Hasta, Sayonara, Ciao, Later…
First things first, though.
Here is the infamous Taylor’s First Day on the Job picture:
Now on to the business at hand.
I will not be around for the next week. Tomorrow I’m leaving on a jet plane. Don’t know when I’ll be back again. Oh wait. Yes I do. I’ll be back next Tuesday.
My sisters, Terri and Michele, are meeting me in Little Rock from Fort Worth and Albuquerque (or parts thereabout) respectively. The plan is to paint my parents’ kitchen and living room and then celebrate their 55th anniversary on Saturday with them.
As excited as I am about this little reunion, I’m a little scared as well. These are my big sisters. The last time we were all three together was when I was going through my scans before I started chemotherapy. Here I was, waiting for the technician to call me back for a brain scan, my life in total crisis mode, and they’re arguing about what they’re going to find. Here’s an excerpt of the conversation:
Michele: I wonder if they’ll find anything.
Me: Ha. Ha.
Terri: Oh, they’ll find something. Jenni has a brain. It’s just really small.
Me: Ha. Ha.
Michele: Teehee.
Terri: Or maybe it’s just wired different than a normal person.
Michele: Heehee.
Terri: Giggle.
Me: You guys are hilarious.
But since I am fairness incarnate I will tell you something nice about them. Terri got married when she was 18 and she and David lived in an apartment in Elk City, Oklahoma. We had gone to visit them for Easter and her nice thing was that she nearly broke the bank on my Easter basket. We’re talking chocolate out the wazoo. And a lot of chocolate and marshmallow yummies. Priceless stuff when you’re eight.
Michele was 16 and she had beautiful, long, dark brown hair. It really was her crowning glory. She and I shared a bed while we were at Terri’s. Apparently I had a little too much chocolate and marshmallow because it made a subsequent appearance. All over Michele’s beautiful hair. And her nice thing was that she didn’t even get mad!!
Turns out it wasn’t all the candy, but a horrible case of the flu. I barely remember standing nekkid from the waist down in the bathtub in the middle of the night because stuff was flying from everywhere. After the spewing stopped and I was cleaned up I passed out. THAT I remember because, frankly, it was kinda cool. I was standing in Terri’s room – the room my parents had been sleeping in – and I was looking at the knob on the dresser. Then everything went black, starting from the periphery and working it’s way in. I said, “I can’t seeeeee…” and passed out.
Yeah. Good times.
All joking aside, I’m really looking forward to being together. We always have a good time with lots of laughing. Crying-type laughing. [Note to self. Consider purchasing Depends.]
I will also be seeing a few of my friends while I’m there. Since this is all about family I won’t get to see everyone or even a lot of people. But there are a few I refuse to travel all that way and not see. I’m very demanding that way.
One of my friends, Rhonda, will probably be coming over on Friday to help paint. Todd refers to her as my partner in crime because I was encouraged in several of my home improvement projects by her. Here’s an example of what I mean. This is when I was going to paint the office.
Todd: Don’t pull off the wallpaper. Kilz it because the walls weren’t sized before the idiots put it up so you’ll pull off wallboard just like you did in the dining room and the bathrooms.
Me: Yeah. That’s what I was thinking.
Next day:
Rhonda: So are you going to pull of the wallpaper?
Me: No. You know the problems we’ve had with wallpaper before.
Rhonda: Yeah.
Me: Still… It wouldn’t hurt to just pull a tiny bit to see if it comes off easy.
Rhonda: Okay. (Said with great fervor and enthusiasm)
Me: It seems to be coming off alright.
Rhonda: Mine, too.
Me: Let’s do it!
Rhonda: Okay!!
Bad idea. It was put directly onto the wallboard except for a few places where they had Spackled something – the spots we tried. So we made three times more work for ourselves than we would have had we just primed the wallpaper first and then painted.
But I digress. My whole point of this post is to let you know I will probably not be posting for the next week, nor will I be commenting on other blogs. But what a post I’ll have when I get back. And neither my sisters nor my friends have blogs and won’t be able to defend themselves because I have control over the comments. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Now I leave you with a few pictures of the cutest puppy on earth. Or at least in this house:
Have a fantastic time, my friend! I just got a surprise…two of my sister’s flew in for my bday a few weeks ago. It was the sweetest birthday ever…better than sixteen. We had a blast as I am sure you will too. I will look forward to hearing about your adventures. BTW, is it true the Sookie is cookin’ up a WILD party while you’re gone?! Cause I am there!
Have a wonderful trip Jen..sister time is the BEST. And congratulations to your parents on their 55th anniversary…I’m sure it will be a wonderful celebration!
No, April. Sookie isn’t much of a partier. She’s more the rule follower. I WISH!!!Thankfully Todd will be here to keep her in line. :o)
Thanks, Sherry!
