Grandma @ MindSay

This summer, my grandmother (whom I call Missiemom), informed Michael and I that we should be bartenders once we are of age (I will be 21 in January, Michael won't turn 21 until next July). She arrived at this conclusion, she told us, for several reasons.
 
"For starters," she said, "there's a lot of money to be made in bar tending."
"Also," she went on, "I know how late you two like to stay up. This would be the perfect job for you both since you're such night owls. Then you could sleep in every day since you would work at night."
"And this will be great practice for Michael, since he wants to be a psychiatrist." she concluded.

I, for one, will just be glad when I can buy myself a bottle of wine, or drink a couple of beers legally.  And frankly Missiemom, I'm way to introverted to be a bartender.  ;)

It has so been a while since I've last done this. Mostly because I was off of work for about 10 days and I avoided computers like the plague. Seriously.

 

In my job (like many) all I do is stare at a computer screen all day long and check my email hundreds of times a day. So when I didn't have to work, no email, no blogs, no Yahoo! news, no computer technology of any kind. I didn't even charge my iPod. Hmm.

 

During my time off, a few things did happen. First off, my one remaining grandparent turned 90 years old. Happy Birthday Grandma! (June 22nd, if you were wondering). You know, it is funny to me. I am on the cusp of turning 30 (well, 9 mos away, but still) and for many people, that's a big birthday. Then comes 40, where most people start to seriously freak out, over the hill and all that. For me, so what. I am kind of excited about turning 30. I think I am in a good place for my age. If I haven't accomplished everything I wanted to, well, so what? It isn't like I am dying or anything. I'll just pack it all in by 40--or 50. So there you go, I am getting on board with the whole decade change thing. Not everyone does, though, as evidenced by some friends of mine who have been turning 30 for a few years now.

 

The point is this: I kind of always figured that there comes a point when you honestly say "it's just another birthday" or something to that tune. Which I why I was surprised that my Grandma, 90 people!, was so darn crusty about her birthday. After all of these years, isn't she used to birthdays? Tons of people don't get to live that long or enjoy anywhere near that many birthdays. And grandma is healthy as a horse (mostly....she is 90 after all) so she actually can enjoy being a nonagenarian. Yet, there she was, crusty as week old bread about her birthday. I don't really get it. My sainted (oh yeah, I canonized her since we last chatted) mother threw her a beautiful birthday party on the day of her birthday, and that really seemed to push grandma's buttons. It is all a mystery to me, as most things relating to family seem to be.

 

So, the party was sort of a mini-family reunion. My grandmother's 6 kids and their respective spouses and children were all in attendance. Most of them live out of town, so it is a pretty big deal to have them all in one place. I thought it was really nice. I got to see many people, cousins and such that I haven't seen in years. In fact, the last time we were all together was for my grandfather's funeral, six years ago. And it isn't like we were yukking it up then...

 

Anyway, I liked it, I thought my mother did a fantastic job, and I enjoyed seeing nearly all of my relatives.

 

Here are a few highlights.

 

Aunt Kate, Cousin Sara and Sara's two kids, Hunter and Hadley, stayed with us for an extended visit. As they are my favorite relatives, this was highly enjoyable.

 

This is Sara and Hunter hanging out at our place:

 

 

It was our first time meeting Hadley, as she is only 4 months old and resides in Alabama. And here she is:

 

 You may remember her first appearance in my blog, found here.

 

Cousin Lizzie from Texas was in town (sans husband and kids, but you can't win them all) and every time I see her I remember why I like her so much.

 

Got to see one of my favorite high school teachers, Mr. Hanson (though I call him Doug now), as he is married to one of my dad's cousins. (I'm his favorite, too).

 

Aunt Mary and Uncle Rick didn't stay long.

 

(Okay, see, that one above sounded mean, especially since they came in from North Carolina, but Aunt Mary was at her worst. Seeing my dad for the first time in six years, her brother, her only remarks were "you're gray and fat." That's it. Then she walked away. Only came to talk to him once more to complain about the beer we were paying for her to drink. Years now, my mom has been telling me she is a bitch, now I finally believe it.)

 

That's pretty much the whole of it. Family is exhausting, as is throwing giant shindigs, and certainly we are glad it is over. Still, it was nice to catch up with the ones we miss, and to remind ourselves why we don't miss them all.

