Enjoying the Labor

On Sunday, Maddy and Matthew joined us for church and then we went out for lunch at our faves brunch place... HyVee.  HyChi for me thank you!  And for Leon.  He's a HUGE HyChi fan!  All the others went for the regular breakfast brunch with bacon, eggs, etc.

Then Robb and his mom drove Leon to HIS mom's and I went home with the two.  They packed up and left shortly afterwards.  I don't know the next time I'll see Maddy.  Not sure if it's in this month or not.  Maybe I'll plan a day trip and drive up.

So Meri was going to have some friends over so I rushed around the house doing a quick tidy.  As I carried a basket of clothes down the steps, I tripped on the last couple and fell.  I sat on my butt stunned that I could have been so stupid.  My back had hit a large metal post and my feet were twisted uncomfortably under me.  And then the phone rang.

Of course...

Still unsure of what had happened to my feet, I scooted on my butt over to a phone and answered it.  It was my sister, Ruth Ann!  I didn't tell her what happened until later.  She knew of my plans to spend Labor day with two other sisters, sorting all my mom's photos that she'd accumulated through the years and felt like she should be there too.  So she did!  She lives in Wisconsin and rarely has spare time to get away, especially without kids in tow.  But she's only got 4 little ones now under the age of ten or there abouts, so her hubs said, Go for it!  YAY!  She drove yet Sunday afternoon and got here in the middle of Meri's movie watching night.  But the kids were all way downstairs so she, Robb and I were able to relax and talk.

She and I left at 5:40am.  Ten minutes later than I had wanted to, but it was my own fault.  I kept forgetting something important and had to keep running back in the house.  We had a blast on the trip, talking and laughing.  Ruth Ann is just over a year older than me and has a zany sense of humor that tends to rub off on me.  Robb can tell when I've talked with her on the phone without me even telling him.  "So how is Ruth Ann?..."  He says I get snarkier.

Probably.

He told me not to talk to her on the trip.  Oops.

An important stop on our trip.  I'm not sure if we're SUPPOSED to use these porta potties, but when there are ten on the sides of the new highway just sitting there, they beg to be used.  No one was around.  It's LABOR day!  No one works on Labor Day!

We got to my home town and after buying a quick birthday present for a nephew, we met up with our sisters and a niece at one of their churches where we were going to be sorting.  Ruth Ann had insisted I keep it a surprise that she was coming along, and they were duly surprised!  I WISH I'd gotten a video of that.  Kristin's response was hilarious...

My dad dropped in unexpectedly and while Melanie went out to hurry him inside with the ruse of a snake issue, the rest of us got our cameras ready to see if we'd shock him.  "How's the heart dad?  Are we good??  Come on up here!"


He was surprised to see Ruth Ann.  He knew about me.  And I cut the film JUST before he said, "Now.  Where's the snake?"

There were just over ten boxes of pictures, documents and various other things that needed to be sorted out between the eight kids.  Dad kept a pile for himself too of special ones he wanted to keep.

 I thought by bringing Ruth Ann, we'd be out of there in a lot less time.

But nope, it took an hour longer than Melanie had guessed.  If she hadn't come, it would have taken MUCH longer.  Each of us eight kids got a large plastic bin of photos and whatnots.  Even sorted out several piles for various aunts and uncles that might want some of Mom's photos pertaining to their families.

I have a huge box of miscellaneous photos that are for historical purposes still in my van.  I'm going to pull a Sluggy whenever I get time and get to work on a photo based family tree.  I guess I need to pick up a scanner...  My camera did a not so good job with light glares.

Here are a few of the choice ones.

Mom and her calf that paid her tuition to teacher's college.

Mom and an old boyfriend...  That one sparked a lot of conversation!

Dad and we're thinking one of his brothers.  I do recognize my grandparents old farm house.  I helped Dad tear it down when I was young.

And PROOF that my dad kissed my mom!!!  He always swore they didn't even hold hands until years after they were married...

Most of my insane gang.  I'm the one on the far right.

Ruth Ann and me.  I'm the one on the left.  I'm guessing they bribed us with chocolate to appear that we liked each other then.

 After the sorting got done just before 2pm, we all went over to surprise my mom too.

We visited for roughly an hour, then Ruth Ann and I needed to head out. 

 We stopped for the obligatory pizza at Robb's favorite college pizza joint for a late late lunch and to take a pizza home to Robb.  A little nostalgia for dinner...

She and I drove to where we left her car, transferred all of the boxes that Ruth Ann was taking to her car and then she was off for her last leg of the day's trip.

After getting home, Robb had just gotten there with Leon and I was dead.  My feet, leg and back were hurting still so I lay down and watched a little tv before getting the boy down for bed.

It was the most enjoyable laborious Labor Day ever!