"They year they outgrew me"

Sunday night I got the call I've been preparing myself for the last two years. I knew it was coming. It was inevitable. It's human nature, a rite of passage, as predictable as the tide going in and out.

And yet... I wasn't ready.

Missi called on Sunday night with the news that the kids weren't coming up to visit this year. They didn't want to hurt my feelings, so Brittany was avoiding making a decision (which means it's made - she just didn't want to tell me) and Brandon... Well, I have to give him credit. He made me proud... at the same time he said the words I had been dreading. Once Missi assured him I wasn't upset or hurt, he got on the phone to tell me himself that he had a job this summer and "probably" (the word used to try to let me down easy, I'm sure) wouldn't be coming up this summer.

Now, to be fair to Brittany, she wasn't home... so maybe she would have told me, too.

My friend told me tonight that when this happened to her she called it "the year they outgrew her." I think that's appropriate. They are teenagers now... they have their friends. At that age, that IS the most important thing... the most important people in their lives.

My head knew this was coming. My heart was never going to be ready.

I am afraid I won't see them much... and I didn't see them enough as it was. That week-10 days each summer was my one chance to get a glimpse into their lives and who they were at that point. The rest of the year, they compete in track, they graduate from elementary school, they have birthday parties, Thanksgiving meals, Christmas mornings, and scores of other events that I'm never part of. We made our memories each July. And they were great memories.

Oh, I know I can go to Florida to see them. And I know I will. But they will still be busy with their friends and lives, and won't have much time for their old Grand Aunt when she's there.

So I am left with the hope and prayer that one day... about 10-15 years from now maybe, that from the foundation we have laid over the last 6 years' worth of summers, we will be close, and I will be invited to the big events of their lives at that time... weddings, births, holidays.

Brittany and Brandon...

“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way!” - Dr. Suess, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

2005

















2008

Some June layouts

Various pictures the kids and I have taken in the car... they are in the car a lot when they are with me and they get bored. It's fun to take pictures.
























Christmas lights in Grovetown, Georgia this past Christmas. First outing for my mom after my father died.

Some May layouts

2007: Took Brittany to Archiver's for some scrapping with Carolyn and Christy... boy, we've been scrapping at Archiver's for quite awhile now! All those rings were cut out of foam... it was a pain, but I like the results.




My Kimmie... she's so sweet... and so old.

















Trixie helps us make the bed... ;)















I have NO idea why Gracie was sitting this way. I'm just glad I got a picture of it!















Stacey and I meeting with Dora. (The 2nd hand kind of Dora - at Goodwill. Not the REAL Dora.)

May 2009 Roundup of Memories

What books did I read this month?

I didn't actually finish a book this month... not even my book club book!

Magazines?

All You; Real Simple; Reader's Digest

What movies did I see this month?

The Bicycle Thief (Italian film); Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; The Philadelphia Story (Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart); The Birds (Tippi Hedren)

TV Shows?

The Locator, Two and a Half Men, Oprah, CSI, Without a Trace, America's Most Wanted, Oprah, Lie to Me, Bones, The Mentalist, Bewitched, Step by Step, Chuck

What special days did I celebrate and how?

National Scrapbooking Day - several friends and I cropped here at the house.
Mother's Day - Mom and Tracy's parents came over on the Saturday (day) before Mother's Day and we had a fish fry.
Went to Morrow with Tracy and his parents to his Aunt Ruth's 80th birthday party.

What illness or health concerns did I have this month?

Allergies... had to take my Clarinex almost the entire month... probably because of all the rain we got.

What fun things did I do with friends and/or family?

Went out to dinner on Cinco de Mayo with Elaine.
Cropped with Carolyn at Archiver's (only once this month!)
Trip to Washington DC with my mom!!

What new foods, recipes, or restaurants did I try this month?

Tried a new pork chop recipe - with chicken broth, roasted red peppers, and red potatoes in a skillet on the stove... It was good!

Had to try several new cafes in DC cause that was the only thing around... the most interesting was the cafe at the Holocaust Museum... it billed itself as Kosher, but evidently they believe that Kosher means no meat of any kind. They didn't offer any. Mom and I ate pantinis... which I had never had before. Due to the Italian seasoning, it was pretty good.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Stacey and I had great fun ordering Tuesday Specials from Sizzix this month!

