Day Sixty-Five - Stunned

sodahead.com

My sister-in-law left my brother and their children today. A statement of "I'm done", and she drove away.  My brother is beside himself, my nephew and niece are heartbroken and confused,  and my mother is in tears. My mother has hopes that they will reconcile. In my experience, when someone tells you "I'm done", they don't return.

I am at a loss. All I can do is be a support for my family.

The Married Couple

No, not Dearly Beloved and me...not yet.... Dearly Beloved's son and his lovely fiance made it official today. We had a wonderful time. The ceremony was held beside a lake, and the reception was in a tent on the grounds of the resort.  It was very cool for an outdoor wedding, but once we all started eating and dancing, things warmed up quickly! They made a beautiful bride and groom, and we wish them every happiness!

Day Sixty-four - Refusal

Hurricane Irene is coming...I tried to convince my mother that I should come get her, and take her home. She, of course, refuses. I am heading down in the morning to ride out the storm with her. Is this from where I get my stubbornness?

Day Sixty-three - Relieved

I had a lovely lunch with an old friend whom I haven't seen in a number of months. It was great to see each other and catch up on old times. She is a funny person, with some quirky manners. She had made a cake, which she promptly told me was not for us, but for a party she was attending that evening. She asked me to help her write a message. Off she went to a neighbor for some food coloring, and then we mixed up a nice blue color. She then became "The Cake Boss"... As I squeezed the blue frosting through a tiny hole in a ZipLoc bag, and swirled the letters across the cake, she offered critiques..."Please dot that 'i' - Are you going to cross the 't' - I don't think we have enough frosting to edge the whole cake..." She is a dear, and was happy with our results. The cake was a big success at her party.

Another birthday note, my 40 year old cousin gave birth to twin sons today, after a challenging pregnancy and a long labor. Max Kelley and Spencer Christian have arrived, and both Mom and boys are happy and healthy! Congratulations and much love to you, Cousin!

Day Fifty-nine - Refined

Cape Cod Times/Steve Heaslip

Our final day of our beach vacation. The breeze sailed through the trees all day, and the whitecaps churned up as the surf pounded in. I sopped up all the wind and salt air that I could, to keep me going until I can get back here again. Mum is feeling better, and we decided to go out for an early dinner at a lovely, elegant restaurant a few towns over. Turned out it was a surprise, early-birthday dinner for me from my mother, and we had a wonderful time. I had salmon that had been poached in a chipotle pepper sauce, served with an avocado mash on top, and surrounded by a pool of crunchy gazpacho. It was fabulous! Mum arranged for a little cake with a candle for me, and I was delighted! To top it off, DB took us to an elegant inn down the street overlooking the water for an after-dinner drink. Again, I got to soak in the ocean breeze while wrapping my cashmere sweater around my little black dress as we sat on the open veranda watching the sun set. It was a divine evening!

Day FIfty-six - Reprisal

I think my little Karmic stew from Wednesday spilled over into today's vacation festivities. DB's car is acting up and has been brought to a local repair shop. My mother had wildly fluctuating blood pressure readings, and ended up in the local hospital emergency room. The car isn't fixed yet, but Mum is, I think. After four hours, many tests, and lots of discussion with medical people, the theory is her medication for her heart and high blood pressure needed to be adjusted. She has to follow up with her doctor to see if he agrees. I was just grateful that I was here with her, that DB was here with me, and that we had a good result to our day.

Day Fifty-five- Reflecting

What a joyous day! The nefarious aunt called this morning and cancelled her visit. This is frequent behavior; my mother will have cleaned the house, prepared lunch, and waited patiently, then the cancellation call comes. Mum was more low-key this time, and did not go to great effort. Good thing!

I have thought long and hard about my reaction to this woman; some reflecting is in order to determine why I expend so much negative energy on this situation. Better to see people I do enjoy, and reflect on things I want to do, rather than focus on the long history of bad behavior that this woman brings to the party. Expending this amount of emotion on someone over whom I have no control does me no good. The only attitude I can change around here is mine!

Day Fifty-four - Reptilian

My mother has a brother who has a wife who might be the single most annoying person on the planet. She is nosy, pushy, and toxic. She is probably where J.P. Rowling got the idea for the Dementors in Harry Potter  - your soul is gone in a heartbeat. You may get the idea that I do not enjoy being around her. She truly is the only person in my life about whom I feel this way. She called last night, and invited herself to the beach for the day tomorrow. On my vacation. I immediately had to revert to being a 12 year old, stomped my feet, and made a huge deal of how I didn't want her coming, how she ruins everything, how my mother never stands up to her, blahblahblah. DB thinks I am insane, but being the wonderful human being that he is, will whisk me away tomorrow to a place of fun and happiness!