(no subject)
Happy Memorial Day!
I have had a pretty fantastic weekend. A big part of that had to do with Eric coming home Friday night. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite for good, but more on that in a moment. (Got a little TL;DR so I'm cutting to spare your friend's list)
My weekend started early Friday morning when I dropped the boys off at a friend's house so she could take them to school while I went down to the Point Pleasant boardwalk to go to WPLJ's summer kick-off party. I've wanted to do that since I moved down here, but I ran into a problem (or forgot about it) each year. However, this year Collective Soul was playing so I wanted to make a real effort to get there this year. My brother had the day off, so I met him there. I ended up getting there about halfway through Collective Soul's set. I went into the area of the bar that they were playing, caught a glimpse of the top of their heads, and then found my brother in the front room by the bar. We then waited way too long and paid way too much for a screwdriver, as I watched Collective Soul's last couple of songs on one of the many TVs. It definitely wasn't the best concert experience I had, but it beat going to work. The crowd and sleep deprivation (since he was one of the dumbasses that thought it would be a good idea to get in line at 2 AM) was starting to get to him, so we left the club and walked around the beach. Next year if I do this again, I'm going to bring a beach chair and park myself on the sand instead of fighting the bar crowd. We then hung out in the arcade for about an hour. I have to admit I had a blast as I got the chance to play the games I wanted to, and didn't have to worry about entertaining kids.
I got home at about 10:30 and then putzed around the house waiting for Eric to call. The plan was for him to finish up that morning and then be on a flight from Norfolk to Philly by that night. He called me a little before noon and told me he ran into a major dental issue. Of all things to derail his checkout process it was a bum tooth. During the routine dental exam, they found what they thought was a cavity but turned out to be a much bigger problem. He needs to have the tooth pulled, and at least a temporary fix put in place before they will sign off on him. At least he found out this news in time to at least salvage the weekend. After some debate we decided the best and easiest way was for him to buy a one way ticket home. I was disappointed we weren't getting a true homecoming, and upset that this mobilization was turning into a never ending process.
The rest of the day went by in a blur. I decided to call it a homecoming with a technicality, and hung up a welcome home sign my son made the night before and ran to the store to get patriotic balloons. I then had to go to my kids' school to meet with my younger son's child study team for his evaluation. That was frustrating as he continues to toe the line between 'normal' and needing help. I then got my kids who were anxious for news about their father. We then drove out to a Veterans Cemetery to help lay flags on the grave sites. This was the second time we've participated in it, and it is such a moving event. It really helps kick off Memorial Day weekend. We then got dinner at a diner that a coworker of mine had been raving about for months, and then headed for the airport.
We arrived just in time for the arrival of Eric's flight. In fact, he had to call us to tell us where he was, as I had gotten almost hopelessly lost in the airport. We ended up running into him at the baggage claim. Again, my younger son went running into his arms screaming "Daddy!" which just made the whole ordeal worth it. It was a long ride home, but traffic free, and it went fast. The boys were engrossed in a DVD while Eric and I talked the whole way back. I told him about our younger son's school issues, and my grandfather's major health issues, and we talked about our house that refuses to sell, and what's going on at work, and how my mom puts what is probably an unreasonable burden on my shoulders. Before we knew it we were pulling into our driveway, the kids went to bed and we got some much needed alone time.
Saturday we hit the mall and the movies. He took the boys to see Night at the Museum, and I finally got to see Wolverine. He had already lowered my expectations by telling me all of the parts he didn't like about the movie. So therefore, I really enjoyed it. After the movies, I did some shopping as I've lost over twenty pounds the last few months and really need some pants and shorts that fit. I was so excited to buy a pair of shorts from Old Navy in a size smaller than I usually get. We then went home, and headed to the community park for a pre-dinner workout.
