Time off is a virtue.
I have had the best past couple of days.
Thursday, I spent the day with G, just watching TV and hanging out. Then, I went to my parents' house to hang out with them for a bit. My mom seems to be doing a lot better. Her belly is shrinking back down to it's normal size, and her legs aren't as swollen at all. She's walking a lot better than she was. She still has to walk with her walker, but she's trying to work on walking with a cane. Her physical therapy is really helping her a lot. Her spirits are much better. She's laughing and talking a lot more than she was. She watched me and Buddy playing together and just sat there and smiled at us and laughed at how funny Buddy is. It made me feel a lot better, just being in her positive presence again.
I was attempting to get about $200 from Daddy for school stuff, because I have absolutely no money to spend on it myself, but I always feel so bad asking directly for money. I feel like a bum. Plus, I know Mom's hospital bills are insane, and I don't want to be a financial burden on them. If nothing else, I'll use some of my savings to buy the stuff for school, but I'm really trying to save that money for bigger things, and I don't have much in that account anyway. It's hard to save with so many bills, you know?
Yesterday, I spent the majority of the day with my grandfather, Jim. He doesn't like the title of "Grandpa" or anything of the sort because "it's not [his] name." So, we just call him Jim. We sat on the deck at his house and talked about everything imaginable for two hours straight. My grandparents love to work in the yard, and they have the prettiest backyard I've ever seen. Their lawn is perfectly green, their flowerbeds are impeccable, and even their lawn ornaments make you feel like you're at home. They design their backyard not only for aesthetic appeal, but for comfort of the animals that visit them. They love chipmunks, squirrels, and bunnies. They especially love birds. My grandfather refilled the birdbath with water twice when I was there because so many birds came and bathed in it that they splashed all the water out. You can point out any bird in the backyard and ask my grandparents what kind it is, and they will be able to tell you the name of the bird, whether it's male or female, what they eat, what their chirps sound like, and what kind of nests they build. It's pretty amazing.
My grandparents rescued a baby squirrel a year or two ago. They fed it, bathed it, played with it, and made sure it was well enough before they let it outside. They named it Sparky. Whenever they'd go outside and sit on the deck (one of my grandparents' favorite hobbies - they do it to enjoy the outdoors and birdwatch), they'd call for Sparky, and he'd come back up on the deck and play with them. Sparky wasn't afraid of people, and he'd crawl all over you playfully if you let him. You could feed him by hand, and he was the cutest squirrel I'd ever seen. Jim has this effect on any animal he comes across. He has a genuine love for any kind of animal, other than cats. He doesn't like cats because they kill the birds in the backyard. Jim has a BB gun for said cats.
We talked about everything you could imagine yesterday, and I can honestly say that it was one of the best and most meaningful conversations I've had in my life. Not necessarily because of the content, but because it was with one of the best people I've ever known, and it was the first long one on one conversation I've had with Jim since he's considered me an adult. I know in Jim's eyes I am still somewhat of a child, but he has enough respect for me to treat me like an adult. He knows I work hard and I'm doing my best at what I do, and I think in his eyes, having common sense, logic, and a strong work ethic is what you need to be successful in life. When I was little, Jim was really strict. You had to say "yes ma'am" and "no sir," and you were to respect your elders at all times. Jim didn't play around. You didn't talk back to him, or you would get in serious trouble. He intimidated me when I was little, and up until the past few years, I wasn't really sure he even liked me at all. But I've learned that Jim has a lot of love for everyone in the world - especially his family. He would do anything for his family.
We talked about religion, family, birds, dogs, cats, chipmunks, hair, tanning beds, marriage, weddings, people that cut themselves and grow worms in their wounds, my mom, my sister, my sister's ex fiance, my sister's ex husband, my sister's husband, my ex boyfriends, cigarettes, food, my aunt and cousin, my grandparents' crazy neighbors, lawn mowers, vegetable gardens, how to raise kids, how to maintain a successful marriage, medicine, doctors, tattoos, piercings, and everything in between.
Jim has a heart anneurism that could rupture at any moment. He is supposed to have surgery on it, but since Mom's been sick, he hasn't had it. If the anneurism bursts, it's the end of Jim. Just the thought of losing him makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry. I want him to get the surgery. I don't want to ever lose Jim. I just have so much respect for the man. He's really conservative, and he knows that I'm not, but he accepts that, and he ALWAYS welcomes me with open arms. We have differences in opinions, but we always laugh them off. He and Grandmother are two of the greatest people I have ever known.
After our long conversation, we went to dinner with my Grandmother and a family friend, Pris. There was a lady that was on some sort of drug and was about to pass out. It was entertaining, and she freaked my grandparents out. We left because they didn't want to be there if something bad happened to her.
When I went home, G came over and we talked until 2 AM, and then we watched The Pursuit of Happyness. I cried a little. It was the saddest movie I have ever seen. It made me appreciate every little thing I have. Talking to G for so long about everything was amazing. I'm so glad I have him, and I'm so thankful for all the friends I have made in the past few months. I never realized how many fake friends I had until I met the people I surround myself with now. I appreciate them more than they know, and they know who they are.
Heather, thanks for my Mika CD. I can't wait to listen to it!
