Good Times

This weekend went by way too fast! Friday was amazing! I was there by 9am and didn't leave until 11:45am. It was just what this momma needed. I then met Holly what was suppose to be for lunch, but we spent all our time registering for her baby registry. After much thought and consideration she is letting me throw her one. Thanks, Sis!! It was so fun to see all the little things again and all the new things they have. Holly was amazed and we spent a lot of time going over things that wasn't available when she had Cassidy. There are so many options, and even the one she did pick out the baby may not even like it. She said that when she was pregnant with Cassidy all she wanted was cute clothes for her, and now she is more interested in butt paste, fever reducer, and the new thermometers they have. We had to laugh.

Randy had a softball game on Friday night and it was his turn to bring the brats and hot dogs. So I stopped by the grocery store and bought 60 hot dogs. There are 12 guys on the team and then all their wives and kids. I only brought two packs of hot dogs home. But, it sure was windy at least 30mph winds. Karenza was so dirty that I gave her a bath at 10:30 at night because she was running around at the park without her shoes on in the sand. That is part of being a kid and enjoying summer I guess. Then on Saturday Cassidy had a soccer jamboree all day by our house and so we went to that from 12-3pm. It was windy still and I had a jacket on Karenza but I just had a short sleeve shirt on and didn't realize until I got home that I got sunburned on my face and neck! (My neck is still hurting like crazy, and I have had a heck of a time trying to lay my head/neck on my pillow!). Karenza didn't get sunburned thank goodness, but I didn't even think to bring sunblock. I now have a nice farmers tan on my arms that I may have to even out with a tanning bed soon! :-) We did get Tasha to babysit on Saturday but she worked until 5:00 so I picked her up at 5:30 and Randy went with our bets we had talked about to the horse races. Karenza couldn't wait to get me out of the house so she could play with Tasha. When I was leaving I told Karenza to lock the door behind me and she had the Hungry Hungry Hippos game in one hand already. They sure had fun! As for the horse races, I was the only one who won off of one of my bets and I raked in a whole $20.20 off a $6.00 bet! By the time I got up there it was over, but that's okay. I was there for 2 minutes and we decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings with Holly and Jeremy. I hadn't been out in so long, and I definitely hadn't been to Buffalo Wild Wings lately. The beer was good, but the food just didn't hit the spot for me. Since there weren't any basketball games on we decided to leave after our food was done. We had 40th anniversary party for some family friends at 7:30pm, but before we headed there we stopped by Expressway Suites Lounge. This has always been Hol and Jer's spot. Holly and I wanted to play pull tabs a little bit. We each put in $10.00 first, so Holly took her first $20 for both of us and played and we only got one $2 play back and so I put it back in and got nothing. So then I took my $20.00 and put it in and we won $100! So we were happy and left after that to go to the party. We got to the party at about 7:45pm and my Mom and Dad were there and some family friends that we hadn't seen in a while. It's always nice to catch up with them. Mom and Dad left at about 10:30 because Dad has been so tired from working such long hours (it's his busy season). So Randy and I said that we weren't sure our daughter was in bed and that she would be so upset if we went home. Randy was hungry again so we decided to run through Wendy's he grab some food and I grabbed a frosty and we sat in the truck to try and waste time to not go home. We just had to laugh!! We got home at 12:00am and both girls were sleeping so we were safe. We then took Tasha home in the morning as she had to work at 11am.

