn't even know I was gone. Neither of them said hello to me when I got back. And they both looked at me this morning with hooded eyes and facial expressions that said, "Hey you. Turkey leftovers. Now."
As for the kids, so far only one has seen me and he said, "HIMOMYOU'REHOMECANYOUSIGNTHISPAPERINEEDTOBEATSCHOOLEARLYWEDNESDAYANDTHURSDAYCANIHAVEA SNACKWHERE'SMYSHOEIDIDN'TMISSYOUTHATMUCHIMISSEDYOUSOMEBUTI'MNOTABABY..."
etc.
And Fake Child is here already so I'm back "at work" with just 8 hours of sleep after getting off the plane.
I really should be unpacking.
Here is a statistical recount of my trip:
Injuries:
1 Sore foot
1 Strained shoulder
Multitudinous hangnails
Clothing and accessories purchased because a)I realized I forgot a couple of things and b)I was really sick of what I did manage to remember to bring:
2 pairs of shoes
1 purse
3 shirts
1 camisole
Number of hours spent white-knuckle driving:
Practically the whole weekend
Pictures and explanations:
A lot of people at the party for Grandma. These people are all related in some way to them, either as a direct descendant or married to a direct descendant.
Grandpa and Grandma and three of their children. The other two were probably looking on from their place beyond the veil.
My photo op with the grandparents. (The scrapbook page table was behind the photo staging area)
Marylee narrated the slide show with help from Dad:
The Pelton kids with Grandpa and Grandma (Sadly, I was not in the area when the Stubblefield kids had their turn or the Steve Hawley contingent had theirs, so I didn't get their group photos.)
The event organizer. She put a lot of work into this and I'm glad I went.
The artistic highlight of the night and the entertainment:
I talked with Aaron (Amy's husband) about his piping after the party. Like us, he has Scottish heritage (he's a Highlander, whereas we are Lowlanders) and like me, he was interested in learning more about that heritage. I am so glad I took my Scottish class when I did so that I could understand the meaning behind some of the bagpipe song titles and stories he told.
The other entertainment (and humorous highlight):
Laurie and her girls perform a lovely sister act.
It was wonderful to see all the cousins again and introduce myself to a few who didn't remember who I was. And Brian, I'm sorry I called you Micah at first! And Jordan, I did know who you were. I hope you didn't think that I didn't. Amy and Aaron, I had a blast working on the Jeopardy questions with you! Andrea, I loved hearing about your kids (especially about Kendall's marching band life--you and Jenni would have much to talk about and many notes to compare about being a marching band parent). And all the other cousins, it was so nice to see all of you! I remember when you were all little kids!
I went to church on Sunday with the Stubblefields and Grandma and Grandpa. Marylee and her husband Tom were there too. I sat next to Grandma and it felt good to be with extended family. I thought about all the summer visits and going to church with Grandma and Grandpa. It's different now since all of us are much older now, but the memories were strong and happy ones.
After church, I drove an hour and a half to see Jim's sister Tammy. Stockton was close enough to make it for a visit. I got to meet Tony's wife and see four of Tammy and Wil's six kids.
Tammy's doll, commissioned by her mother for her. It's Stevie Nicks. It's one of a kind and Tammy is proud of it.
We watched about 20 minutes of a webcast of the Messiah concert for which Katie played in the orchestra. We saw Katie!
Then, Monday morning, I spent another hour and a half with Grandma and Grandpa by myself chatting and reminiscing. It was hard to say goodbye to them; we were all teary when I had to leave.
Now I'm back home again and I'm very grateful that I went out to California for the party.
As for the kids, so far only one has seen me and he said, "HIMOMYOU'REHOMECANYOUSIGNTHISPAPERINEEDTOBEATSCHOOLEARLYWEDNESDAYANDTHURSDAYCANIHAVEA SNACKWHERE'SMYSHOEIDIDN'TMISSYOUTHATMUCHIMISSEDYOUSOMEBUTI'MNOTABABY..."
etc.
And Fake Child is here already so I'm back "at work" with just 8 hours of sleep after getting off the plane.
I really should be unpacking.
Here is a statistical recount of my trip:
Injuries:
1 Sore foot
1 Strained shoulder
Multitudinous hangnails
Clothing and accessories purchased because a)I realized I forgot a couple of things and b)I was really sick of what I did manage to remember to bring:
2 pairs of shoes
1 purse
3 shirts
1 camisole
Number of hours spent white-knuckle driving:
Practically the whole weekend
Pictures and explanations:
A lot of people at the party for Grandma. These people are all related in some way to them, either as a direct descendant or married to a direct descendant.
Grandpa and Grandma and three of their children. The other two were probably looking on from their place beyond the veil.
My photo op with the grandparents. (The scrapbook page table was behind the photo staging area)
Marylee narrated the slide show with help from Dad:
The Pelton kids with Grandpa and Grandma (Sadly, I was not in the area when the Stubblefield kids had their turn or the Steve Hawley contingent had theirs, so I didn't get their group photos.)
The event organizer. She put a lot of work into this and I'm glad I went.
The artistic highlight of the night and the entertainment:
I talked with Aaron (Amy's husband) about his piping after the party. Like us, he has Scottish heritage (he's a Highlander, whereas we are Lowlanders) and like me, he was interested in learning more about that heritage. I am so glad I took my Scottish class when I did so that I could understand the meaning behind some of the bagpipe song titles and stories he told. The other entertainment (and humorous highlight):
Laurie and her girls perform a lovely sister act. It was wonderful to see all the cousins again and introduce myself to a few who didn't remember who I was. And Brian, I'm sorry I called you Micah at first! And Jordan, I did know who you were. I hope you didn't think that I didn't. Amy and Aaron, I had a blast working on the Jeopardy questions with you! Andrea, I loved hearing about your kids (especially about Kendall's marching band life--you and Jenni would have much to talk about and many notes to compare about being a marching band parent). And all the other cousins, it was so nice to see all of you! I remember when you were all little kids!
I went to church on Sunday with the Stubblefields and Grandma and Grandpa. Marylee and her husband Tom were there too. I sat next to Grandma and it felt good to be with extended family. I thought about all the summer visits and going to church with Grandma and Grandpa. It's different now since all of us are much older now, but the memories were strong and happy ones.
After church, I drove an hour and a half to see Jim's sister Tammy. Stockton was close enough to make it for a visit. I got to meet Tony's wife and see four of Tammy and Wil's six kids.
Tammy's doll, commissioned by her mother for her. It's Stevie Nicks. It's one of a kind and Tammy is proud of it.
We watched about 20 minutes of a webcast of the Messiah concert for which Katie played in the orchestra. We saw Katie!
Then, Monday morning, I spent another hour and a half with Grandma and Grandpa by myself chatting and reminiscing. It was hard to say goodbye to them; we were all teary when I had to leave.
Now I'm back home again and I'm very grateful that I went out to California for the party.
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