After another fun filled weekend, I was not ready to go back to work on Monday. However, needs must, and I went in around six thirty in the morning so that I could leave a little earlier in the afternoon. Samantha had promised to take Richard and Steph to the range, as Monday is 'ladies day'.I did manage to come home for half an hour at lunchtime, and watched as my elder grandson finally swam unaided, and a reasonable length. He was rather pleased with himself, and we all applauded with enthusiasm.
Bringing work home with me would have been a good idea, if both boys were asleep, and if I had managed to work out how to use the programme that I have on my computer to generate paperwork! As I found the 'allow to edit' button, which I pressed, and found I was now able to work at the speed I am used to when creating a document, Jamie started to whimper, and Ollie asked, "Where's my mummy?" At least I would be able to take advantage of this at another time! With a folder full of work, still undone, I had other priorities. "Perhaps we should go for a walk", was a suggestion that was approved by my elder grandson.
Walking up the hill in our complex, on a Sunday morning, is reasonably tough. However, walking up the hill, pushing a 'stroller' containing two small humans, is slightly more burdensome. One of my neighbour's spotted me, and shouted words of encouragement. "Push, push", he said, as he jogged across the road in front of me. I could not answer as I was putting all my energy into doing just that! Once at the top, I managed to catch my breath, and then realised I was going to have to come down the steep hill, keeping hold of the 'stroller', and keeping my balance. I was not sure which was more difficult; going up, or coming down!
A phone call from my daughter, letting me know that they intended to go to the mall, from the range, was not unexpected. Yes, I was managing quite well on my own, thank you, and no, I was not panicking, as there was nothing to panic about. We were just about to have a bath, and then some dinner. I was sure that by the time they arrived home, everything that needed to be accomplished would have been accomplished.
Bath time was indeed accomplished. My bathroom did resemble the changing room at a public swimming pool, after a whole school had used it when competing in a gala, and forgotten to take their wet belongings with them, but the task of bathing was done!
Dinner was the easy part. I had the pasta already prepared, and I just needed to heat it up. Keeping two small individuals occupied whilst trying to get it ready was a slight challenge, as watching one attempting to crawl into the bookcase was easier than keeping an eye on the other, who seemed to be able to 'transport' himself from one end of the room to the other without taking a step! "What does this do?", was responded to with the now familiar words of, "Don't touch!" With both boys sitting on my kitchen chairs, one in a high chair attached, I took up my position on the 'ice chest', and fed the little one as the bigger one fed himself. "Can I have some of Jamie's?" was a question I had not heard before. Usually Jamie is happy to finish what Ollie doesn't eat, but it appeared that my macaroni cheese had won first prize once again!
A phone call from my daughter to say they were leaving the mall and on their way to pick up Edward, was not unexpected. They would be a little longer than anticipated, but they were finally on their way. Yes, I was managing quite well on my own, thank you, and no, I was not panicking, as there was nothing to panic about. We had had our bath, and were just finishing dinner!
By the time the entourage reached home, Jamie was asleep in his chair, and Ollie was playing in his cardboard castle. The house looked as if it had been ransacked, but happy faces indicated all was well. The shopping trip had been successful, and everyone was hungry.
I suggested we go to Jim's as it was easy to get to, there would not be a queue, and it was getting late. Although Samantha and Edward are not partial to the diner, Richard and Steph were not averse, and Dana was in agreement. We took two cars, and got there quite quickly. Beckoned to a large booth in the back, we all walked down through the restaurant and took our places. The waiter was new. Very new. In fact, I am not sure whether he had actually taken anyone's order before us, and I was not sure as to his writing skills. He was certainly not familiar with the menu, and was finding it hard to keep up with the pace! All orders were given, and someone asked if we could have an order of mozzarella sticks to begin with, as well as an ice-cream for Ollie. Our waiter nodded, and then went to place the order.
"What sides do you want with yours?", he asked Edward, after Edward had given his order, with usual Edward precision. He repeated his request, and the waiter nodded and returned to the counter. "What sides did you want?", he asked Steph as he reappeared at the table, without us noticing. She repeated her request, and once again, he returned to the counter. He returned four more times to ask the rest of us individual questions. I started to giggle.