Mom called at about 1pm on Sunday asking us what we were doing and if we wanted to ride along to the cemetery for my Grandpa and Grandma Robinson to put flowers on their grave for Memorial Day. Randy had softball scrimmage at 4:30pm and I didn't really feel like going so Karenza and I decided to go. Mental note to self - bring color books, colors, reading books, toys, blanket, anything to keep a three year old pre-occupied. Mom and Dad picked us up at 1:30pm and Dad dropped us off at 6:00 and she talked the WHOLE TIME! I am not exaggerating either. It got to the point where it wasn't funny anymore and I even got upset with her. It didn't help that Papa was in the backseat with her either. I drove on the way home from the cemetery and my Mom told My Dad that is was okay to make her listen. My Dad said "I did tell her." I happened to be looking in the rear view mirror and didn't see him tell her. He had his arm around her smiling! Those Papa's!! On the way back we stopped at the Plant (where my Dad has his business) because he had to grab a couple things. Well, Karenza can never be further then two steps behind my dad and when she got out to go inside the plant with them Mom asked me if I was going to get out. I just said "The peace and quiet sounds so nice right now even if it's only for 5 minutes!"

Anyway, on the way there since Karenza was talking the whole time we tried explaining where we were going and what we were doing. And you have to remember this is a three year old's perspective. We told her that Grandpa and Grandma (my Dad's mom and Dad) had died and that they were with God. She said God makes the stars and moon, does Grandpa and Grandma make them too? We said that we didn't know but that maybe they could. She said "Where going to the die?" And she always refers to it as that, because how does a three year old know about death? She doesn't. We told her that we would be able to talk to them, but that we wouldn't be able to see them or they wouldn't be able to talk back to us. She was so confused. I told her that they lay in these beds called caskets that get buried in the ground in a hole (that has to be scary to a three year old, but that is the only way I knew how to explain to her.) The next thing she says to me "Are they scary monsters?" I told her that we wouldn't be able to see them, and that they weren't scary monsters. I said "they stay in the pretty place called a cemetery and its kind of like a garden." The cemetery is really small and they keep it so nice. When we got there she happened to be standing right next to the headstone and she asked my Dad, "Where are your Mom and Dad, Papa?" He said your standing on them. She didn't get freaked out they only thing she said was "Is it okay if I stand on them?" She sat on the ledge on the headstone and proceeded to tell my Grandpa and Grandma a story. I don't even remember what the story was about. All I kept thinking was that my Grandma and Grandpa would have loved her! My Grandma and Grandpa only had boys and my Dad was the only one who ever had any girls. And now all these girls my Dad has, and my Grandma and Grandpa must be so proud of him! I know I am. Driving back by the farm where they lived (the drive is about an hour away from Bismarck) brought back so many memories of me being a little girl. I used to just roam free. Ride in the truck with my Uncle Paul or my Grandpa. My Grandma making me pancakes and bacon every morning. I can still smell it. My Grandma passed away in 1992 and my Grandpa in 1996 and when I was a little girl I thought the world stood still. That they would always be there. The memories or so good that it only seems like yesterday they were still here with us. The animals on the farm. All the kitties my sister and I used to try and tame while we stayed there during the summer. The baby calves, sheep, horses. All the chickens, and geese my Grandma had just roaming free in the yard. I hated those geese because they would always chase me! We saw so much wild life when we were driving. Tons of pheasants, ducks, and geese. My dad wanted me to drive by Lake Five where they still have a lake lot. I took a dirt/prairie road (not gravel, dirt!) and a deer ran right in front of the pickup. Good thing I was only going about 10mph. Karenza thought it was the neatest thing, she called it a Reindeer! Mom said to me isn't it funny how slow you drive compared to when you were 16 on these gravel roads? I had to laugh because I didn't even think anything of it until she said it. That is so true Mom! I also saw a coyote! I actually stopped the truck and we just watched what it was going to do. It just starred at us for a couple seconds and then took off running. Must have thought we were getting ready to shoot or something. It's nice going back and seeing the country where I spent so much of my time as a little girl. I know my Dad has many more memories there then I do. I can't even begin to imagine how it must make him feel. Even though Karenza was naughty for the drive there and back I am sure glad I went. I miss them so much and just wish they could see how successful and hard my Dad works and to be able to enjoy it with all of us. Life is so different now then it was when they left us. But, I know they are smiling from above.