SoapZone Community Message Board

As always, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times".

The best:

- getting to see them. Sis remains just an absolutely wonderful person, and BIL is pretty awesome too, in his own quiet way. Also, despite them all living within a 30 minute drive, I see my brother and his two kids more when Sis is up than I do the rest of the year. Being ALL together is amazing!

- going places with them that I either don't get to go to often or have never been to. Friday, we ate brunch at Grumpy's Cafe in Tremont. Their cajun hone fries are legendary! On Sunday, after attending my nephew's church so we could hear him play (he's the pianist/organist/French horn player/trumpet player/can sing in a pinch up there), we had time to kill before a family meal so we walked around the (free! And gorgeous!) Rockefeller Park Greenhouse downtown, on MLK Drive, just before the Cultural Gardens. I didn't even know the place existed <g>. Lunch was at Lago on the East Bank of Cleveland, where everyone got something different and everyone shared and each dish seemed better than the previous one.

- Dad was a rock star throughout. He was charming and talkative (which surprised me; he's antisocial even with family, and I expected him to talk a little and then go hide in his room), and he didn't privately gripe to me (at least not yet) about the invasion of his space. Best of all, despite having some STRONG differences in opinion than Sis and BIL, he mostly avoided controversial topics (I was worried!) and when they were broached, he was very respectful and listened to what Sis and BIL (mostly Sis) had to say and NEVER went the route of "Well, you're a big ol' stupid poopyhead for believing that!". We should all be so civil with our civil discourse.

- the eclipse, of course! I'm so grateful we wound up having near perfect weather--both in terms of clear skies and temperatures* for viewing

*here in Cleveland, according to records, the temperature on April 8 can be anywhere from 30-80 degrees and is more often a cloudy, rainy or even snowy day.

The worst:

- as always, plans were fluid and changed frequently. Saturday, I actually wound up letting out a little scream of frustration...the plan was for them to check out of the hotel they were staying at Thursday and Friday night and meet me for brunch at a nearby spot that I love and hadn't been to in forever. They were going to text me when they were ready to go. Checkout time was 11:00...11:15 rolled around and no text. 11:30 came and went. Then 11:45...noon...12:15...12:30...12:45. At 1:00, absolutely ravenous, I told Dad I was going to pop something in the microwave and then after I ate, I was going to JoAnn Fabrics in Mentor to return something and then stop at Crumbl Cookies to pick up some cookies for us all (and use up a gift card). I'd no sooner taken my meal out of the microwave when Sis texted that they were on the way to the house, right after getting some coffee. They weren't supposed to be coming over till dinner, courtesy of Guido's pizza (a must for Sis when she's here), and I was thinking that would be great as it'd be that much more time for Dad to enjoy his guest-free house. So my plan got blown up and I wasn't sure if "getting some coffee" meant they'd grab a bite to eat as well or they'd come here and suggest we go somewhere for lunch. So I ate half my lunch, leaving room for something small if we were going out after they got to the house...we did not. AND they walked in with coffee cups from Versare, which is the coffeehouse here in my town that I always brag about and love to take people to. I'd already told Sis earlier that I would take her and BIL there Tuesday morning for a farewell coffee and breakfast, on me. While I was really happy they loved Versare as much as I did (BIL literally talked all weekend about the blueberry white chocolate scone he enjoyed Saturday with his coffee), I kind of wanted to be there to introduce them to the place and enjoy how much they were enjoying it, you know?

- I didn't have to spend a dime all weekend. I know, I know...that sounds like a "best", not "worst", yes? But whenever Sis and BIL are up, BIL likes to pay for everyone, all the time. And...they aren't rich. It makes the rest of us uncomfortable, not being able to contribute. I thought I could pay them back a little today when I took them to Versare (for their second time). I told the young lady that I was paying for all of us and do NOT let the big guy pay. She nodded but then she went off to take care of something else and a young guy took her place. I'm not kidding...I literally body-checked my (sizable) BIL to tap my credit card before he could tap his. And then after I got back home today, Dad asked me how much I'd "contributed" to the visit this weekend. I told him I was allowed to put down half the tip at Grumpy's (BIL paid, Sis put down the other half of the tip), I'd bought some Coke for the pizza dinner Saturday (Sis paid for the pizza and wouldn't take a dime for any of it), and I'd paid for breakfast today. Dad had wanted to contribute as well...he wound up reimbursing me for ALL of what I'd shelled out. BUT...

- I figure I paid in labor and inconvenience. I cleaned--REALLY cleaned--the entire house*, with Dad only mopping the kitchen floor for me right before everyone arrived Saturday afternoon.

*I have to admit...I'm a lazy housekeeper and Dad literally doesn't see dirt, so it's really nice, and very rare, to have the house this clean <g>.

And because Sis and BIL are both too tall AND too wide to both fit on my full mattress, my plan to give them my room and sleep in the twin bed in the small bedroom wound up being Sis sleeping in my room, BIL sleeping on the twin bed and me sleeping on our couch for 3 nights. The couch is neither super comfortable or terribly uncomfortable but the bathroom is only a few feet away, and I woke up every time anyone got up to use the bathroom. I've not had more than 3 consecutive hours of sleep since last Friday night. Both Sis and BIL thanked me several times for letting them stay with us, and I was happy to have them do so even if there were times we ran out of things to say, but really, our house just isn't set up for long term guests.

- ETA...meals with Sis and BIL are often either too big, too spaced out or forgotten altogether. While I can eat literally anything, I do like to eat within a certain window of time. For the past two days, my tummy has been the slightest bit upset, mainly because of eating unhealthy foods, at weird times, or eating too much food (mostly very rich foods) all at once. I'm be glad to get back on some kind of regular eating schedule...and to have a vegetable with my meal again <g>.

Idiot that I am, I agreed to go bow and arrow shooting with Auntie later today, and early tomorrow morning, I have an appointment for a routine 30,000 maintenance service for my car, at a dealership near where my cousin lives, so we're getting together for lunch (which I can afford, having spent nothing this weekend). And on Thursday, I'm looking forward to doing NOTHING all day. I might not even speak to Dad, that's how socially burned out I am (and will be by Thursday) 😁