That IS a cute puppy! That is so hilarious that you ‘stalked’ him on the job and got caught, lol.Have a great little vacation/celebration…and congrats to your folks on 55 years! That’s great!I’m sorry, but the visual I got when you said Depends? (And no, I it wasn’t bad, and you weren’t even old…I was totally picturing that astronaut love-triangle lady speeding to Florida or wherever it was she had to go, except you were going to Arkansas, lol!)
“But since I am fairness incarnate”And so very modest, too!!!I’m sure you girls will have a fabulous time, laughing and crying up a storm. And BTW, since The HOFFER is from Oklahoma (the thriving metropolis of Shawnee, at that!), not only have I heard of Elk City, I have actually BEEN to Elk City!!! WOO HOO! My claim to “fame”.
Oh yeah, I will really miss you next week!!!! 🙂 How did I forget THAT???
Have a great trip, I hope you have a great time.
*sniffle* sob* whaaaaa* noooooooooooooooooooo…. don’t gooooooooo!!!!alright, fine. have fun. *sulks*but come back! this post was a really good reminder of why i decided to like you so very much.hilarious!
Sounds like a wonderful trip! You deserve it. Have a ball, and how wonderful for your parents to celebrate 55 years.I hope Taylor likes his new job. Seems like it would be nice, if it doen’t get too humid. I guess water is the trick.I just love your puppy!!! She is the cutest. Gets cuter every day. So sweet.Enjoy, we’ll miss you!XOXOX
Oh NO! I am just back in the land of blog!! My only consolation will be that I know there will be some good readin’ next week. (Maybe I should invest in some depends)
I love what you’re doing for your parents. My family, 4 generations used to descend on my parents’ place about every other year to paint, repair, clean, organize, etc., when it was becoming a job too big for them. It was fun and I know they appreciated it …. at least they did after they relocated everything we “organized”!!!You’ll be missed, but I hope you have a wonderful time being fodder for your sisters’ jokes, er, I mean, visiting with your family!And little Miss Poochy-pop is too cute! How will she survive without you? I know Todd will be there, but ……Be safe!
Crying-type laughing. [Note to self. Consider purchasing Depends.] BAWHAHAHAHAHHAHAA!!!!Sookie is getting so big! Great pics. What are we going to do without you in Blogland?? Have fun!!
I think I need to disagree with your memory of the scan appointment…. Are you sure that Michele and I were the ones mentioning your small, mis-wired brain? Maybe it was YOU that brought the subject up! If not, I plead the 5th!! :DI will be at the disadvantage this trip. Michele and Jenni will both arrive on Wednesday, and I can’t come until Friday. They will be soooo ready to gang up on me! And, I will miss two days of laughing and wetting my Depends! And, I’ll throw out a disclaimer here: The stories you may hear are not necessarily approved by the persons involved. The story teller has a way of “enhancing” (aka lying!) her memories. 😀
I LOVE the conversations!!!Have a great time with your sisters!!!
Have a great time! That puppy is pretty cute!
Have a wonderful time with your sisters Jen! Enjoy and try not to miss your super cute puppy too much.
We should have read Jenster’s blog before we started pulling wallpaper this morning! Jen hasn’t learned yet from her experiences with Rhonda, and Rhonda wasn’t even here!!! Now at mom and dad’s house, we have three times the work because the wallpaper was stuck to the wallboard! Anyway, Jen, the part about Terri giving you too much chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies and you pucking in my LONG, DARK hair weren’t enhanced, but the conversation about your brain scan was! As I remember it, you were the one questioning your brain! I was defending you!! Love You! Michele
SEE!! two against one! Michele and I must be correct.
Have a wonderful time painting!!!! And try not to tear up too many walls. We, your devoted audience, shall wait with bated breath until you return.
Have a wonderful time! Laughing until you cry is painful, but worth it! They are the best kind of tears….and you burn calories. LOL!
*rolling on the floor in agony*hope you’re having fun, cause this is like the longest week EVER!
Terri & Michele – Two wrongs do NOT make a right. You both are liars!! And this is my blog so I deem it so!!! (Picture me sticking my tongue out at you).
Sheesh . .aren’t you back YET?
Hope you had a fabulous time! And yes, Sookie is definitely the cutest puppy around.
Aren’t you baaaaaaaaack yet? 🙂
Have fun. Elk City is just a hop and a skip east of me. Been through there many times.
I’m a “big sister” so I know a little about terrorizing the little sister… ha ha ha! But all in all there’s nothing like hanging out with your sisters!Congrats to your parents and their 55th anniversary!btw—- the cutest puppy!!! awwwwwwww!Have fun!