Monday, July 11, 2011

Good Things

Good things always come to those who wait.  And I am a very patient person.

Yesterday we had the most wonderful reunion with my Aunt Diane and Uncle Richard!  They have lived out of state nearly my entire life.  Now retired, they "summer" in North Carolina and "winter" in Florida.  I've always wanted to say something like that!  Sounds so Southern Belle like.  If only I had a fan and a glass of sweet tea in my hand...
It's funny how after all these years, they still look the same to me.  And it's was a treat to "get to know them" as real people too! 
The picture above was a visit from years ago.  The twins are their girls, Jill and Julie.  I have no clue which one is which!!  Then my cousin Lori, and goofy here is on the end.  When Lori and I were little, we looked forward to Grama bringing back all the girls clothes.  Not only did we love the hand-me-downs, we got to look like the twins too!  Albeit, a bit more compact version of them.  As you can see, being the same age didn't mean being the same height.  They stole all that!  There are only a few months between me and the twins!!
That's OK though, because yesterday, Aunt Diane realized the "all grown up" version of me, stole all the "something else" in the family.  I'll let you guess what that might be...

Aunt Bena and Uncle Wally are hosting them for the week and would you believe, we finally got Uncle Wally up here too?!  It took nearly 5 years and two other family members, but he made it!  I suppose he didn't want to see a darn green tractor!  Red-schmed!  :o)
The Famn Damily
Aunt Diane and Uncle Richard wanted to "see our farm".  I had to laugh because, sure it's a farm, just an itty-bitty one compared to their 50+ acres.  She always tells me she spent all her growing up years wanting to "get off that farm!" and now that she is retired, all she ever wanted was to 'get back to it'.  And she did.  :o)

My hopes are that if Uncle Richard comes up with a few things that need doing at their place, it will convince Pig Pen to make a trip.  It's no joke that he has to have something to do.  A nice "sit and visit" only goes so far with him and he has to move.  Or sleep.  He doesn't sleep much.

One thing I learned yesterday, is that my Aunt Diane and I have a bit more in common than I realized.  She calls it like she sees it.  I loved that about her!  Uncle Richard is about the kindest man in the world.  I love big, squishy hugs and he's darn good at it!

It was a hoot to sit and listen to "The Girls" reminisce about old times. 
Aunt Bena, Aunt Diane, Mom
I about bust a gut when they told the story of Mom and Aunt Diane on the potty chairs.
Use your imagination.
As the story goes, they were sitting on their chairs and apparently there was a wire close by.  I am guessing a hanger-type wire or something.  Nothing electrical in nature.

Mom asked Aunt Diane, "I wonder what that wire would feel like in my ear?"

Aunt Diane promptly obliged and poked it in her ear!!!

Aunt Diane said she was only doing what the ole nag (cleaned up version) asked for!  For this, she got the one and only spanking Grampa ever gave her. 

I laughed so hard!  Kids!

And lastly, another nice surprise that seems to run in the family as well.  Forget the knick-knacks or other chotchskies, I made Aunt Diane a special order purse -and forgot to take a picture of it!  However, Aunt Diane came bearing gifts that are sure to please any one of us:
Now that's the way to my heart for sure!  Straight out of her garden...I ate my first tomato sandwich of the season, and it wasn't even my own!  It sure tasted good!!! 

Hats off to my family!  I had THE BEST time with all of you!  I love you!

14 comments:

  1. I am so glad you had the opportunity to enjoy time with your family. It seems families do not take the time to do this much anymore. I love to hear the old stories. Your family is precious...enjoy them while you can. The tomatoes look to die for.....Blessings and have a great day!

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  2. It looks like you had a real nice time. It was so nice that you all could finally get together. I would just keep the sharp things and wire hidden.

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  3. Patty, I wish everyone would write down the old stories. They always make you smile. The thought of losing them all just makes my heart break.

    Jane, now that I know sharp pointy objects are dangerous in this family, I will put kid-locks on everything!

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  4. I love the old stories of the golden days even if its me telling them now!is that the original "potty chair" ? I think you got the dimples.Your cuteness as a child shows up in the grown-up you!-we are having a similar big tadoo in aug. Since my brother's wife is fighting the big"c " and fighting hard. So there are some really good friends of the family have 8 acres on the crow river. We all got a actual e-vote-love them bring your canoes,kayak,tent and have a big blow out. [ I don't think I'll fit in the kayak anymore]

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  5. Judy, not the original potty chair but I sure wish it was! I will say a prayer for your brothers wife and hope that her fight stays strong! It sounds like you are in for a wonderful time!! All sorts of things to do for the reunion. So maybe the kayak is out, but I bet a they could rustle you up a row boat! Go for it!

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  6. Family stories are so neat to hear. My mom had a book called "To the Best of my Recollection"-and it had pages you filled out about different memories, etc. It's a favorite of mine, because it tells me different stories about our family and now that she's gone, I can still have a bit of her with me.

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  7. Sounds like a fun time! I couldn't wait to get off my parent's farm either when I left home, what WAS I thinking??? LOL

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  8. I can tell you had a great time! What beautiful pictures, and such awesome memories. Thanks for sharing!
    ~~Lori

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  9. The "something else" looks darn good on you, Little Girlie! You are so fortunate to have the close, loving family as you do. But it just goes right along with the loving person you are.

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  10. Family get togethers are great, talking about old times, having a lot of fun with each other,seeing everyone again, now thats why I love family get togethers!!!

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  11. Sue, are those the little spiral bound ones? If so, I got one for my mom and dad. Pretty sure neither of them has it finished for me yet! I am sure you treasure yours and thank your lucky stars every day that she wrote it all down for you. xoxo

    Erin, you must have suffered from a long term temporary insanity. So very glad you came back around! It just wouldn't be as much fun without you here!

    Lori, I wish we saw each other more often cuz it really was a blast! But I will take what I can get and treasure it!

    MamaPea...heheee, you would go there right along with me, huh? ;)

    Pops, twenty two years roughly...all worth the wait - making it that much sweeter.

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  12. So glad you got the chance to visit. Family gatherings (the ones you WANT to happen) are few and far between, so I'm glad you got to have this one! Great to hear the reminiscing! :)

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  13. What a great blog. We had so much fun with you and the pig pen. We loved your little farm and all your critters. You are a very special girl with many, many talents. Thanks for a day Rich and I will remember forever. Love you and Adam and Mom dearly

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  14. So glad you got to spend time with them! If it helps, let Pig Pen know you guys can stop here in NC and he and my husband can have fun playing with the really big Tonka toys my husband can get from his work! Then you and I can hang out in the pool (or the spa if we have it running again by then) :-)

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