Falling off the Face of the Earth........Part 1

Have you ever been accused of falling off the face of the earth?

I believe I can hear all of you, whispering under your breath, "Well I often think YOU have."

And you are SOOOOOOOO RIGHT!!!

My last post here was in June of 2007! I can't even remember June 2008 let alone 2007! Therefore I must have fallen off the face of the earth.

I WAS LOST IN CYBER SPACE, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, ALIEN ABDUCTION, OR WHERE EVER!!!! And funny thing is......I don't remember when I got back.

My life since last post is blurry at best, harried as always and unimpressive at worst. I believe I have chosen to psychologically wipe out most of July through probably December of 2007.
I remember good things, special things like shopping with a neighbor for items for 2 wededings in her household, her middle son and youngest daughter. We laughed, we scoffed, we decided this was a horrible fate for children to do to parents and we relived our youth...meaning we giggled like teenagers at the mall. I also remember those 2 weddings; cakes, krispee treats, frosting, frosting and frosting and finger sandwiches, fruit skewers and slushy punch and did I mention frosting. Also the hours and hours of clean-up, my kitchen, the church kitchen, cultural hall, my kitchen, leftovers, my kitchen. But it was good and joyous and I am so grateful my friend thought enough of me to include me in the preparations and the festivities.
I remember granddaughter Eliza's birthday and the melting "sand castle cake" And having Susie and my beautiful granddaughters Laura, Mary B and Annie and grandson Ray visit and play and love and hugs and kisses and give me such happiness with their mere presence. Good, warm, delightful "rememberies."
More things I remember are my other kids coming and not being able to visit because I already had plans to go to Las Vegas with daughter B-Jo, for what is likely a one time shot at the Retail Bakers Exposition. So while that is a good thing, it was also sad as I don't get enough time with my Bob, my Teresa, my RJ, my Donna and my Mackenzie. The things we learned there though were awesome and then some!
B-Jo and I are probably the only people I know who went to Vegas and had the most fun sitting in classes and seminars and meeting chefs and seeing everything our fantasy bakeshop would have, rather than gambling or seeing shows or seeing the nightlife or eating at the food places or shopping or the Strip or Fremont Street. We did do some of the last 3 of those too, but the Expo was IT for us.
Now as for the other kids, well RJ had to come back here to have his tonsils out and so this Grammi got him and his sisters and his mommy for 2 whole weeks. And even after all that time with me, RJ had to have his mommy call on their long drive home to find out how soon I was coming to see him. OOHHH that's a nice warm fuzzy for me. I love you too RJ and miss you every minute of every day.

I remember other things less pleasant too but we won't go into that now.

On to holidaysof 2007.... I don't dream of anything for holidays. I learned a long time ago not to set or get my expectations to high. Halloween was pleasant, Jim helped me decorate the yard. The weather was great. Thanksgiving was just anohter day, one where I fixed a really big meal, but this year I had fixed a big portion of it 2-3 days ahead. I did get to play a game, which was something I really wanted to do...so I can say I am really thankful for that.

A lot of December is blurry from hurt. December is a reminder of the loss of many that made such an impact on my life. Birthdays never to be celebrated on this earth again, death days with their all too familiar heart ripping pain, Christmases with no children's wonder......somethings are best kept blurry. There were children in and out which added to my confusion. We were blessed to have Army son, Dale home from Iraq, in one piece bodily but still never the same again. He showed us pieces of the schrapnel that missed him and my me cry in my pillow for his pangs of guilt and remorse. He blessed us too with his sweet wife, Cindy, little son J2, age 31/2 , and baby son Shinook, 10 months.....who this Grammi had not yet had the pleasure of meeting. And did we ever have a wonderful meeting....he became an instant Grammi's boy, something of which J2 was not too fond of because he's Grammi's boy!!! In their comings and goings they did bring Alanna back for some time here at her home. She told me, when they got back here from picking her up in Idaho, she was "SO HAPPY to be HOME!" She too will never be the same again.....and I comiserate with her selective memory....it does make life survivable. Dale's et al visit was too brief, but my gratitude for the time we all spent together is enormous. He is the only "blood" son of Jim's who truly loves and appreciates his father and "our family"...the others pay a kind of lip service love and respect as has been instructed by their "handler", AKA the woman who gave birth to them....I better stop right there before I post something that would need censored!! I'll just say I love Dale very much and I pray for him and for blessings for him and his wife and children, whom I also love dearly.

So there are some of the better things I do remember from the remainder of 2007.....

And this ends Part 1...... Stay tuned for the continuing saga in my review of my having "Fallen Off the Face of the Earth"..... Yes, (shaking head with a slight eye roll) I will continue tomorrow if you aren't still bug eyed from reading this long post ......