For dinner we went out with my father, grandmother and great uncle and aunt that had come in from Italy for the week. My mother stayed home to watch my grandfather, and to give my grandmother a much needed break. We went to a place that I never found to be really good. But it is decent, local, and you can usually get a table so it is a favored location of ours. We found out that at some point they had changed the menus, but we all found stuff order. They must have also changed chefs, because the food was incredible. My dad and I kept saying how surprised we were with how good the meal was. Then, the really cool part was that in the back of the menu was a sheet saying they were proud of our military men and women, and anyone with military ID would get a free meal. So Eric showed his to the waitress, when he ordered. At the end of the meal the owner/manager came over to talk to Eric about his time in the military. He told him how he had been in Germany the last seven months and had only just gotten back. The manager then handed him a gift certificate entitling all eight of us to a free Sunday brunch that they do every week.
Sunday was a barbecue at my uncle's house. It was a big ordeal just getting us all to leave because we were taking my grandfather on his first long car trip since his stay in the hospital / rehab center last month. It was something my mother didn't want to do, but his hospice nurse encouraged it, and once we actually got there we realized it was a good thing we did. The weather was beautiful at first, and the four of us took full advantage of my uncle's pool and hot tub. It was also nice to spend time with my uncle, ex-aunt and cousins. We took a family photo before we left, which is a nice memory to have.
We got home at about 7, and there was enough time for Eric and the boys to continue honing their skills on Rock Band. I was so happy to have him back and to listen to the three of them have fun together. I'm sure in another couple of weeks I'm going to be sick of listening to Rock Band songs, but for now it's pretty nice.
Today turned into errand day. Eric and my older son went for a run before breakfast, and then I took advantage of still having an adult in the house and ran to the grocery store for kids free food shopping. After another couple of songs on Rock Band, in which I crashed the trio by adding my vocals, he left at about noon. If all goes well he should be back by Wednesday afternoon / evening. Hopefully, worst case is Thursday. But here it is, only four hours after he left, and I'm trying not to think about how much I miss him. Instead I've been throwing myself into my to-do list. I took a break about an hour ago, when I went out back with my laptop and a beer and composed this entry.
My brother went to Charlotte to see the Nascar race. He's had nothing but rain, and the last I heard they are still trying to get the race in today in between rain. I had to send him a picture text showing how bright the sun was shining here. Now I'm debating - should I have another beer? I promised myself the last one was it, but it is a holiday...
I have had a pretty fantastic weekend. A big part of that had to do with Eric coming home Friday night. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite for good, but more on that in a moment. (Got a little TL;DR so I'm cutting to spare your friend's list)
My weekend started early Friday morning when I dropped the boys off at a friend's house so she could take them to school while I went down to the Point Pleasant boardwalk to go to WPLJ's summer kick-off party. I've wanted to do that since I moved down here, but I ran into a problem (or forgot about it) each year. However, this year Collective Soul was playing so I wanted to make a real effort to get there this year. My brother had the day off, so I met him there. I ended up getting there about halfway through Collective Soul's set. I went into the area of the bar that they were playing, caught a glimpse of the top of their heads, and then found my brother in the front room by the bar. We then waited way too long and paid way too much for a screwdriver, as I watched Collective Soul's last couple of songs on one of the many TVs. It definitely wasn't the best concert experience I had, but it beat going to work. The crowd and sleep deprivation (since he was one of the dumbasses that thought it would be a good idea to get in line at 2 AM) was starting to get to him, so we left the club and walked around the beach. Next year if I do this again, I'm going to bring a beach chair and park myself on the sand instead of fighting the bar crowd. We then hung out in the arcade for about an hour. I have to admit I had a blast as I got the chance to play the games I wanted to, and didn't have to worry about entertaining kids.
I got home at about 10:30 and then putzed around the house waiting for Eric to call. The plan was for him to finish up that morning and then be on a flight from Norfolk to Philly by that night. He called me a little before noon and told me he ran into a major dental issue. Of all things to derail his checkout process it was a bum tooth. During the routine dental exam, they found what they thought was a cavity but turned out to be a much bigger problem. He needs to have the tooth pulled, and at least a temporary fix put in place before they will sign off on him. At least he found out this news in time to at least salvage the weekend. After some debate we decided the best and easiest way was for him to buy a one way ticket home. I was disappointed we weren't getting a true homecoming, and upset that this mobilization was turning into a never ending process.
