I am off again, and am now in NC for the 4th! To catch you up...
Left Molly's on Monday (after lunch at On The Border -- chile relleno, que delicioso!) and headed southwest towards Missouri. As Lasalle-Peru, IL was on the way, and definitely one of my destinations, that's where I went. I knew I wanted to stop by the cemetery where my grandparents are, and 'visit' them, as well as check out their old house (which I haven't seen in several years).
Got into Lasalle-Peru, and headed towards the house. Upon reflecting on the house, I realized that I have a lot of images of what it looked like in my head (on the inside), but no moving shots, so to speak. Just pictures of rooms that may or not be accurate, and I wasn't sure where they were -- my memories were therefore more like a jigsaw puzzle of possibly/possibly not accurate pictures. So, I got it in my head that I was going to stop by, knock on the door, and ask if they'd let me come in and look around. I mulled over it for about 20 miles prior to arriving, and had a really good, calm feeling about it. Worst case scenario: They show up on the porch with a shotgun and tell me to go you-know-where. Best case scenario: I get to take a peek around and really cement some of the memories about which I was unsure. I tried to set myself up for disappointment in case they weren't home or picked scenario #1.
As I pulled up, I felt so many different ways: nervous, excited, sad, nostalgic, etc. There were two cars in the driveway and a bunch of kids' toys, so I knew it had to be a family. I knocked on the door, and no answer. Knocked again, no answer. Went to another door, knocked, and peeked in, long enough to see someone peek out from the kitchen and quickly pull his head back in. I figured, "OK, now this is weird, I might as well leave." As I turned back towards the car, around the bush came the other residents. I introduced myself, told them why I was there, and they were so relieved. They (and the guy inside who was hiding around the corner) thought that the car (black Tahoe) had been a government/police vehicle, PLUS they'd been having some drama with someone in their family's ex-wife. So, the car, and the strange female threw them for a loop, to say the least, and they were so relieved to know that I wasn't her. Ha! Gotta love it when someone else's family crazies make you look better! They therefore had no problem at all with letting me in to look around. So, I did just that. It was so weird!! To see another family's things in the house that my grandparents lived in for 50+ years was VERY STRANGE, to say the least. I stood in the doorway to the kitchen talking to them and pictured me running in to the kitchen for cookies, my mom meeting her in-laws for the first time, my dad coming through the door to show a good grade, new haircut, or suit for the prom -- SO MANY MEMORIES are in that house, and it almost stirred feelings of protection, like, "Hey, don't get that dirty, that's not yours!" Ha! Obviously it is theirs now, but I felt the urge to recount to them just exactly what this house meant and to whom, and how darn lucky they are, and yadda yadda yadda. Needless to say, it was a very emotional experience, and I'm going to send them a card thanking them again for letting me do that -- it was pretty important to me.
Left the house, and headed to the cemetery. As I pulled in, I realized this was not the entrance we had always used, and I therefore didn't know where I was in relation to their headstones. "Oh great," I thought. "Here goes thirty minutes of relaying where I am on the phone to my parents, and which side to be on, and what to look for," etc. I pulled in and went straight. As I came to a 4-way intersection, I had a feeling to turn left, and then another strange feeling to turn right, and left again. As I pulled around, I saw a familiar tree, and THERE THEY WERE! Can you believe it??? In a huge cemetery (50 acres or so), I was able to pinpoint where my grandparents were buried in less than a minute upon entering. Talk about divine intervention! That was totally my Grandma with me, because left to my own devices, I'd have been wandering around that place for a while! And I think she also encouraged the feelings of calm when I got to their house -- had it been a bad situation (seedy tenants, bad goings-on, etc.) I wouldn't have felt so comfortable approaching them. So, there I was -- spent some time there, and headed back on the road.
Made it back to St. Charles, MO, to stay with Aunt W. Chatted with her and Uncle M. for a while, and showed them all my Iowa pictures and videos since I'd seen them the week before. Aunt W. and I watched TV, and then headed to bed - it had been a long, emotional, tiring day!
