Mostly Connected with a little Disconnect

I've spent the last two plus weeks bonding with four Sedgwick grandkids and five Taskers. I've been a full time mom again and am reminded how much I love being a part-time grandma most of the time. Full-time is exhausting; part-time is exhilarating! Full-time means lots of stinky diapers to change; part time means you just hand the stinky kid back to his mom! Full-time means you have to get up early; part-time means you can sleep in a little. Full-time means you have to cook three meals, and wash several loads of laundry, and clean house; part time means you can eat out, the laundry can wait, and so can the house! It's been good though, and I feel reconnected to these precious kids that live so far away from Georgia. I am also amazed at how good my grandkids are - they are helpful, happy, obedient - handsome and beautiful. I adore them all. There has been a downside to being gone from Georgia for nearly three weeks: Ella has been asking where 'Uncle Becky' is. In the process of reconnecting it looks like I've also been disconnected and renamed. I'm heading back to Georgia in two days and am going to reclaim my status as, 'Grandma Becky!' Here's some fun pictures from all of the connection time.

Here, There, and Everywhere

I just survived a California earthquake....or at least a tremor!  I've only felt what I felt tonite one other time in my life and that was when we lived in Northern California from 1977-80.  at that time I was standing in the living room of a friend's home when the chandelier began to swing and the floor to move beneath my feet and all I could do was 'stand' there and hope the end wasn't coming!  Well tonight I'm in California watching four very cute, very busy, very creative Sedgwick grandkids and I was sitting in a big comfy chair reading to them when all of a sudden my chair started to shake and all I could do was 'sit' there and hope the end wasn't coming!  It is a completely strange, helpless situation.  But I'm alive to write the tale, so the end didn't come!   

Gary and I came out to visit Dave and Jessica earlier in the week and enjoyed time together with everyone here until yesterday when all of the adults left: Gary back to GA and Dave/Jessica to Seattle for a few days.  Dave is doing a Myers-Brigg certification - does that ring a bell?  Think : Jim Tasker - Dominican Republic - Myers Brigg - finding out that most of us are opposites of our spouses, except Jordan and Amanda who were just alike!   This trip to California has come with some strokes of good luck.   Jessica shared with us two of her free United passes that she got last year after the family reunion in CO when her flight was overbooked.   When we arrived for our flight last Tuesday,  it was overbooked, too, so we volunteered to give up our seats.  It wasn't a big sacrifice since they put us on a flight that was a non-stop and got us to our destination faster than the original flight, plus Gary got to upgrade to first class, and we each got two free round-trip tickets for future use.  As if that wasn't enough, Gary's flight home yesterday was overbooked, he gave up his seat, got upgraded to first class on the next plane, and got another free RT ticket!  We flew out on free tickets, got three free tickets in return.   This is better than Claire's coupon shopping at Walgreens!

I love coming to California even if one risks her life in so doing.  One of these days the 'BIG ONE' that's been predicted for so long will probably happen, but maybe not until the Second Coming and if we are prepared, we'll look forward to that, right?  It is so beautiful here, the weather is perfect, and San Juan Capistrano is sort of like what Dave described as a 'cowboy town.'   It is small enough to get to Costco in seven minutes and big enough to have it's own character-filled down town that hasn't changed much since Dave was kid growing up here.   No skyscrapers block your view and the town is centered around the San Juan Mission, which is described as the 'jewel of the California missions.'  It's easy to see why the Sedgwicks love it here. 

We loved having Julie and Beau home for several days - long enough to go to Cafe Pig twice, a Braves game, Fox Theatre, the Allreds Fun Farm, and several days at the beach.  I'm glad Amy came along with Beau so we had a good excuse to 'play.'  We had a crowd in Palm Coast and had to spread out a bit between the Cinnamon Beach condo and Tidelands on the Intracoastal.   It could be our last big group trip with the condo getting close to being sold, and Tidelands on the market.  It has been fun to always have room for everyone that wanted to go if they were willing to 'pay the toll' at the bridge and ferry back and forth.  Claire, Emily, and Amanda were willing - so were Lincoln, Ella, Cooper, Luke, Ethan, and Jonah.   We had a good time sunning by day, and playing games by night.  Then when we all went to bed, Beau and Amy would finally get some privacy!   Amy seemed right at home with all of the company, the kids, the noise, and the Jewkes chatter that always happens when the girls get together! 

Julie put her special touch on Mother's Day and made it just very memorable for her mom, lucky ME!  She cooked a gourmet breakfast under a the scope of a very big, artistic Mother's Day greeting that she also created.   It was the perfect gift!  In fact, the entire was wonderful from beginning to end.  I got some very clever cards, one very delicious chocolate-caramel apple, a steak dinner prepared by Jake Sr., and no attention at all from Jake Jr.   I felt honored to be asked to be the speaker in church, but that is always an 'ordeal' beforehand, so I'm glad I don't get asked often!   I think I forgot to mention the most important thing of all: I LOVE being a mother!  I love being a grandmother!  I'm convinced this is the BEST season of life!

This coming week I'll head back to Georgia and find my husband, and together we'll go visiting again...this time to Colorado and the Tasker household.  We are the official household/grandkid caretakers while Jim and Jenn spend a week in Hawaii!  We seem to be in demand  lately and we are having a great time going here, there, and everywhere!