After an inordinate amount of time, and lack of refills for our drinks, Dana caught our waiter's attention, and asked if our meals were coming any time soon. Without hesitation, he answered, "No", and went to walk away. Steph and I started to giggle. He turned, and came back to the table. "I just asked the chefs, and they said no", he said, as if this was perfectly acceptable. Fortunately, he saw fit to go and report our unruly behaviour to the manager. Danny is a great manager, and has often come to sit with us, whilst we are having dinner. Although I am not accustomed to this in most places, it is 'what he does', and it is accepted by all. Danny's response was to firstly go into the kitchen and 'chivvy up' the chef. He then came to our table, made sure our drinks were refreshed, and double check on what we ordered. The meal came out very quickly afterwards, minus the mozzarella sticks. They were nowhere to be seen, and by that time, it did not matter. Dinner was delicious, despite being rather long in arriving.
Although work was busier than usual on Tuesday, I took a lot of time off to spend with the kids. We met them at Chick-Fil-A for lunch, as raindrops started to fall. We watched as Ollie spent most of the time with other kids in the play area, and Steph questioned the airline about her seats for the return flight, which had been selected by the airline without the thought of her travelling with an infant. After nearly an hour of asking why she was not able to secure the relevant seat needed to house the bassinet she finally gave up. The rain started to pound the pavement, and we headed out for a final trip to Walmart.
Samantha and I returned to work in the afternoon, and I did as much as I could in the short period of time left. We returned home, and the rain was still pouring. "Can we go swimming?" asked Steph. "Don't see why not", I responded. We walked down to the pool, in the pouring rain, and jumped in without a second thought. "Will your neighbours think you are mad?" asked Steph. "They already do", I responded. I told her that if they saw someone in the pool, they may wonder a little, but as soon as they saw the white cap, they would say, "Oh it's only the Englishwoman"! We swam for about fifteen minutes, and then heard a slight thunder rumble, which started to become more frequent. Electricity is not our friend when in the water, so we quit. It had been a good experience.
Dinner was at the Iron Cactus, and Ollie asked if I could go into the kitchen and show them how to make 'cheesy pasta'. I took that as a great compliment! We all enjoyed our meal, and it was ordered, served and eaten far quicker than the previous evening.
Wednesday was a sad day. After breakfast, we returned home, and Samantha and I occupied the boys while Steph and Richard packed away their belongings. We all drove to the airport, and the nice lady at the check-in desk made sure Steph had an adequate seat, and blocked off the third seat in a separate row so that Richard and Ollie could have a little more space. We walked them to the security area, and watched them go through, waving continually. One of the guards started to wave back. We smiled through tears, and responded to his gesture. When they finally were out of sight, Samantha and I walked back to the car, eyes blurred, and noses sniffling. It had been a wonderful two weeks, but all good things have to come to an end. I returned to work, and put in a couple of hours before heading home.
With Ollie telling everyone 'howdy y'all', and asking for 'wadder', together with Steph and Richard thanking us with a 'Ma'am' and 'Sir' at the end of the sentence, I felt that they had mastered the necessity for changing language very quickly, something that I have resisted, unless absolutely necessary. They both agreed that the break was, indeed, a vacation, and the weather had been perfect for almost all of the trip, allowing them to take advantage of the pool, and surrounding parks. They had visited so many places I knew not existed!
Thursday was a little strange. I packed away the cardboard castle, deflated inflatables that we had taken to the pool, washed a mountain of bedclothes and towels, and vacuumed, dusted and cleaned before going to work. I left around 10am, had my nails painted, and then returned and worked until 7:30pm. My kitchen still needed some attention, but I was not going to rid my house of all memories on the first day, and went to bed thoroughly exhausted, with a repeat performance to take place, minus the nails, and including a lunchtime walk to the shops, on Friday.
Saturday morning I felt a little lost. Samantha said she would not be arriving early, and I wandered around wondering what to do next, as if I had not had a routine for years. However, after a while I managed to pull myself together, and 'upstairs' returned to pre-visit times, with everything back to 'standard operating procedure'. A trip to Costco, Dollar Tree and Walmart brought me back to reality with a big bump. I swam, and read for a bit, in the afternoon, although my concentration was not at full capacity.
Fall has stormed in with a vengeance, and the temperature has dropped quite dramatically. The need for cardigans and jackets has become apparent, and the leaves are starting to turn colour, before dropping in scores from the trees. The sky, although a beautiful blue, has taken on that 'end of year' watery appearance, and the mornings are reluctant to ease in before seven thirty. It is as if the weather knew my family was going home, and is commiserating.
Next week is going to be busy. No visitors, no unusual activity expected, just work. Without the extra 'man' to fill the desk that was vacated a month ago, I am having to 'fill the gap'. There will be no doubt a few minutes here, or there, to breathe, and I shall take full advantage. As normal service is resumed, I shall be back here, same time, same place, for ..... another story!
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