My family arrived Friday night - Mom, Nelson, Jason, and his new girlfriend, Chelsea. My mom had told me that we'd love her and she was right! She's a tiny little thing and her suitcase was bigger than she is! Their car was literally bulging with stuff.
Ingrid (BFF since first grade) had written me all week that she and Butch were trying to make it down. 15 hour trip one way from Upstate New York. Finally on Friday morning, she wrote that they had decided against it. I totally understood. Sat in the sun for an hour or so Friday afternoon and I thought about her email. It also said something about having Robin around at 8:00 on Friday night because she was gonna call. Wait a minute. Have her around at 8:00? That seemed suspicious, so I called her at work. Got her boss. "Ingrid's not in today!" I KNEW IT!!!
So after my peeps got here on Friday, I told them that I knew Ingrid and Butch were on their way. My mom kept telling me that she didn't think so. The later it got, the less I believed it too. When they didn't show up by the time we went to bed, I thought maybe the joke was on me.
Got up Saturday, Robin's birthday. My mom and I must have sung Happy Birthday to her 50 times that day. It annoyed Robin after the second time, so we were happy. And we don't just sing regular Happy Birthday. Oh no. Our version is very loud, very opera-esque, and has a very very long last note. It's not surprising that I came down with laryngitis. Putzed around Hendersonville a little in the morning and afternoon. My mother insisted that Robin get a haircut - LOL! She really did. Luckily, it turned out very well. We dropped everyone off at home and my mom and I went to Harris Teeter to get the party favors, balloons, cake and dead flowers. Got them and took them to the restaurant and met our friend, Tina. She and her husband decorated the place for us.
Went home and got ready for the party. Robin knew something was going on, but not the details. Got to the restaurant around 7:15 and about 20 people were there. Tina had ordered the food and the waitress was excellent. Shortly thereafter, Jason had gone outside to smoke and came in with a note for me saying something about this place better serve Indian Pale Ale. Then in came Ingrid and Butch! She was wearing a cute black jacket thing, jeans and red sparkly heels. I told her she looked like Jackie O. meets Carrie Bradshaw. Ingrid and my mom had not seen each other in about 27 years. Ingrid spent A LOT of time at my house growing up. I think it was great for them to see each other. Ingrid has not aged at all. I told my mom that no matter what, tell me that Ingrid has aged more than me. My mother doesn't lie. Never heard those words come out of her mouth.
Several attempts were made to get Robin to drink. Her friend Cody, with the long hair pictured above, got her to drink two mud slides. Nice job, Cody!! Robin claimed to wake up with a headache on Sunday. Think she was just trying to act cool.
The party ended and Ingrid and Butch came home with us for night caps. They'd gotten a hotel room. Begged them to stay with us, but they refused. They came over the next day. Robin showed off her coupon notebook, which is categorized. They got a kick out of that and quizzed us. "Which category would you find "Pam"?" "Why misc., of course." Robin had a wheelchair when she was in a cast and I love it. So does my mother. We took turns sitting and wheeling in it. Jason and Chelsea went hiking in Dupont. We hung out all day, then we all went out for Italian.
Monday was a holiday and Ingrid and Butch didn't have to work. Butch said they would leave after lunch with us and take two days to drive home. Ingrid refused, wanting to get home Monday night, so they left early Monday morning.
I woke up with a fully blown cold on Monday, including laryngitis. Sounded much worse than I felt, so we took off for Asheville with Mom and Nelson. Aother very nice day. We did, however, get lost on the way home. My parents got Robin a GPS for her birthday, but ironically, Jason and Chelsea had taken it with them. Stopped and got an ice cream and it occurred to me...ice cream with my dad on one Monday and ice cream with my mom the following Monday. Awww. (BTW, I am putting this out there right now...I am officially BOTFRATTIRMI with the diet. And in case you can't figure it out, BOTFRATTIRMI means back on track for real and this time I really mean it.)
Yesterday, Jason and Chelsea went snow boarding, so it was just us old folks. Went to Harris Teeter to get my check and to show off a little of my couponing skills to my mom. Her enthusiam was a little underwhelming, I might add. I don't think she was paying attention. She did pay for it though. Then we ate lunch out and went to Sam's. I'd never been. Nelson wanted to get us a membership and I resisted. Until I saw the dog food. Wet wasn't a big deal, but the dry dog food was $21.48 for a 50 pound bag. I had just gotten the 17 pound bag at HT on sale from $15.99 to $13.99. I had a $1.50 coupon which doubled, so I got it for $10.99. And I thought that was good. But 50 pounds for $21.48? That was amazing! THEN, Nelson came around the corner with some papers in his hand, one of which was a thing for $5.00 off the $21.48 dog food!!!! I knew then and there that Sam and I would be friends for life. 50 pounds for $16.48!!!! Allowed him to buy us a memebership. He was grateful.
As she ordered Robin to get a haircut, my mother ordered us to get a Swiffer. Got it, got home, and next thing I know, I hear, "Come here Kimi. Time for your Swiffer lesson." For real?!? Gotta say, even with all these heathens, it does beat sweeping. Yesterday was a good day - Sam's and Swiffer. We'd each gotten a box of 64 Swiffer pads. Hers literally wouldn't fit in the car this morning, so she had to leave it here. Cha-ching.
BEGGED them to stay until tomorrow. They couldn't. My mother (Who's bossier? Kay or Iris?) instructed me that I am not to leave the house today. They left so I can rest. Still have this damn cold.
We had a lot of fun with friends and family this past few days. Robin and I are so touched that my family and Ingrid and Butch travelled so far for her birthday. Lots of great memories.
OK, been at this long enough. Time to go rest. Or go to Sam's.
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