The rest of the day went by in a blur. I decided to call it a homecoming with a technicality, and hung up a welcome home sign my son made the night before and ran to the store to get patriotic balloons. I then had to go to my kids' school to meet with my younger son's child study team for his evaluation. That was frustrating as he continues to toe the line between 'normal' and needing help. I then got my kids who were anxious for news about their father. We then drove out to a Veterans Cemetery to help lay flags on the grave sites. This was the second time we've participated in it, and it is such a moving event. It really helps kick off Memorial Day weekend. We then got dinner at a diner that a coworker of mine had been raving about for months, and then headed for the airport.
We arrived just in time for the arrival of Eric's flight. In fact, he had to call us to tell us where he was, as I had gotten almost hopelessly lost in the airport. We ended up running into him at the baggage claim. Again, my younger son went running into his arms screaming "Daddy!" which just made the whole ordeal worth it. It was a long ride home, but traffic free, and it went fast. The boys were engrossed in a DVD while Eric and I talked the whole way back. I told him about our younger son's school issues, and my grandfather's major health issues, and we talked about our house that refuses to sell, and what's going on at work, and how my mom puts what is probably an unreasonable burden on my shoulders. Before we knew it we were pulling into our driveway, the kids went to bed and we got some much needed alone time.
Saturday we hit the mall and the movies. He took the boys to see Night at the Museum, and I finally got to see Wolverine. He had already lowered my expectations by telling me all of the parts he didn't like about the movie. So therefore, I really enjoyed it. After the movies, I did some shopping as I've lost over twenty pounds the last few months and really need some pants and shorts that fit. I was so excited to buy a pair of shorts from Old Navy in a size smaller than I usually get. We then went home, and headed to the community park for a pre-dinner workout.
For dinner we went out with my father, grandmother and great uncle and aunt that had come in from Italy for the week. My mother stayed home to watch my grandfather, and to give my grandmother a much needed break. We went to a place that I never found to be really good. But it is decent, local, and you can usually get a table so it is a favored location of ours. We found out that at some point they had changed the menus, but we all found stuff order. They must have also changed chefs, because the food was incredible. My dad and I kept saying how surprised we were with how good the meal was. Then, the really cool part was that in the back of the menu was a sheet saying they were proud of our military men and women, and anyone with military ID would get a free meal. So Eric showed his to the waitress, when he ordered. At the end of the meal the owner/manager came over to talk to Eric about his time in the military. He told him how he had been in Germany the last seven months and had only just gotten back. The manager then handed him a gift certificate entitling all eight of us to a free Sunday brunch that they do every week.
Sunday was a barbecue at my uncle's house. It was a big ordeal just getting us all to leave because we were taking my grandfather on his first long car trip since his stay in the hospital / rehab center last month. It was something my mother didn't want to do, but his hospice nurse encouraged it, and once we actually got there we realized it was a good thing we did. The weather was beautiful at first, and the four of us took full advantage of my uncle's pool and hot tub. It was also nice to spend time with my uncle, ex-aunt and cousins. We took a family photo before we left, which is a nice memory to have.
We got home at about 7, and there was enough time for Eric and the boys to continue honing their skills on Rock Band. I was so happy to have him back and to listen to the three of them have fun together. I'm sure in another couple of weeks I'm going to be sick of listening to Rock Band songs, but for now it's pretty nice.
Today turned into errand day. Eric and my older son went for a run before breakfast, and then I took advantage of still having an adult in the house and ran to the grocery store for kids free food shopping. After another couple of songs on Rock Band, in which I crashed the trio by adding my vocals, he left at about noon. If all goes well he should be back by Wednesday afternoon / evening. Hopefully, worst case is Thursday. But here it is, only four hours after he left, and I'm trying not to think about how much I miss him. Instead I've been throwing myself into my to-do list. I took a break about an hour ago, when I went out back with my laptop and a beer and composed this entry.
My brother went to Charlotte to see the Nascar race. He's had nothing but rain, and the last I heard they are still trying to get the race in today in between rain. I had to send him a picture text showing how bright the sun was shining here. Now I'm debating - should I have another beer? I promised myself the last one was it, but it is a holiday...