The Scrolls

Posts Tagged ‘samantha’

The Center of the Tornado

Things have been happening.. around me, not to me, just around me.

I enjoyed a drama-free Christmas. It wasn’t quite like when I was younger but it was nice. No fighting, no big problems. I was pleasantly surprised. We exchanged presents and enjoyed food and played games. I stayed at my uncle’s well after everyone else had left, chatting with him and his wife. There was some definite low-key awesomesauce going on.

On Christmas Eve, my sister’s grandmother was admitted to the hospital. This isn’t out of the normal as her health has been failing because of her diabetes for some time. She’s in and out of the hospital all of the time. Things weren’t looking good but I didn’t think it was any worse. Last night, my sister called me in tears about how sick her grandma was and Mom said her husband had gone to the hospital. Samantha quickly cheered up, as kids do, and I hung up.

I texted Mom a little bit later to ask her something unrelated. Her reply said her mother in law seemed to be doing better but, apparently, she died a short time later. I woke up to several texts from Samantha about her grandma dying but, by the time I woke up, they were already at the hospital with my mom who underwent a hysterectomy today. That went well, as we had reassured her and she’s spending the night.

I went up to the hospital today to see Mom and Samantha and Mom was incredibly funny because of her drugs. She was enjoying her alone time and being able to sleep, however. I took some time to talk to Samantha who seems to be doing incredibly well with this all. I don’t know how.

So, as you can see, I’m surrounded by activity that doesn’t directly affect me. I’m just trying my best to be there for everyone right now and hopefully I’m not failing.

Finally Fall.

Actually, it’s almost Tuesday which is crazy because I started writing this blog post in my head, in the shower when I woke up. I’ve had some busy weekends and while I’m glad to be spending time with the people I love, sometimes it gets a little crazy.

Wendy headed out of town on Friday so I enjoyed the house to myself for a few hours before heading to a Pure Romance party. I hung out with some people from school. You know the type, you have them on Facebook but rarely talk. But we caught up, talked about old friends, new lives. It was fun. It was a different group than I normally hang out with and it was nice to have a silly night with the girls and meet new people, too.

I recouped on Saturday. Sort of. I had a really difficult time sleeping this weekend, mostly because it’s warmed up and I like it cool. On top of that, everyone just seems to be so loud lately. I had been invited on a mini road trip earlier in the week by my uncle but he decided not to go and instead invited me over to his house on Sunday. Although he thought some other folks would show up, they didn’t. He picked up my sister before they stopped by my place and, of course, I misjudged the time and was in the shower when they showed up. I ran out to answer the door in a towel, quickly shaved my other armpit and dressed.

My sister spent the day being eight and my uncle spent his day being the kind of funny uncle an eight year old — and maybe a 25 year-0ld — loves. We filled a giant pumpkin bag with leaves that Samantha stomped down and she and my uncle threw leaves back and forth. She convinced him to buy even more bags and filled and arranged them all on his front lawn. He grilled out, we enjoyed dinner (I topped it off with some apple pie and ice cream) and we finished off the night by hanging some lights on his front porch.

It was a great chance for Samantha to get to know who I believe is her best uncle.Plus, the smell of the leaves and the changing colors really made me feel like Autumn was in full swing. I hadn’t noticed how quickly the leaves had changed and fallen

Last night I was so exhausted and sore but I couldn’t get to sleep. I popped some pain killers and eventually drifted off to sleep for a ridiculous amount of time before waking to no Internet. In lieu of checking email and working, I did dishes and put up even more Halloween decorations. Sorry if you received one of the million pictures that I sent.

My Sister Loves Me This Much

Yea, it sounds a little bit like a cup or a t-shirt but I’m not entirely sure that she wouldn’t buy me one. My little sister simply idolizes me. How much?

• Her favorite color is pink because my favorite color is pink.
• I had my hair cut so she had her hair cut.
• She plays games because I play them.
• She borrows my stuffies because they smell like me.
• And returns then when they stop smelling like me.
• She texts/calls/IMs me multiple times a day.
• She sobs every time we part from one another.
• Her hugs never end.

Sure, it’s cute. It’s also a bit suffocating. My life is so hard.

Breaking Out Of My Comfort Zone

Last night (well, technically the night before by now), Ryan and I went to a WNBA (that’s women’s basketball for you!) game. It’s really not something we would have done had the opportunity not arisen (I got the tickets for free from a review network!) but I am glad we did. I have had a history of not trying new things because I get so nervous over being in unknown situations and not having control. I have been working through that, however, and try to remind myself that while the initial moments may be uncomfortable, that usually fades pretty quickly.

For instance, I didn’t know the layout of the venue but Ryan did and I was over my initial unease in 5 minutes (if it even took that long!). I thought about skipping out on the autograph session for that same reason but wound up going, anyway, and now my sister will have her very own Silver Stars t-shirt with an autograph! In the end, the perceived discomfort was far greater than the actual discomfort but I could have let that perception prevent me from doing something new. In hindsight, that’s a bad habit to develop.