We both slept in the next a.m. (Missing the phone ringing twice! Oops!). I packed up everything, and then it was off to Gingham's for breakfast. It was great! Had an omelette with hashbrowns and coffee -- yum!!
Arrived in Nashville, and went directly to the Hilton Garden Inn (with the great deal from my father-in-law; see previous post), didn't pass GO, didn't collect $200 -- was ready to relax!
Back in Nashville!:
Checked in, then headed downstairs for dinner at the restaurant. It was DELICIOUS!! Scallops in a butter sauce, with mashed sweet potatoes and spinach, topped off with a glass of Reisling (OK, OK, a few glasses!). Yum! It was so good! Back upstairs, and off to bed!
Woke up Thursday and had to check out the Pancake Pantry while in Nashville. My mother-in-law, Chris, had seen it on the Food Network and said it looked tasty. Seeing as she's our resident food guru, I couldn't resist! :) It wasn't busy at all, so I got right in, and ordered right away. Pigs in a blanket and a cup of coffee. They came quickly, and were DELICIOUS. The pancakes were easily the best I've ever had (Soooo fluffy and light! Not greasy at all, like they can sometimes get.), and the sausage inside had a great flavor. And, the syrup (which they make in-house) was warm, and SO good! She was definitely right about the Pancake Pantry!
Back in Athens, I got home, cleaned up the place a little bit, turned on the A/C (had been off for two weeks and gotten up to 90F! Yikes!), and relaxed.
Friday morning I woke up early, renewed my parking pass, paid my rent, and headed to the first meeting of my July grad school (UGA) class. It seems like it's going to be really interesting, and I was glad to be back and see familiar classmates' faces.
After that, I was off and running again, this time, to NC to my Aunt V. and Uncle. C.'s house for their annual 4th of July weekend festivities. They were married on the 4th, and we've gotten together for it ever since. It's so fun! Great food, good laughs, fireworks, and family (<-- after all, isn't family what it's all about?).
Coming into NC (video) is so pretty, and always reminds me of how much my Grandma (mom's side) loved growing up here, and visiting in subsequent years.
Got to Newport, NC and directly to their house. Dinner was waiting for me; ham, macaroni and cheese, corn, and a new drink they've named "Kiss On The Lips" (peach something, OJ, and cocunut rum; yum!). Sat out on their Tiki Bar-like deck (so cute!) and talked for a long time.
It was so great to see them again! (Last time was in April when I swung down and around after my Spring Break road trip to VA to see Michael, PA to see Grace, Jim, and Beth (stayed up talking until 1 a.m. - had so much fun with them!), and everywhere in between!
Back to the Days Inn, and then up the next morning (Saturday). Back to their house for a yummy brunch (grits, biscuits, egg casserole, fresh fruit, bacon, sausage) - so good!! Aunt V. is a great cook, and makes such yummy breakfasts!
Mom and I went over to visit Ailene, my Grandma's (on my mom's side) lifelong best friend. She is so wonderful! We talked for over four hours, and she shared so much of her life with us, it was wonderful. She is 81 and in great health, doing wonderfully.
Left there and it was back to Aunt V. and Uncle C.'s house for dinner (Are we noticing a pattern here? Eat, eat, and eat again? BOY, DO I LOVE VACATION!). Grilled chicken breasts, rice, cheesy potato casserole, and toast - yumm!! Chatted for a bit, ate dinner, then chatted and hung around some more. It was such a great time; they are so laid-back and easy to be around, that having fun is effortless.
It was also Vicky's daughter-in-law's birthday, and we sang to her probably the most terrible rendition of Happy Birthday you've ever heard. Oh well! :)
Back to the Days Inn, which is where I find myself now, relaxing some more! :) Mom and I might drive around a bit, or shop for a little while, then tonight's the big 4th party with an authentic NC "pig pickin'", TONS of fireworks, and good ol' fellowship with family and friends. Can't wait! Will post more later....
P.S. Anyone can comment now! I've changed the settings so that you don't need to do all the "sign-in" junk... yay! :)
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