My Soon-to-happen California Trip…and missing out on Drama Camp

Pros: seeing my grandparents, my bestie/cousin Rachel (aka Hawkeye - she calls me Trapper. We’re MASH fans), hanging out with other extended family, spending time with my Uncle “Beans” Ben (including exploring San Fran, driving a dragster, and riding a Harley Davidson), doing all sorts of sports associated with water (swimming, boating, potentially jet skiing, etc.), tanning, and so on.

Cons: only being able to spend 2 weeks down there, saying goodbye to everyone, having to come back (mostly because of work), not being able to bring the weather with me (even though it SHOULD be somewhat as nice when I return), AND DADGUMMIT MISSING OUT ON HELPING OUT WITH THE DRAMA SUMMER CAMP.

And I’d be getting paid for it, too!! D:

WHY THEN, LORI!? WHY HAVE THE SUMMER CAMP THEEEEN?!??! Why couldn’t we have had it when I wasn’t getting many hours, instead of just after my trip when I can’t take anymore time off because of my vacation AND because of the start of the back-to-school month!??!?!?

*frustrated sobs*

The upside is that I might still be able to help out here and there…just not the whole time :C

Time, you are my enemy once more on SO many levels this summer.

Cali Trip: Ol’ Beans

Guys, I love my Uncle Ben (or as my Uncle George calls him: “Beans”) SO freakin’ much. And when my parents & I finally pulled up to his house and got out of the car, I ran straight into his arms & nearly cried. I hadn’t seen him in over two years, and since then he’d been in a deadly motorcycle accident that took away his beautiful bass voice - now he sounds like The Godfather (he’s dubbed himself that already). But he hasn’t changed, thank God. He’s a bit gaunt, and he gets winded (due to a punctured lung from the accident), but he’s still dear ol’ Uncle Benny.

So far, my stay at my uncle’s house (and specific hang-out time with him) has consisted of:

- sitting around and reminiscing

- teaching him & my parents how to play Fluxx (LOL)

- three words: Eggos. For. Breakfast. I have the best uncle ever.

- hanging out in the backyard on the patio swing in 80+ degree weather with the smell of jasmine in the air and free fresh oranges on his neighbor’s tree nearby. Oh, and throwing patio furniture pillows at each other.

- having him drive us 10 minutes away from the house just to get In & Out - did I mention Uncle Ben’s the best?

- getting all gussied up for my cousin’s wedding, and having Ben grin at me and say “You look very, very nice. That is definitely a summer dress.” What a sweetie.

- driving. The guy’s like Han Solo in the Millennium Falcon, dancing in and out of traffic without batting an eyelash.

- staying by his side when we all had to walk to the park where the wedding was held; a lot of it was uphill, and Ben had to stop after a while to catch his breath :C  But we walked all the way together.

- getting him to sit with the rest of the fam at the wedding: remember, he’s not actually my uncle, but my family’s adopted him (more or less), and he’s fam to me. He went and sat at the back by himself and said he was fine when others asked him to join us. Then I went back and said “Hey Ben, come sit with us!” He looked me in the eyes, grinned, and said “Ok.” And he sat with us.

- I’d mentioned that morning that I didn’t want to leave because the weather was so wonderful. Ben piped up and said I could stay there with him, and I was cool with it. Later after the wedding, we were walking towards the carpool van with Uncle George, and George was making wisecracks about my parents and I being noisy guests and how there was NO laughter in the house at all. Ben was walking near me, and he put his arm around my shoulder and said “Well, Joanna’s staying down here and moving in with me! She’ll find a job around here and everything!” I lol’d, but dang, I wish it were true. I’d love to live here and be closer to the extended family I don’t get to see that often…

- getting into a THROW ALL THE THINGS hallway brawl. We’d just got home from the wedding reception, and everyone’s tired and partially deaf from the loud music (I’m all sweaty from dancing), and everyone starts settling down. Ben trots back and forth to get more blankets ready, and I met him half way in the kitchen since I needed water. Well, I decided to help him grab blankets instead, so as I’m picking up the blankets he keeps tossing near me, he flings a washcloth right at my face, snickering. I throw it back. He throws another one. I throw that back, too. Then the war breaks out, and we find ourselves at the opposite ends of the hallway, laughing like hyenas and chucking towels and washclothes at each other. I throw one and it lands right on his hat and hangs in his face, and I completely lose it and go fetal from laughter. He digs into the bottom of the closet and starts lobbing toilet paper rolls at me! At this point, my mum is calling from the other room, wondering what the heck is going on, and my sis (staying the night w/ her husband & 2 kids) is trying to shush us while laughing too. Finally Ben grabs the entire package of t.p. rolls and flings it down the hallway where it crashes into the wall. A truce is unofficially called amidst laughter, and we start picking things up. I’m still laughing as he comes down the hallway, looks at me, and goes “…what?” as though he hadn’t started it. All I can do is grab him in a bear hug.

- having him shuffle into the family room where a bunch of us are crashing, pick up a pillow and bop me across the head with it a few times, just because.

…I think I’m going to be a mess when we leave, guys. I am not going to want to go. I love my family so much, and I love my Uncle Beans so much it’s hurting already, knowing that I’ll be leaving soon.