Changing Normal

So, I've had a busy weekend...we made the trek back up to PA this past Memorial Day weekend...bless their hearts, they're just weird...

Last week sometime, Steve's dad called real "excited" (I say that, because his show of excitement is VERY reserved, to understate it). Anyways, he says Brian Free & Assurance (a Southern Gospel quartet) was playing a free concert on Friday night, do you guys want to go? When Steve asked me, I looked at him like he was crazy!! HELLO?!?! 3 year old riding all day in a van, and then have her sit for 2-3 more hours in a church listening to grown-up music?!?! So, Steve called them back, and got his mom...She says, "Well, it's a big church." HUH?!?! I'm thinking she meant that if we needed to get up & walk around, or they'd have a nursery or something there, but why are we going up there to put her in a nursery?!?! C R A Z Y!! So, I told Steve the whole way up there that he's crazy if he lets them talk us into going, and he agreed. We were not going, no matter what. I can't do that to ANY 3-year-old, nevermind my own!! LOL So, we got a late start on Friday, anyway (go figure!! haha), and were about 1.5-2 hours away. **Sidebar~they haven't actually seen/spent time with Abbey, their only granddaughter, since NOVEMBER** Steve's dad calls Steve's cell phone around 5ish (the concert started at 7), to see how far along we were. Steve says, well, we're 1.5-2 hours away, we're not going to make it..." I'm rolling my eyes because even if we did "make it" we weren't going!! lol Anyways, I hear "yeah, okay, uh-huh," type things from Steve's end of the conversation & when he hung up he said, "Well, they're going to go without us." I say, "To the concert?" "Yep." I'm stunned. The grandpa hasn't seen his granddaughter in 8 mos. and is choosing a concert over meeting his granddaughter the night she comes. Steve said that his dad mentioned that his mom had said we could head over to Steve's aunt & uncle's house (cousins, that's the Uncle who was Steve's best man in our wedding, their son Nathaniel was the ring bearer :) ). So, we grabbed dinner, and tried calling Jeff & Wanda, but there was no answer. So, we thought, we'll just drive by & see if they're home, or if they have company, there's always Wal-Mart. We didn't want to just barge in unannounced, ya know? Well, it turns out they were home, and just getting done with their garden they're getting ready to put in, and about ready to go for some ice cream :) It turned out well, and they're just such a great dose of normal in our trips up there!! :) And, Nathaniel LOVED playing with Abbey!! :) And, Abbey loved him!! She kept saying on the way from their house to Steve's parents' house, "Who was that special boy again?" LOL And, that night she prayed, "And, thank you for...Mommy? What's that special boy's name, again?" "That's your cousin Nathaniel." "Thank you for Athaniel." LOL SO CUTE!! :)

Oh, and later that night, I asked Bill (Steve's dad) how the concert was...and he says, "Terrible. It was way too loud." I felt like slapping him!!!!!!!!!! If you're going to miss seeing your granddaughter in first thing because of a CONCERT YOU HAD TO GO TO YOU HAD BETTER GO ON ABOUT HOW AWESOME IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, another notch on the weirdness belt...

Friday night Steve's mom had to work (she's a nurse, so she had to work all night), and so we didn't get to say hello to her until Sat. afternoon. Abbey ran right to her (she had acted shy with grandpa (wonder why?), and Uncle Eric (shocker) but had warmed right up to Aunt Lesley). She really loves her Grandma & Aunt Lesley, though!! :) Vicki also had to work Friday night 7ish to 11ish, but was off all day Sunday & Monday.

When we left Friday morning, I had ironed our church clothes & a couple of other shirts...and we left them in the house...I didn't realize this until Friday night in PA, so I spent late Saturday afternoon at the Clarion "mall." It's only got a few stores, but there was a Fashion Bug, and a K-Mart open to the mall...I'd never seen a K-Mart open to a mall. It was more like an indoor strip mall, if that makes any sense. K-Mart was the "big name" store!! LOL There was a movie theatre, though, and a couple of "illegal" gift shops...But, I didn't find an awesome new dress or anything. I just decided to get a nice shirt that would dress up my jeans. I bought Steve a new shirt at their Wal-Mart. I had packed Abbey's Sunday clothes in her suitcase, so there wasn't any need for that...

Anyways, it was nice to get to shop by myself. I don't get to do that real often here, so it was kinda nice to be where nobody knows me, and just shop. I did run into Steve's Uncle Gary & cousin Danielle, though. They were waiting to see Pirates 3 at the movie theatre, and were getting a pizza at K-Mart...it sounds weird, but it really wasn't...

Church was OK. They go to a small church, and heaven forbid they sing a popular praise song!! LOL They didn't sing all hymns, but there weren't any real praise songs, either. They had a cookout on Sunday afternoon, and Uncle Jeff & Aunt Wanda came, and Uncle Gary & Aunt Sandy came, and so did Aunt Marge (remember her from the wedding, cousins?) and Uncle John came, too. Uncle Jeff brought a game called "ladder golf" or "hillbilly golf" or "poor man's golf" we heard a lot of different names for it, and that was fun!! It reminds me of the way you score in cornhole, but I'd say a little trickier than corn hole. Google it!! LOL

Monday we took our time getting ready to go, and left after lunch. Abbey was asleep before we left Brookville!! LOL Brookville is VERY small...Anyways, she was out before we got on the interstate, and we didn't stop until Lodi in OH. There's a Prime Outlet mall there, and we ate at Bob Evan's. Prime Outlets have those playgrounds, too, so that was a very nice stop. Abbey got to run & play awhile, and I got to check out their scrapbook store!! :)

It was a nice, uneventful rest of the way home. We stopped just above Columbus, too, at our "regular" McD's stop, and Abbey got to play & run around again, and then it was pretty much a straight shot home. We were hoping Abbey would fall asleep in the van again, but she didn't. When we got to the road we turn on from the main road, we decided that maybe just a little longer, and she' d be out. But, when we passed our turn, she says, sleepily, "Daddy, I thought we were going home?" So, we giggled at each other & just went home. I think she was keeping herself awake long enough to make sure we got home!! LOL

Well, I've checked email, bored you with our trip, so now, I'll leave you with something I thought was funny, and get back to unpacking!! OH, Abbey's still asleep!! LOL She woke up regular time, but she's been asleep for a few hours for naptime!! LOL

Subject: Urgent ?

I usually don't pass along these "add your name" lists that appear in my email, but this one is too important. This one has been circulating for
3 months. Please, keep it going!

To show your support for Hillary and encourage her on her run for President of the United States in 2008, please scroll down and add your name to the rapidly growing list below and send it on to your entire e-mail list.

1. Bill
2. Chelsea
3. Monica
4.