Weekend in PA

We headed up to PA to visit family this past weekend. The 3 hour car ride made me apprehensive for a 5 hour plane ride. My kids just won't take a nap well unless it's in their own bed!  It's really beautiful in the mountains and valleys of rural PA. This weekend it reminded me of Ireland- the cool breeze moving white clouds over very blue skies with bright emerald hills. But with a lot more cows and not nearly enough sheep to be Ireland.  Plus having highways with more than one lane and street signs that make sense. 

We spent Saturday night at a cute little motel room. The kids stayed up until 10 and 10:30 despite our "block the reading light with a towel, lay perfectly still with our books and pretend not to hear them" strategy. Jeremiah and I were like castaways floating on a little raft, surrounded by sharks. Even if they bump into you, you do not move, no matter what. 

We visited with more family on Sunday and attended a very touching memorial service for Jeremiah's grandfather. Some of our friends met him before because he helped us build our home addition at the age of 79. He had a sense of humor that fascinates me. S

uch a dry wit combined with old age and a stern poker face really throws people for a loop. Is he joking? Or does he really think I'm bossing him around? Usually, both. But he was not unapproachable- for me, just the opposite. He was so so kind and I loved that he gave me hugs. When he told a joke, you laughed because you wanted to keep him smiling, no matter how many times you'd heard the joke. We all really love him. Both of my girls got to meet him but they might feel that they never got to know him because they were so young. But so much of him is in their grandfather and in their father that they'll know him even if they don't know it. (you know?)

The drive home on Sunday was tainted with a terrible restaurant experience (that's a different story) and -oh yeah- it was the longest day of the year! Sunday was the Summer Solstice. A perfect day to have a wedding (happy 6th anniversary hon!).  Not a great day for driving home and trying to get your kids to fall asleep in the car. Again, it was almost 10pm before they finally got to sleep. My kids see plenty of sunsets but I'm feeling like they'll never see fir

eflies because it doesn't get dark until forever!

best moment of the weekend: cuddling. Maybe it's teething, maybe it's being tired, maybe it's social anxiety, or maybe my kids are really absolutely crazy for me... 

but they would not leave me alone all weekend! In most pictures from the weekend they were hanging all over me. I always try to store a kernel of their cuddles in my soul no matter how inconvenient the clinginess is at the time. I know that soon it'll all be over and I'll have to get a pet monkey as a substitute because I really do love their cuddles. 

But I also like other things like eating, washing my face, helping other people, and resting my arms. And sometimes, enough is enough. Jeremiah and his parents were big helps when things got to be too much. But this was a time for them to spend together, not be rocking the baby in the back room for an hour or taking countless trips to the potty. 

But still, it was the best time because when C. cuddles, she curls even her little toes into me and rests her little head against my chest and it's total dependency and trust and love. Such a precious babe!

worst moment of the weekend: that would have to be when I totally F---ed up. 

To set the stage, halupki is sacred in their family. It's an old-world dish made by the family matriarch, full of heritage and love and it can not be replicated by anyone. It is stored by everyone throughout the year and pulled from the freezer for the best of occasions. 

I think it's cabbage wrapped around ground meat. I'm sure it tastes great. ("sewer rat might taste like pumpkin pie but I wouldn't know because I wouldn't eat the filthy mother f----") Anyhow, I found out this weekend that you need to make a ham, then save the juices in order to make halupki somehow. So guess who was doing dishes, opened a pan, saw something filthy, and washed it down the drain?  Great Grandma put her hands to her head and cried out "oh no!" when she discovered it. She said it was for the halupki and I begged her not to tell anyone. I don't know what they'd all do if they thought their halupki was in jeopardy. I've got to get back up there and get that lady a ham, quick. 

Thoughts of the weekend: fundraising. I listened to Jeremiah answer his family's questions about his campaign and his fundraising strategies. It makes me tired just listening to it. And then of course some family members want to contribute to his campaign, which makes sense. But to think our political system and how campaigns are run and where fundraising dollars go... it all seems so ridiculous. 

Jeremiah plans to do a lot with a webpage and a blog and stuff like linked in and facebook and youtube. He's got youth on his side- some of these people running didn't grow up with the internet.  But also, and most importantly, these are free. He's not running a national campaign or anything, so we're not talking obscene amounts of money to run. 

But it will cost over $50,000 for your typical candidate in our area to run for this local office. That's still obscene. How the heck do you raise this much money? It makes me so tired to think of the work that goes into this. 

In July 2009 you can register as a candidate for the 2010 fall election.  That's lots of time to get and spend money. In July I'm going to start a "Citizens for Jeremiah Chiappelli" group, complete with internet groups and probably t-shirts. Really, the t-shirts are going to be fun.  But the rest of it, well, I need him to lead me step by step into this process or else it'll overwhelm me and I'll drop to the floor in defeat. 

Remember, hon, our motto- "hard work made me quit." This had better be work disguised as fun. As in, "going to picnics and playgrounds and just happen to be wearing a promo t-shirt" work.  And ice cream too- I need to be placated with treats to endure, I mean- LOVE this. I guess that's why we need to raise so much money!