 

If only grandma could realize that when all was said and done, she got a nice afternoon with this trying family that she spawned and beyond that, it was really just another birthday. And she owes my mother a giant thank you. Okay, I'm done now.

Alright so Saturday I got to see my Maffy! :)  We went shopping - at Torrid of course.  It was so much fun, and I got a new hat thats awesome, some cute red shoes that have these hearts and keys on it that I've wanted forever, and Maffy and I got matching hoodies.  I will say I was a bit panicky over Maff and Kim meeting Kevin, not because he's a bad guy or anything, but because they're picky and like to watch over me.  So I was glad to be shopping to distract myself.  I had a hard time though trying to find a wallet.  I guess I'll have to look online for one I like.  Though I am kicking myself for not getting the one from Claires.  I love going into Torrid though, they're always so nice in there, but there's this one lady that bugs me because she's always like "ooh look at this I love this" trying to get you to buy everything.  Ugh.  People like that bug me.  The one girl though she was funny, I was asking Maff if I looked ok in the hoodie and the girl said yeah, and then later when I was debating on buying a hat, I was wearing it and asked her what she thought.  She said it looked cute and that we were lucky we could wear hats and look so cute.  Everyone liked the hat though, including Kevin :)  So as we were checking out, Kim called and by the time I was done checking out, she was right there.  Her hairs actually dark brown now, it's so weird to see, but she looks cute.  We ran around to all kinds of places - mostly looking for a new wallet for me to buy.  We went to pac sun....where they should have had one to match my purse, but oh well.  We went to Godiva Chocolatier and got these chocolate covered strawberry samples that were amazing!  Then to Claires, and then they went to the finish line while I went to the Disney store. lol no way I was going into the Finish Line.  Anyways I tried calling my Aunt Suzi to see what size Shelly is.  I guess my uncle had her phone, and said that my aunt had his.  Before he got off the phone he was saying that my grandma got arrested.  My grandma who (to the best of my knowledge) had never been arrested.  Now...if you know my uncle he's mean like that and lies like that all the time.  He was saying though that she called 20 minutes earlier and got into a fight with this lady from my Aunt Tracy's complex down in South Carolina.  So I called him a liar and did the whole "are you serious?" thing.  I totally didn't believe him.  So I called my Aunt Suzi and asked her if it was true, she was like "nooooooo!" and I was basically mad at my uncle for lying.  Well it was about 6:30  and I was getting ready to call Kevin to meet us up there for food, and when I called him he was already there at the apple store :) So he came down and met us in Spencers.  I was trying to find a wallet and usually they have cute stuff for wallets and purses.  Plus I wanted to see if my cowboy hat was still there...but I didn't see it.  So no luck whatsoever.  Oh well.  I guess I'll have to look next time.  While we were in there, my Aunt Suzi called and said that my grandma really was arrested, and my Aunt Tracy was in the hospital.  Oh the fun of my family...Apparently there were these kids shooting paint guns at something, and my grandma told them to clean it up.  They were going to use their shirts, but my grandma told them to go home and get a rag.  Well their bi-polar mom came and apparently pinned my aunt Tracy to the ground and was hitting her (my aunt thats getting a pace maker in today just btw).  So I guess the cops came and were going to arrest the lady (who bit the cops) and my grandma slapped the lady.  The cops told her "I don't know how they do things where you're from but around here thats unacceptable" and booked her.  So weird to think of your grandma being arrested.  She has a court day and all.  Anyways, so yes, I introduced Kevin to Maff and Kim and we all headed off to Red Robin.  There was a bit of a wait, but we sat in front waiting and talking.  It was pretty nice, and everyone seemed to get along well.  Though Kim was like he didn't look that tall when he was standing next to you, but when I was standing next to him he looked sooo tall. lol.  I suppose 6'6" is a bit tall.  We weren't all cuddly which was good but bad.  Well good for Kim and Maff so they don't have to be all like *eek* and bad for me cause I like cuddles, but I was glad he was there and I still hugged him and everything.  I had a really good time.  Kevin did a good job of talking, and Kim thought all the stories about India were pretty cool. Everything just seemed relaxed.  Which sooo helped me to relax.  Even Maff talked.  I was shocked.  Seriously.  She's usually so shy around people so I was glad she talked. Then we couldn't decide where to go after we ate.  I said mini golf but no one was saying anything.  But it's where we ended up going.  To putting edge (the glow in the dark mini golf place).  I called my mom to tell her and she freaked out...and was like "fine I'll take care of YOUR dog" and etc.  *sigh* :(  She called back though, still in an angry tone, and said sorry and to have a good time.  It was nice, Maff totally won, I totally lost lol.  It was fun though, I got to steal hugs and pecks here and there. :) We played air hockey too.  Maff was on fire! lol.  The second game we played was over in the blink of an eye practically.  But I heard nothing but good things about Kevin :) hehe.  I'm really glad though that they seemed to have a good time.  Hopefully we all can do something fun again.  Maybe with better planning next time...

