What a long weekend! I had hoped that it would be relaxing, but I had no such chance!
I took Friday afternoon off. I had a party to do at a friend’s house and she wanted me to come over extra early. She also wanted me to pitch in and help buy and prepare snacks and drinks. I am not going to go into any long and sordid story here, but let me tell you…I have a pretty good feeling that our friendship is coming quickly to an end. She was afraid that her friends would not come and she would have a lousy show, so I invited a few of mine whom have all met the hostess. BIG MISTAKE. I was so embarrassed to have my friends there and embarrassed for them to see how she was acting. She and her husband have been having some problems, but the way she was acting and the things that she was saying were just SHAMEFUL! I was so anxious to get a show booked and submitted that I looked past some details that should have been red flags. I was at her house from 4-1030, I brought over a cake, some ice and booze and a cake dessert that I made…and she conned me into paying for even more booze. I didn’t sell one piece of jewelry. The only people that wanted to order were MY friends. I pulled them aside discretely and told them not to order, I talked one of them into having her own party and I told them all I would give them each a $10 credit for their trouble.
Aside from that sucky part of Friday…I got to spend some time with one of my oldest and dearest friends from high school, Beckie. I met her and her adorable bf at Munchie’s for a drink and then took them back to check out my house. I was a little concerned when I got home and Jake was there, (Jake and I are both very conservative with our views and our house is decorated with guns and dead things, and Beckie and her boyfriend are liberals and the COMPLETE opposite. I have no problem with this, but Jake says things sometimes…many times…before thinking about them and offends people easily.) I was excited when everyone hit it off well. We decided to go to this little hole-in-the-wall bar in Corunna, which is more like a hole! (Every time I am there I am anxious that the other patrons are going to turn into blood-sucking beasts like in From Dusk Till Dawn). We spent a couple of hours there, Beckie and I chatting about our lives now and reminiscing while Jake and Ross played pool and talked about mushroom hunting. Good times.
Saturday was spent working our asses off!! Jake’s parents came up to help out, which was nice. Jake and his dad worked again at rewiring and insulating the garage while Lana and I painted the dining room. And oh, the dining room is BEAU-TI-FUL!! I was nervous that the color, a deep eggplant purple, would just be too much, but it compliments the green of the living room and makes the woodwork really POP. That room will be the first one finished. I need to put up outlet and switch plate covers and there is one spot on the floor that needs sanded again, and of course the woodwork will need cleaned after that. And that floor needs stained, but it will be the first room we do. Jake’s grandma Doty has given us her dining room table that seats 15 people, (Thanksgiving Dinner, here we come!), and a gorgeous lace table cloth to go with it. I have always wanted a room that is elegant and classy, even if it never gets used, and I think I am going to finally have one!
Sunday we had to go to the funeral of Jake’s Grandpa Doty’s older brother. I remember Jake saying how awkward it was for him going to my grandpa’s funeral because he didn’t know people and if we were not together people would ask who he was and on top of that people had to look around to find me because the last time that they had seen me I was 12, and on and on. Well, I can sympathize with him now. The Doty side of Jake’s family is sweet, and I really enjoy all of them. Jake’s grandma introduced me as her granddaughter, which melted my heart. The service was touching and very well done. I felt like an idiot for crying when I had never even met the deceased, but I really don’t deal well with death. The burial was worse. There were 4 chairs in front of the casket, reserved for the deceased son and his wife as well as the deceased younger sister and brother, Jake’s grandpa. Grandpa Doty let Grandma sit and eh stood behind her. You could see that he was upset at losing his brother and I tried not to look at him. During the service at the cemetery he cried, and I am not talking silent tears rolling down his face, I mean sobbing cries. I lost it. Afterwards everyone went out to eat at Richards in New Haven. There were 32 of us and 1 waiter. Not once did I have to go without coffee in my cup and the service was very prompt. We were all pleased. The highlight of the day was meeting Uncle Whitie, Jake’s grandma Doty’s brother. When we were introduced he pumped my hand firmly and said in the heartiest voice “Glad you go to meet me.” I laughed hysterically.
Funerals are like family reunions in a way. Life takes so much of our time that many of the family members get only cards for Christmas and birthdays, and in my family that often doesn’t happen. One of Dale’s cousins made the comment that they see each other for funerals and weddings only and unfortunately there are more funerals than weddings. Dale looked directly at me and announced that it was about time for a wedding. After that Jake and I were questioned relentlessly about how long we have been together and when we were planning on “taking the plunge”. Yet another awkward moment in time.
I don’t know about anyone else, but funerals wear me out! Between the crying and reminiscing and visiting and hugging and consoling. Sheesh! It wears me out to just think about it!
Monday we got a little bit of time to sleep in. Not much, but certainly more than usual. Dale came back up to work on the garage some more, but we still have a long way to go. Once it's done I am planning on having a garage sale, (so come and buy my junk...er, I mean, disguarged valuables). I am never going to get any time off if I don't stop adding more and more to my plate!
I was able to finish Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters over the long weekend. What a wonderful and fascinating woman! I can remember when I was younger my sister and I playing outside and I would set up a desk area with a couple of chairs and I would pretend that I was Barbara Walters and I would interview my sister. Her character changed every day. I would always feed her the answers that I wanted to. I would ask a question, and then I would say, "Okay, now you say..." My mom thought we were nuts. Rightly so I suppose, and I suppose we still are!
I left out one important event of our weekend on purpose. I wanted to save the best for last. Saturday and Sunday night we spent with Bob and Brenda, and I can't even begin to describe the wonderful time we both had! We sat around a fire and told stories and cooked hot dogs and smores, and I couldn't have been happier. We were there until the wee hours of Sunday morning, I think around 430, and back Sunday night at 930 until 130 or so. It feels so good to have friends that we can do that with again. Something we have not had in YEARS. (Really I don't think we have ever been so fortunate to have that.) We have differences, yes, but somehow it works without being forced to.
Well, that about sums it up. I know it sounds pretty dull to the rest of you out there, but considering my typical daily grind (work, gym, supper, laundry, walk dog, shower, read, in bed and asleep by 10), it is pretty fucking exciting.
I also wanted to add something else. I think it's too bad that people celebrate Memorial Day as only a Monday that they don't have to go to work. I am not excluding myself from this group. Just like Christmas and Easter, there is a reason for the extra day off and we need to remember the "reason for the season" or so to speak. God bless America and God bless the troops!
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