What were this month's disappointments?

Can't think of a one! Woo Hoo - good month!

What were my accomplishments this month?

Learning my way around Washington, including the bus and Metro systems.
Keeping my mom and me safe on that trip.

Day 10 of Washington trip: Monday

The word of the day... DRIVE. and drive and drive and drive.

We left the motel about 9:20... all I wanted was Chick-fil-A chicken minis. We've had nothing but McDonald's for breakfast for a week... was a little chicken too much to ask for? Well, apparently so in North Carolina. GPS said the closest Chick-fil-A was in Columbia, SC! So we had to eat McDonald's AGAIN.

Other than the breakfast stop, I drove straight through to Augusta. I was very sleepy, but Mom was not much help. I think that everyone gets in the passenger side of a car when I'm driving and goes into a zone. Jo Ann, Stacey, and now my mom... I'm running off the side of the road, fighting to keep my eyes open, and they are just over there like "La la la" and totally oblivious to the fact that I could kill them at any moment. So I spent a lot of time just calling people... someone talking to me was all I needed.

We got to Auguata about 1pm. I went straight to the Chick-fil-A on Washington Road! If I couldn't have it for breakfast, then I gosh darn could have it for lunch! When I stepped out of the car, I realized I had not been out since Fayetteville... it was all I could do to straighten up!

Took Mom home and did a few things on her computer for her. For those of you on AT&T, if it asks you about "upgrading" to the Yahoo! mail thingie... DON'T DO IT!! They don't allow POP access without paying for it, so now Mom has to read her mail on the web. Not a huge biggie, but it's the principle of the thing!

Left Mom's about 2:30 and drove on home. I listened to a book on tape for awhile, and when that didn't work anymore and I felt myself getting sleepy, I called Stacey. That kept me going, and the time passed quickly enough. I got home about 4:15... Everyone was glad to see me...

I didn't have to lift my hands the rest of the night. I got in my recliner, like I said I would... with Patches on top of me, of course... and took a nap. Tracy cooked supper, fed the cats, and cleaned up the kitchen. I got on the computer, ate, and watched TV. It was a good night!

And even though I woke up sick in the middle of the night... I don't know what it was and it went away... and Kimmie woke me up about 6am... it was still a good night in my own bed.

And now I am on the computer, instead of unpacking. Well, with this weather, I'm not going anywhere, so I have plenty of time, right?

Day 9 of Washington Trip: Sunday

We packed up the car and were on the road at 9:15 am. Traffic was nothing getting through downtown to the beltway. We drove to Richmond and met my friend from high school, Charles. We went to school together from 4^th grade right through high school graduation. He is an engineer with Phillip Morris. We met him near his work and followed him to a restaurant near where he lives. His wife, Wanda, and his youngest son joined us. It was a wonderful lunch. I asked Charles like 20 questions… trying to catch up on everything. He has always been such a nice guy, and his wife seems just as nice!

We left Charles and headed back up the road to a scrapbooking store I had spotted earlier!! It’s called Memories Galore. It was a pretty good store. I got several papers to use for my Washington trip, along with some other goodies. Mom got the fever and bought several things, including an album. She says she’s going to scrapbook the pictures from this trip. We’ll see.

Then we headed to a Goodwill store we had spotted. I didn’t find a thing there, but Mom had some good luck.

We finally got out of Richmond at 4:30 – over 4 hours after we arrived!!! Then I had to drive 3 hours to Fayetteville. It rained off and on the entire trip, but fortunately, it was never heavy. We only stopped to get a drink and gas. We got to Fayetteville at almost 8 o’clock. I pulled in the motel, checked in, and we didn’t even go to our room. We went straight to a Mexican restaurant and had dinner. We finally got in the motel between 9 and 9:30…

I’m ready for sleep… and to get home…

Some photos from our trip

Mom at the Crater, Petersburg National Civil War Battlefield, Petersburg, Virginia








The box where John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln at the Ford's Theatre.



















Korean War Memorial












Jefferson Memorial










The fountain at the World War II Memorial at night.