A different Memorial Day w/e & special gift

Last w/e we took a trip home to visit family and friends...instead of the usual...some background.

Usually we hang at our friends pool, but they were out of town and had not even opened the pool yet. It's usually not in the 90's like is was that w/e so we are typically just sitting around the pool deck ... we missed a golden w/e of pool time...oh well---not certain I want to even go out there this year w/o her-(sorry Sods/B)...

Instead we went downstate to see friends (Friday to Sunday). A few old friends/couples pitched in and bought us a gift for the yard and so they wanted to give it to us ASAP. We met at my friend Mike's for a little lunch and socializing on Saturday. The gift was a rather large rock/stone with an etching of one of Christine's last drawings on it, with the saying 'we believe in angels'...very very nice! The drawing was one she did of my P's for a Halloween card (which I'd not seen before)...shows them going shopping. I could barely lift it out of the back of the car and just plopped it in the front landscape for now. We all teared up when they gave it to us...so very nice of them. Was very nice to see friends that I've not gotten together with a very very long time. A very special thanks to Mike & Kathleen, Mark & Dimona and Mark & Mindy.

We then went to another friends house that evening for a bit of cheer...this friend just lost her mother-only 67-a few weeks back, so I wanted to see her and her family.

C took Lauren to the small Mem-day parade Monday, but I could not stomach going w/o Christine....she later took Lauren to her mother's condo complex pool....they had all gone many times the last few summers, mostly while I'm at work vs. w/e's and so I've never been...I stayed home to catch up and read the Bible in the cool house...was to darn hot out.

Overall it was a very nice change of pace to get out and visit and not just sit around a pool like nothing has changed...everything has changed and so I feel I must do things different.