The Queen's Rambles

This week has been a whirlwind! I can’t believe it is all ready over. I’ve been almost completely incommunicado with my internet friends, which I hate. I haven’t even read LJ in two days. How can this be?

Monday started with a gigantic Easter egg hunt planned by yours truly. It was an extremely successful event despite snow and a change of venue. I was freaked out because I thought I would be out over a hundred dollars if no one showed/paid for their eggs. In the end we only had four cancellations and three of the people have already paid me so I’m only out $3.50. I think the other lady will pay me; it’s just a matter of catching up with her. I can swallow $3.50 much easier than $112.00.

Planning such a large event is completely out of my wheelhouse. I thought we might get six families, not 20. We had three adults and four seven year olds hiding 32 dozen eggs that kept popping open. You’d be amazed how much energy that takes. Just when we’d think we were done, someone would pull out a few dozen more eggs. Over and over and over!

Tuesday was a great day–my birthday!

Wednesday was completely hectic. We drove down to a Chuck E. Cheese an hour away (Sterling, VA) to meet with friends that moved to VA last year. We miss them so much, but it is hard to find time to visit. My stupid GPS failed half-way there and I didn’t have another adult with me so I couldn’t reboot it while flying down the highway. Instead, I followed the listed directions and ended up going down Leesburg Pike, which was insane. For those not familiar with the area, you never want to go down the Leesburg Pike. It is a big, heavily trafficked road with a million stop lights. I was supposed to take a nice little freeway, but once I lost GPS I didn’t dare. This is what comes of relying on technology. I generally have better luck if I print out a google map, but the GPS talks to me. I like the talking bit, even if I do yell at the lady-voice.

It was great to see our friends, but Chuck E. Cheese during spring break is not the best meeting place when you’ve got five kids to keep track of. We didn’t have much of a chance to chat. We would have preferred to meet at a park or the Reston Zoo, but it was freeeeeeezing outside. Boo for all this cold weather! It does not feel like spring at all.

Thursday was supposed to be my day of rest, but Elsa still had her MyGym class. When we came home from that, we took my mom over to a senior living apartment complex and had a tour of the place.

It was completely horrible. It looked pretty and had lovely common areas, but it was the most depressing place I’ve ever been in my life. All the residents we saw were at least 10 years older than my mom. It smelled like old people. Erik walked in and started gagging on the smell. He asked our tour guide why it was so stinky. He’s tactful, that one.

A lot of the residents had decorated the outside of their doors, kind of like you would do in a dorm. I suppose it was nice for them to express their individuality, but it made the whole thing seem even sadder somehow.

The apartment was TINY. I’ve had bigger hotel rooms (now that we usually get a suite). I can’t imagine shoving my mom into this tiny little room in this awful, awful place.

My mom didn’t say much, but tonight at the dinner table she said her plans had changed and she won’t be moving here. I finally said “yeah, that was the most depressing place I’ve ever seen” and she looked so relieved. She thought she was just being picky, but she also found it completely unsuitable.

I knew she wouldn’t move out here, which is why I’ve not been totally stressing about it. There’s no way in hell she’s leaving my sister and her kids, though I was pissed that she thought she could just walk away from the kids. Their poor little lives are awful. I found out tonight that the two big ones set a tree on fire. Firefighters had to come and put it out, then the kids were required to go talk to the fire chief. My mom went with them and said the fire chief was really concerned about them because it was obvious their life was in turmoil.

And she thought she could just leave them? She’s their only source of stability!

It’s not fair, and it’s not right, but it is true.

Two weeks ago my mom was convinced that my sister had her shit together (she’s always convinced my sister is getting her shit together. Thirty six years she’s been convinced of this fact, but it has never once been true). My sister had broken up with her boyfriend and she and her husband moved into a HUD house together. I don’t know why my mom thought this was a sign of something good. They are awful together and can never remain faithful (or non-violent, though my sister is the one who beats the shit out of her husband).

The day after my mom left, the husband left and my sister moved in her boyfriend. Now, apparently, the husband is flying to New Jersey next week to be with his high school sweetheart. The high school sweetheart has no idea what she’s about to get into. Yikes!

Let’s just hope my sister doesn’t completely fall apart until after Mike and I are back from FL. Can she hold out ten more days? I do have childcare covered, but I don’t want to put my friends in that position and have all that stress on my heart when I am supposed to be out enjoying my husband.

I’m not sure what my mom is going to do now. She gave away almost all her possessions, including her car. Her house is on the market. I told her she should still sell the house and move into something smaller, in a nicer neighborhood in her hometown. She had no idea what I meant. She thinks her house is in a nice neighborhood because it’s three blocks from Wal-Mart. Mike and I about died when she said that. Klamath Falls is a pretty bleak place, but there are nicer neighborhoods if you are willing to live more than five minutes from Wal-Mart.

In the end, there is simply no way in hell that she can ever afford to move out here unless she wins the lottery.

According to a cost of living comparison chart this is how much more things cost here:

Groceries 14% more
Housing 105% more
Utilities 17% more
Transportation 2% less
Health Care 9% less

I’m glad that dream has died, but I wish it had died before she gave away all her stuff.

And now I am going to go watch Grimm. Maybe Mike will even go with me and protect me from the big, bad wessen.