Im at my mom's this weekend for my dad's side family reunion. Its changed completely since the olden days when there was so much good homemade food, lively conversation, tiny babies and tons of cousins all wrapped up in a day at the city park I grew up playing in which was a lovely setting, btw. I looked at some photos from the seventies today and man, was there a lot of polyester!

Now it's KFC and Walmart cupcakes at a stuffy first cousin's house. I am rather picky about things, huh?

And all the original aunts and uncles of the Provance clan that started the reunion have passed except one aunt. 200 people easily were at the reunions and I couldn't remember half their names but there was always someone to play with or talk to and they knew me.

Now it's a whole new set of people I don't know and not many at that.

We are taking homemade meatballs, buttermilk fried chicken strips and fruit cocktail cake along with veg salad. I won't stray far from the table.

Next Wednesday E and I fly down to Orlando for the National Beta convention. E is competing in spelling. I can't wait to make it to the beaches near NASA. I rented a car and we will see how well I navigate. We stay at the Caribe Royale resort which looks scrumptious. The school is picking up the tab (except the alcohol, I suspect). Whoohoooooo!

Ill check in on my blogfolk asap. Until then, toodles.

Im thinner, more shorn than before, having cut my hair all off in a pixie cut and I am rather relaxed these past few days since shool has let out. Working in the outdoor classroom every day before school was out in addition to working several hours in the truck garden took several layers of winter and spring fat off. While I was working out so much, I noticed my hair was looking more like a rat's nest and less like a head of hair so off it came. I like the results now although I was initially afraid to look too manish. No women have flirted with me so far so Ive got that going for me....
My daughter turned 17 Wednesday. What a slap of reality! Seventeen YEARS OLD! I remember coming in to R's office and closing the door to share the results of the "test" and realizing I was going to have a baby like it was yesterday. And when my former mother-in-law walked in to the hospital room after E was born and I told her it was a girl, she burst out crying and hugged me. It makes me weepy just to remember those wonderful moments. I was so scared and not too bright especially given less than adaquate sleep to manage a newborn baby all day by myself with no one around until R came home from work. I was a mess. But it was frightening.
So she has made it to 17 in spite of me being her mother and it may be alright from here on out. Time will tell. She is a gem.

Im still thinking about all of you and wondering what is going on with you just like we are friends. Hope things are okay. Ill be back around when I can and certainly after I get a working computer.