todays been long. But I just finished my letter for my grandma.  Hopefully its ok. I'll post it here just in case it gets lost.

 

Grandma,

You've always been there for me growing up, even when you didn't have to be,  I feel that I am a part of your family regardless of blood and never have I questioned that bond.  You've taught me to be kind, but in that kindness to be strong and independent.  To be bold and question the norms.  My mom and you have shown me that a family doesn't need a man to be strong, that the strength comes from the love of each other and the need to stick together.  Grandparents bestow upon their grandchildren the strength and wisdom that time and experience have given them.

~Author Unknown

 

And strength is something you've taught us all, with a tad of that fight to always be right.  Though I find it amusing to watch you and my mom argue over who is right, it is just another way that you've taught us to fight for what we know is right no matter what anyone else says.  I have that same interaction with my mom, and though frustrating at times, I know its a good characteristic to not cave into others thoughts.  Though I like it best when it's you and I against my mom, they are the best debates!   The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy.  ~Sam Levenson

 

Through my 21 years, you've always been there supporting me through whatever I went through.  You've been there with advice from dealing with puppy love, to the joys of falling in love, and even through the pain of heartache.  No matter how down I felt about myself, I felt as though I was one of the truly special people put on this earth.  The way you felt so proud of me in every accomplishment, made it that more special.  Knowing how you felt that I was turning into such a lovely young lady made me want to try that much harder to be even better and outdo any expectations.  Thank you for pushing me to be an even better person.  Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete.  ~Marcy DeMaree

 

Grandma, you've been so much for me.  You've been someone to talk to, someone to learn from, and someone to laugh with.  Ok, and the occasional giggle towards.  You've taken on so much as if it was nothing to you, including being all of my grandparents in one nifty package.  I have no idea where my life would be had you not inspired me so much and caused me to challenge myself, my thoughts, and my beliefs.  You showed me that one thing didn't determine the rest of your life.  No one thing could break you, but one thing could make you better.  A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.  ~Author Unknown

 

A grandma is warm hugs and sweet memories. She remembers all of your accomplishments and forgets all of your mistakes. She is someone you can tell your secrets and worries to, and she hopes and prays that all your dreams come true. She always loves you, no matter what. She can see past temper tantrums and bad moods, and makes it clear that they don't affect how precious you are to her. She is an encouraging word and a tender touch. She is full of proud smiles. She is the one person in the world who loves you with all her heart, who remembers the child you were and cherishes the person you've become. ~Barbara Cage

 

Thank you for all that you do.  For always believing in me and being on my side through so much.

I guess my mom told my grandma whats going on.  And my grandma said that her friend has a condo out in San Jose that any of her family could use because it's like a winter home or something. Yep. I think everyones waiting for me to have like a meltdown.  My moms pretty much just let me be. Everyone is asking me if I'd go.  Everytime I say I would.  Not that it would be like next week.  CA is expensive to live in.  But I want to leave my job anyways, and if I can use my grandma's friends condo then I'll have a place to live, but I'd still be close.  I don't know, he's the one thats thinking through everything.  He might not want me there, or might think that I don't want to go. I have to stop thinking, I've gone through every possible situation in my head.  I can't get my hopes up, I can't plan for things that will never happen.  It hurts more. 

 

I prepared for the worst. But hoping for the best.  I'm as ready as I can be for my heart to break again.  Going through two heartbreaks is more than anyone should have to handle.  I have to trust in God.  I have to, and I can't.  My heart feels like it's being ripped out.  Its from thinking through everything.  Its hard feeling alone. Its hard feeling so torn.  I'm so so happy he has a project, he's been waiting so long for one and all these bad thoughts crossing his mind for not having one.  So I'm happy and I'm proud of him for that, it's just so hard that he has to go so far.  And that because of that things for us will change.  I feel so selfish.