Home for the Holiday

Hello lovely people.

I've been gone. More like, away. I flew home for the first time in 10 years to surprise my 95 year old grandmother for her birthday.

I'm from Louisville, KY and returning home was just what I thought it would be. Small and familiar but not familiar. It was nice to be home and after staying there for a few days, I realized how glad I was that I left. It's not that I don't like home, it's my home, it shaped who I was, but as I became an adult, I realized it was too small to hold my dreams, and that is why I'm glad I left.

I got home around 2 am and my brother picked me up from the airport. We got home, to my granny's house, and she didn't even know who I was! She thought I was some girl that my brother brought home. Considering he's had a long term girlfriend for years not, that would be mighty suspicious.

So she went back to bed! Wow! Then twenty minutes she got up and asked my brother, "Is that Shelley?" "Yes, grandmother." From that moment on, she would not let got of my hand. She looked at me with such love, I'd never seen her do that. It made me feel great.

95 and still does sudoku every morning.

It's not that I don't talk to my granny, we chat several times a week. It's  that she wanted me home, near her, and honestly after about a day, that got boring. If she could put me in a plastic case and keep me in the living room, she would. My granny has a very, very active social life with people coming to see her every day. It's not that she's lonely, its just that I am the daughter of her daughter, so she wants me home.

That Saturday, some of the family gathered for her 95th birthday party.

Yes, the cake was that large!

And then photos were taken!

It was nice.

I also took the time that morning to go and walk to the neighborhood cemetery to visit my mother's grave.

The past week in Louisville there had been a lot of rain and flooding occurred all one the city. The cemetery was pretty flooded and some of the head stones were sinking. The cemetery committee (which my granny is on) will take car of all of that once the water goes down some.

There ar a lot of old graves, and a LOT of veterans in the cemetery. A lot. The cemetery is home to many of the families in Newburg and many of them I'm related to.

With some help from my brother I found her grave.

It was kind of awkward. I really didn't know what I was supposed to do, "pay respects" and all. I chatted with her mostly, telling her hi and that granny is doing fine and that I'm glad I left home (for the reasons cited above). I made a good life choice I don't regret, that is what I wanted to communicate most of all.

While at home, granny always has me, in essence 'shop' through her belongings. She wants to give me stuff to make sure it goes to the right owner. This time she gave me a ring.

It was bought at the local mall (demolishes a few years ago) and she bought it with money from one of her first paying jobs in the 60s. She paid $10 on it every week. The ring was $500 at the time. That's a lot of money! I had to nag her for that much of the ring's history. SHe's not the type to give up details so easily.

I cleaned it and it still smells like her perfume. The ring just sparkles now.

I also cleaned my mother's diamond earrings. Now they are an unofficial set!

And that was my past week.

I've taken some freelance gigs that are a bit draining (high maintenance) so that's the reason for the lack of posts. Also, I'm working on returning Vintageville next week. I've got some great stories coming for that, so stay tuned. 

Okay all, have a great day!