her able hands

Last Friday, that wonderful day off, I had the best full-body massage of my life, and I can’t wait to schedule another one for next week. While Anne was here, Chris came home to use the truck to make deliveries for the shop (shop truck at the mechanic, or so he said). He came back about half an hour before we finished and did something outside. After Anne packed up and left, he and I were in the kitchen talking while I made a cup of tea and prepared myself for the doctor appointment I had in an hour. Someone came to the door, I figured Anne forgot her bottle of oil or something, but as I looked at this grinning face, I thought to myself, well, jeeze, Anne sure looks an awful lot like my mother…

my…

mother?

I commenced with the screaming, probably scaring the everlovinghell out of my neighbors.

Best Birthday Ever, people!

She and Chris were in cahoots for weeks and his little trip to “make deliveries” was to the airport to pick her up. Sneaky! The kids were just as thrilled. So funny because Lila has refused to speak to her on the phone since Christmas, and two nights before she had a conversation with her for the first time. Then the night before I was on the computer and Lila was on the floor playing with a puzzle and she started to get all teary and said, “I miss my pink Grandma Carol, I want her to come here.” So we called her and she said that (talk about breaking hearts!) and poor Grandma had to keep a straight voice while telling her she has to work and Ohio is so far away, but that we’ll see each other very, very soon.

When we stopped in to pick Lila up at the daycare, the kids had just gotten up from their nap and were having a snack, all foggy eyed and slow. Lila looked at me, then at my mom, then at me again, then back at my mom and the expression on her face as the recognition dawned was so hilarious. “Heeeeeey. You came to see me.” Then she went back to her cake.

On the drive over there, mom called Tyler at home and asked to speak to me. He said I was at work, completely forgetting that I had told him I was taking the day off but would be at a doctor appointment when he got home. Mom bantered with him for a few minutes and then said, “Don’t forget to tell your mom to call me when she gets back, okay?”

When we got back to the house, he was in the downstairs bathroom by the back door. Mom went in and shouted his name, “Tylah John! (She’s from MA, remembah.) I heard him behind the door, “Huuuunh?” The kid totally recognized his grandmother’s voice and was so bloody confused. He opened the door and she said, “Do I have to fly all the way to Ohio to get you to give your mother a message?!” We had to help him pick his jaw back up off the linoleum.

So three total blow-out surprises. Grandma Rocks.

On the coffee table in the living room, right next to the remote? A big note that said “Call Yr Mudah!” The kid rocks, too.

I squeezed another vacation day on Monday so I could spend it with Mom and drive her to the airport in the late afternoon. We stopped and had a waffle cone with homemade ice cream at Katie’s Corners. I had Orange Pineapple.

Really. Such a great birthday. Thank you, Mom!

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