So, Kenju, guess where I am?

....so I sit down this afternoon, and see my blog friend kenju left a comment on Friday night's crybaby "why doesn't anyone think I'm attractive" entry (which wasn't the original reason for the posting, but nonetheless...)

The post was a friendly nudge that she would visiting a place near and dear to my heart....Smithfield BBQ.

Well, dear, as I post, at this moment....my wife is bringing me...Smithfield BBQ!!!

Whoo hoo!!!

We spend Easter in North Carolina; another keep weekend trip, and certainly bittersweet.

Last weekend, my sister-in-law called and told my wife that my Grannie, who's been in poor, declining health for awhile now, looked at her and said, "...you tell Robbie that if he wants to see me, he needs to come down."

When my wife told me that Sunday night, it floored me, quite frankly. The fact she even was thinking of me was very touching. So, the wheels start spinning as to when to try to get to see her. We ended up shooting for Saturday and came down after my wife got off of work yesterday afternoon.

We arrived in Four Oaks and I took a quick trip through "town" and back to Grannie and Grandaddy's farm where I'd vacation every summer in my very, very early years (5, 6, 7 years old). Whoever owns it now has done a masterful job keeping its originality but also making it modern with beautiful fixtures and features.

My favorite part? One of Grandaddy's old tobacco barns was still standing. Not well, mind you, but still standing. :)

We met sis and headed to Benson to the nursing facility and when I got to her room, I was stunned by her appearance. I didn't think she was going to be as far downhill as she was. So, I took a moment while going in to readjust, and told my Aunt Edna my doctor may have told me not to talk for two weeks, but I every intention of talking to my Grannie. :)

We stayed about 1/2 hour and my cousin Terry, who I of course didn't recognize, came in to relieve my aunt so she could go home. He would spend the night with her. She tried to speak but we understood very little. I did, though, hear her say "Jesus", so I believe it will be a short time before she heads home, but I was very happy to say she was not in pain; the only problem other than the overall health was sores on her ears from lying on pillows hour, after hour, after hour. Her Parkinson's did the most damage; without it she probably would be ticking right along, albeit with limited mobility. But when it got to the point several weeks ago when she fell at Aunt Edna's house, where she lived and my aunt couldn't pick her up, it was time to place her in a care facility.

When Grannie passes, it will almost end the Four Oaks era of life; save Aunt Edna, the Strickland (Frank and Cleo side) will be gone.

And this was the first time I had been bedside of a relative since I lost Mama 4 1/2 years ago. I made it.

Several weeks ago I had to trains of thought:

1) I don't know if I can handle watching someone in the same condition as my Mama was for nine days.

2) I don't want the next time to see my Grannie be with her in her coffin.

Well---Grannie (and I shouldn't be surprised), answered it for me. And I'll forever be grateful for coming down.

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Easter 2007; I'll post in a bit. But first (kenju!!!), I've just been given a Smithfield BBQ sandwich and hush puppies.

LET THE GLUTTONY BEGIN!!

Happy.....Spring Break?

I'm sorry, did someone say Break?

The kids only had a "half-day" at school, and with our usual driver out of town on an emergency, there was no one to pick up/watch the kids. So, Dad leaves work, gets Rachel, stops at McDonalds, goes back to work; about an hour later, Rachel and Dad leave, pick up Robbie, give him his food, take him home, Rachel and I return to work again.

Head spinning yet? Thank goodness I didn't have as much commercial copy to hunt down today than I normally have on a Friday, so it all worked out.

So, Robbie and Rachel are off until 4/16, my best buddy at work is gone all next week, and, to beat all, they say it's snowing here overnight. Yeah, spring break alright!

We head back to North Carolina (I'm catching up from all the trips I missed from '03 to '06!) tomorrow afternoon. Grannie is not doing well, and she has asked to see me. Now that is an honor, so I won't let her down. We'll visit tomorrow evening, then head to New Bern for the night, and Easter Sunday Service at my brother's church. That'll be cool.

And, I can't wait to sing the great Easter hymns like, "Christ Arose" and "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today"....oh, that's right. I can't wait to mouth them. I can make myself look like I'm belting out a major league tune, and continue in silence.

Tonight, the past few hours, have been the most difficult time so far in this odyssey keeping myself from talking. Normally. So, I'm getting somewhat frustrated with myself. Being as exhausted as I am right now, I suspect that something to do with it.

So, trip to NC and cannot talk. I WILL, though, talk to my Grannie! :)

Back home Sunday night. Then I hear it's Dad, work your butt off Monday thru Thursday, so we can leave Thursday evening for my first trip to Virginia Beach since the earth-shaking weekend of May 2 and 3, 2004. The family's next trip to Va Beach was the next month, without me, as I am home, working, with a severely separated shoulder.

So, I'm looking forward to the trip; it's really the first "relax trip" I will have taken in, well, three years, and that one was "one night only".

And a shout out to a friend at work who hooked us up with a new place (to us) to stay at the oceanfront. Whoo hoo!

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Apparently, Ace Young was at the radio station the past two mornings. I think I walked right past him coming in to work Thursday morning. I didn't know who he was (remember, American Idol is banned from our home). Find out he's back today and a friend apparently brushed against him, came back in the office and said she wasn't washing her left arm again.

Someone does the accidental brush on me, and they return to their cubicles and say, "SAFEGUARD! DIAL! PURELL! ANYTHING! No one took a picture did they? I'd be SCARRED FOR LIFE!"

So, I learned this week that long hair, a six o'clock shadow, jeans, and no jelly belly apparently equals ladies wanting to brush you or take pictures with you.

Having none of those items/qualities, I can only conclude by saying....

"Fat lot I know!!"

(Editor's rebuttal: I have lost five pounds in the past two weeks, eating more salads and definitely less fast food. I'm going for "24 pounds", boy is that ironic! 24 pounds would return me to the 200 level. Then we'll go from there.)

5'10", 180 pounds, and most of the belly gone. That would be great...healthy, more energy, improved sleep.....and still no "hey, he's handsome!" pronouncements. :)

It's gotta be mid-life crisis symptom #17. For years I could have cared less what people thought about my looks. Maybe this will go away, just quietly go away.

Maybe the gut will, too!

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Boy, this wasn't meant to be a "lose weight, got a gut, woe for me that no woman notices me" post....that just kinda came up.

Our TOP STORY: Spring Break is here. Lots going on the next nine days, and, of course, we'll keep you posted.

And if you haven't been here either in a few days, or ever, please scroll down to the picture in the last post.

I wanna be her geek!! I love you, Chloe!!!! :)