As Unflattering As I Can Get

On Friday, Robb got a call from his cousin to meet them about an hour away for dinner.  We met up with Frank and his lovely wife at the fanciest hotel in town and they got a shuttle bus to take us to the restaurant.  

Frank's wife was traveling overseas on Sunday and they wanted a romantic weekend away from the kids before she left.  Of course, that involves inviting your favorite aunt and cousin out for dinner.

The restaurant we went to was not for the frugal.  Leon's burger alone was $15 and he only had a single bite then said he was full.  Um yeah... we're going to want to box that up!

Leon got along fantastic with Joy and envied her phone.  

I got the $23 Sweet potato lasagna and secretly coveted Robb's $28 prime rib...  I didn't know how much until after I took Leon to the rest room, I came back and Robb had snuck a piece of it into my fork.  Thinking it was the lasagna, I got a surprise! :)  

On Saturday, Robb, Meri and I headed to hometown Iowa to see Mom and Dad.  Two sisters were there too and we had a blast picking on each other.  The chaos was reminiscent of when we were young and still in the house together.  Mom and Dad just sat back and shook their heads.  Dad mostly.

Mom just smiled and enjoyed taking pics with everyone.

Even when we looked door knobby.

That's the picture that Mom had sent back for Leon to color from last weekend.  He completed it and sent it back for her to hang on her wall.

Meri and a cousin got to spend a little time together too.  Bethany came with us to pick up the pizzas for a lunch and the girls talked non-stop.  I'll just be over here...

 Dad got in on some pictures too.  

As unflattering as this one was, I think it was the best of me over the weekend... :\

And this was the best of my sister, Teresa.

And my other sister Melanie.

Darn it anyway...  Teresa made sure that she held the flowers she brought for Mom so I couldn't claim them as coming from me this time.

Did it anyway.

In a FB group chat, I posted this.

Look at that...  Taking credit for the flowers...

 "Okay Val, nice try!!!!"

After that, Teresa took as many unflattering pics of me as she could and Meri even jumped on the band wagon and sent Teresa a ton of pics she kept on her phone of me being a bad model..

Thanks Mere... 

All in all, it was a great weekend with family.  On the way out of town, we stopped by the cell phone store where another sister is a manager.  Unfortunately, Teresa and Ken had already beat us there and had her monopolized... REALLY?!!! LOL  So it was another inpromptu family reunion at Verizon.

We got introduced to all of Kristin's honorary nephews and nieces who work there.

We got home late afternoon and then Meri and I holed up in Leon's room to apartment shop in L.A. for her.  Out of all the reviews that we found stating that one had roaches, another had drug deals going down all the time and another that had some other form of pests or bad management, we found three for me to call today in her price range.  With any luck, we'll be able to see the apartments while we're in L.A. for the AGT audition.  

I spent the evening sewing and completed this shirt.

I had planned on having thumb holes on the sleeves, but after it was done, the end of the sleeves looked like they just had holes.  So I stitched them up.  They're just sleeves now.

Working on a new purse since yesterday, as my handmade suede one is looking real poorly...  I'll need a new purse to go along with my new shirt in L.A. anyway.  Colorwise it won't match, but oh well.  At least it won't look like it's falling apart and filthy.

Back at my desk and feeling like I could use another weekend.  A cold is hitting me today.

Looking forward to soaking in the sun in a warm climate...