world's longest post.......with pics

Hey everybody!  I baaaaaack!

I'm trying to get back in the groove of normal life here.  I don't have any new stamping to show today, so if you don't want to stick around, I guess I understand (said with a pouty face). 

As some of you know, I was really dreading this trip to Iowa.  Not because I didn't want to see my Grandma but because I had to leave my family and get on many planes.  Lets just say, my dad packed some Valium (2 mg. Grandma dose) and I was A-Okay. 

Without hyperventilating, I left on Easter and landed in Phoenix (because you can NOT get a straight flight anywhere) to the news of a HUGE earthquake in So. Cal.  I called the hubs and he said everything was alright, although his mother almost lost the huge gilt mirror that hangs over the couch.  Us Californians are built ready for earthquakes. 

I got to Albuquerque just fine. 

Spent the night at dad's and left again in the morning for Iowa.  You know, the Albuquerque airport is really very nice. 

My dad can't travel alone ( I'll discuss this at a later time) and needs a wheelchair to walk farther than 10 feet.

I needed to tell you that so I can tell you this:

We landed in Denver and the lady that brought us the wheelchair was either a line backer for the Denver Broncos or was training for a 10K because she was hoofing it all over that airport to get us to the next gate.  Its a huge airport!  Dad was afraid she was going to take out a few people if they didn't get out of her way.    I was like, "Dude, I'll catch ya down there."  Yeah, I was sweating by the time we sat down again. 

Dad and I on one of the many planes.  I had to take the aisle seat. 

Anyhow, we made it to West Des Moines, Iowa in one piece without me having a claustrophobic induced panic attack.  Dad was very grateful. 

 

 Jeni and her mom Twyla

My sweet cousin Jeni picked us up.  I had never met Jeni.  She wasn't born the last time I was there.  But she is absolutely adorable.  I also love her mom.  She is the same age my mother would have been. 

Anyhow, we got to Grandma's.  

                                             

She was so happy to see us.  I know she doesn't look too happy right here but trust me.....she had been looking forward to us coming for awhile. 

My brother showed up on Tuesday.  We had to share a hotel room.  It went much better than I thought,  EXCEPT he wants to sleep until noon everyday!  I was forever telling him to GET UP!   I'm sure he was so happy to get back home and away from me. :)  Its always amazed me how 2 kids can be brought up in the same house with the same parents and turn out so different.

We visited 3 different cemetaries.  I thought this was kind of a cool pic.  This is my Grandpa's headstone with space for my Grandma.  Thats her shadow across it. 

We were also able to visit the houses where my Grandpa grew up, my Grandma grew up, both houses that my Dad grew up in, the cemetery where they used to play, the high school and elementary school.  Time seems to stand still in certain parts of town. It was really kinda neat.  I wish we could have gone in one of the houses.

You can't really see it too well, maybe if you click on the pic, but there are these water towers everywhere.  My Grandpa worked for the water works company. 

Isn't she pretty?  Thursday was Grandma's birthday.  She is 90 years young.  This is champagne cake.  I'd never heard of it before.  Being someone who doesn't really care for sweets, I thought it was okay.  But everyone else seemed to love it! 

Me, Paul, John, Jeni, Grandma and David

I didn't ask my cousins permission to post this pic so I hope I don't get in trouble.  These are all the grandkids.  Not very many huh?  Grandma has lots of great-grandkids though. 

This is one of those kids.  Olivia is 19 months old and a pistol!  Heaven help them when they have another baby.  She is so cute and smart!


I also experienced ham balls for the first time.  "We're having what?"  Yeah, these had to be explained to me. 

There is a dining room upstairs from Grandma's apartment and she got to dictate the menu for the week, since we were coming and all.  And so we had ham balls on our last night there.  Too bad I didn't get a pic.  I'm assuming this is a midwest kinda thing because I've never heard of them before. 

They are like meatballs but made with ground ham.  I looked at Twyla and said, "So you can go in the store and just buy a pound of ground ham?" 

She looked at me like I was nuts.  "Yeah, no problem."

They had a sweet ketchupy sauce on them.  They were good but unusual.  I couldn't wait to call home and tell the hubs that I had ham balls for dinner.  He thought it was hilarious!  We are easily entertained, remember?

                                                                  Dad and Grandma

Anyhow, it was a super long day getting home.  I spent over 12 hours in airports, got on 4 planes and visited the Denver airport twice in one day.  No straight flights, remember?  I'm so glad to be home. 

They seem to miss me too.  They were sure happy to have the cook back. 

Now I have some stamping to catch up on.  I certainly have alot of scrapping to do.  I just need to get my groove back. 

Thanks so much for checking in and keeping the blog warm while I was gone.  I'll get some new stuff up ASAP.

Blessings, b.