A most excellent day

I decided last month I wanted to go to North Carolina and see my Uncle. After he got so sick and I thought he was going to die I felt really bad that I hadn't seen him in 15 years. After he got better I decided I had a second chance so I made plans for a trip. Don started a new job on Monday so he couldn't come with us. Delta gave us a credit for his ticket minus a $200 ticketing fee so that was a nice surprise.

Sean and I made the trip all my ourselves. It was a four hour direct flight so that wasn't a big deal. I had to rent a car which was a big deal because Don always drives. When they were telling us the cars they had for rent Sean said "look a Durango." Ha, just like mine! I paid the extra ten dollars a day for a car identical to mine with a built in navigation system for when my phone quits navigating. I'm not sure how much extra it's really going to cost but whatever it is it's worth it. I like having the car I know and I would have been lost a dozen times over without the visual and auditory dashboard navigation.

This morning I met Marian at the care center and surprised Uncle Ed and Aunt Marian. They were surprised! It was so good to see Uncle Ed. It really made me tearful. I said that Mom had been so unhappy and he said he'd spent years thinking about that and how he and mom had such different childhoods even though they grew up in the same house. Mom had the polio which really defined her but more than that. Mom used to walk to and from the bakery every day and worked so much more than Ed did as teenagers. He also wanted to make sure that all the kids know that Grand pop Dolder saved their family and everything they had, all financial stability came from Grand pop. Mom's told me that too. The most influential man to Ed was his stepfather.

Marian looked really good, She was having a good day and we had a nice visit. I was really impressed with how well she carried on a conversation. I thought her dementia wasn't that bad. After I left she said to little Marian, "that was an interesting person." We had a great conversation but she didn't have a clue who I was.

And then Marian and I went to Smithfield and had some BBQ, Brunswick stew and hush puppies. Sean had chicken strips and french fries. So yummy!