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Location: United Kingdom

Yes...this is ALL about me, and mine. Marvellously self indulgent, feel free to tell me how splendid I am, leave comments, nice ones please, I have little kids and teenagers who can do the rude stuff. I am a grandma, to the glorious Joshua, I'm allowed to look frazzled and weary, I earned it. The older I get, the more I see that hanging on and being patient is worth it! They ( whoever 'they' are) are so right when they say you never know what is around the corner, it isn't always an articulated truck! It is vital to make the time for making memories, friends are the greatest treasure, I love mine. I am rich!

Monday, December 24, 2007

Quite frankly....

I am just the gnats knickers.
I drove to Sacramento and around Sacramento, back from Sacramento and because it was quite obvious that i am perfectly brilliant at the whole driving around this enormous country thing, I drove through HOLLYWOOD! And then downtown LA and then back again.
I am still flabbergasted that if you turn right out of grandpa's road, turn right again a few yards up the road.....keep driving in a completely straight line for 416 miles, without turning or even veering slightly to the left...you will find yourself in Sacramento. Nothing in between but copious rest stops and fast food places and many farms, some of then with the stinkiest cows you ever dread driving past. What in the world??? Here you have 5 million people all living on top of each other, crushed in like ants and then just up the road you get 400 miles of open space and a few cows? Can't make head nor tail of it to be honest.
We had a good visit with grandma Nancy and her dog, Rio who hates children, chubby little poodle with the meanest disposition you can imagine meeting in a dog that looks like a duster. My foot was twitching to give it a short sharp shock into a world where you go to bite a kid, you learn pretty fast that it hurts you too, every time he went for the boys because they walked within 3 miles of a cracker he might want next week, grandma stroked him and told him he was OK and told the boys they shouldn't look at his cracker/toy/chair/front room/mommy. Good job she didn't leave me alone with it for long it'd learn what we do with mean little dogs ( which is shut them in the garage until nice little boys have gone home)
We went to H's aunties house for a get together and then we saw his mom's sisters.....such love and welcome there,they grabbed his cheeks and yelled 'HOWIE!' they squeezed him and kissed his face off, they asked him about his life in England, they had little presents for the boys, they bought soda and lollies, they pinched their cheeks and told them they loved them.
We saw Rob again and he was so much better, back at home with his medication and his mom checking his diet, he was much more like himself, still not quite right but at least not staring at the floor and hiding. He came with us to the Aunt's house and had fun, allowed the face pinching and photographs, he gave the most bizarre grin in all of them but at least he joined in.

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Seth, Isaac and Elijah all look a sandwich short of a picnic in this picture as well and that's the best one out of the bunch, heaven help us all.

We went to the Jelly Belly jelly bean factory....heaven for the boys as the jelly belly is the ultimate treat, really the only candy that they enjoy.
We took some great pictures and did the tour of the factory so they could see just how huge this jelly bean thing is!

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The boys loved Hollywood, we ate lunch in a diner, Isaac was in heaven with the juke boxes and their lunch arrived in cardboard cars of all things! We saw all kinds of activity on the main strip outside the Kodak theatre ( where they hold the finals of American Idol no less) we saw everyone from batman to chucky, all of then scared Elijah to death, he screamed the whole way down the strip! The only one not to make him scream was Spongebob squarepants. There were pirates and Catwoman ( who looked more like a dominatrix if I'm honest) there was Spiderman and The Joker, you name it, we saw it and Eli hated it!

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You can imagine how he reacted when we tried to get him into the Hollywood Wax museum, with the life size Gorilla and haunted house can't you? Isaac was so disgusted with his feeble whining he punched him in the head, which really helped cheer him up!

So, we made it home and then H's nieces and nephews arrived, they are so lovely, funny and beautiful, they had boyfriends and girlfriends with them, we ate and laughed, Melissa had shoes on that made Elijah go weak at the knees!! It wasn't long before he had them on and almost wept when he had to give them back!

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It was nearly 10pm before everyone left and so it's wonderful to be sitting her at last unwinding.
I can't believe that we have just 3 more days til we go home. the time has flown by although the Hotel seems such a long time ago already.
Jordan text me today to say he felt his baby kick for the first time! I am so excited about this baby and when we get home it will almost be time for the boy or girl scan....time is going so fast that s/he will be here before we know it. Such huge changes in our lives, so much to look forward to and work for. I have such hopes for 2008, so much to do!
I have been able not to worry about home, not to think about what we will do when we get back, whether to look for a new home, try and stay where we are......I just think that somehow we'll know what to do when the time is right.
Before I go to bed I have to share my favourite captured memory. Isaac has been a different child over here, completely unafraid and almost embarrassingly outgoing.....I caught him at a juke box in one of the many fast food places we have been in, my heart skips everytime I see it!

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

It almost makes me weep when I see how far Isaak has come. Did we ever think it would be so quickly? Love the picture of Eli and mostly the one of H and his boys. Rob looks pretty good in that one and so like his dad. Since your already this close whyu not just move to Florida so we can have some real fun?

12:30 pm  
Blogger Ranni said...

That would make my heart skip a beat as well! And does...so cute and wonderful. Glad to hear your Christmas was so enjoyable. That's the way it should be, and your poem (post above this one) reaffirms what I said about you writing children's stories. You're a whizz at it. :)

11:19 pm  

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