Thursday, I spent the day with G, just watching TV and hanging out. Then, I went to my parents' house to hang out with them for a bit. My mom seems to be doing a lot better. Her belly is shrinking back down to it's normal size, and her legs aren't as swollen at all. She's walking a lot better than she was. She still has to walk with her walker, but she's trying to work on walking with a cane. Her physical therapy is really helping her a lot. Her spirits are much better. She's laughing and talking a lot more than she was. She watched me and Buddy playing together and just sat there and smiled at us and laughed at how funny Buddy is. It made me feel a lot better, just being in her positive presence again.
I was attempting to get about $200 from Daddy for school stuff, because I have absolutely no money to spend on it myself, but I always feel so bad asking directly for money. I feel like a bum. Plus, I know Mom's hospital bills are insane, and I don't want to be a financial burden on them. If nothing else, I'll use some of my savings to buy the stuff for school, but I'm really trying to save that money for bigger things, and I don't have much in that account anyway. It's hard to save with so many bills, you know?
Yesterday, I spent the majority of the day with my grandfather, Jim. He doesn't like the title of "Grandpa" or anything of the sort because "it's not [his] name." So, we just call him Jim. We sat on the deck at his house and talked about everything imaginable for two hours straight. My grandparents love to work in the yard, and they have the prettiest backyard I've ever seen. Their lawn is perfectly green, their flowerbeds are impeccable, and even their lawn ornaments make you feel like you're at home. They design their backyard not only for aesthetic appeal, but for comfort of the animals that visit them. They love chipmunks, squirrels, and bunnies. They especially love birds. My grandfather refilled the birdbath with water twice when I was there because so many birds came and bathed in it that they splashed all the water out. You can point out any bird in the backyard and ask my grandparents what kind it is, and they will be able to tell you the name of the bird, whether it's male or female, what they eat, what their chirps sound like, and what kind of nests they build. It's pretty amazing.
My grandparents rescued a baby squirrel a year or two ago. They fed it, bathed it, played with it, and made sure it was well enough before they let it outside. They named it Sparky. Whenever they'd go outside and sit on the deck (one of my grandparents' favorite hobbies - they do it to enjoy the outdoors and birdwatch), they'd call for Sparky, and he'd come back up on the deck and play with them. Sparky wasn't afraid of people, and he'd crawl all over you playfully if you let him. You could feed him by hand, and he was the cutest squirrel I'd ever seen. Jim has this effect on any animal he comes across. He has a genuine love for any kind of animal, other than cats. He doesn't like cats because they kill the birds in the backyard. Jim has a BB gun for said cats.
We talked about everything you could imagine yesterday, and I can honestly say that it was one of the best and most meaningful conversations I've had in my life. Not necessarily because of the content, but because it was with one of the best people I've ever known, and it was the first long one on one conversation I've had with Jim since he's considered me an adult. I know in Jim's eyes I am still somewhat of a child, but he has enough respect for me to treat me like an adult. He knows I work hard and I'm doing my best at what I do, and I think in his eyes, having common sense, logic, and a strong work ethic is what you need to be successful in life. When I was little, Jim was really strict. You had to say "yes ma'am" and "no sir," and you were to respect your elders at all times. Jim didn't play around. You didn't talk back to him, or you would get in serious trouble. He intimidated me when I was little, and up until the past few years, I wasn't really sure he even liked me at all. But I've learned that Jim has a lot of love for everyone in the world - especially his family. He would do anything for his family.
We talked about religion, family, birds, dogs, cats, chipmunks, hair, tanning beds, marriage, weddings, people that cut themselves and grow worms in their wounds, my mom, my sister, my sister's ex fiance, my sister's ex husband, my sister's husband, my ex boyfriends, cigarettes, food, my aunt and cousin, my grandparents' crazy neighbors, lawn mowers, vegetable gardens, how to raise kids, how to maintain a successful marriage, medicine, doctors, tattoos, piercings, and everything in between.
Jim has a heart anneurism that could rupture at any moment. He is supposed to have surgery on it, but since Mom's been sick, he hasn't had it. If the anneurism bursts, it's the end of Jim. Just the thought of losing him makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry. I want him to get the surgery. I don't want to ever lose Jim. I just have so much respect for the man. He's really conservative, and he knows that I'm not, but he accepts that, and he ALWAYS welcomes me with open arms. We have differences in opinions, but we always laugh them off. He and Grandmother are two of the greatest people I have ever known.
After our long conversation, we went to dinner with my Grandmother and a family friend, Pris. There was a lady that was on some sort of drug and was about to pass out. It was entertaining, and she freaked my grandparents out. We left because they didn't want to be there if something bad happened to her.
When I went home, G came over and we talked until 2 AM, and then we watched The Pursuit of Happyness. I cried a little. It was the saddest movie I have ever seen. It made me appreciate every little thing I have. Talking to G for so long about everything was amazing. I'm so glad I have him, and I'm so thankful for all the friends I have made in the past few months. I never realized how many fake friends I had until I met the people I surround myself with now. I appreciate them more than they know, and they know who they are.
Heather, thanks for my Mika CD. I can't wait to listen to it!