this past week was one of the most relaxing times i’ve had in recent remembrance (and by “recent remembrance” i mean the last 2 years). it was so wonderful to come home and see my family. my entire family. i saw people i haven’t seen in years this week, and while i may not have been feeling up to my best on some of the days, it was amazing to be in their company catching up.
i arrived in providence on wednesday afternoon, just in time to go to st. anthony of the desert for christmas eve services with father no-personality. the choir sounded wonderful (mariah included) and overall it was a lovely mass. we then left and headed for my cousin jeannie’s house for christmas eve festivities. a glass of wine was placed in my hand as i entered the door and i didn’t stop laughing even after we drove away nearly 5 hours later.
the next morning, we woke up late and exchanged gifts, got ready, and went to my aunt rosemarie’s house, where we spend christmas day. after having slaved over a hot kitchen all day, aunt ro had an amazing feast prepared for us, augmented with dishes and desserts from the rest of my amazing family.
the day after christmas was where the real whirlwind began. we woke up early to get to breakfast with our cousins. this particular group is the absolute funnest group of women (and ryan) is the most enjoyable to be around at any time. at least 4 conversations were happening at any given point among the 7 of us at the table.
from breakfast in swansea, we jetted down to dartmouth to visit with my grandmother. grandma betty is a firecracker of a woman who i love very much. we stayed in her living room laughing for almost an hour and a half until we remembered we were all supposed to go to lunch! we left and continued the chuckles over food, then dropped grandma back at her apartment. until this afternoon, i hadn’t seen her for about a year and a half. it felt so amazing to catch up with her, a highlight being her referring to my beloved dorothy parker as an “acid bitch.” where do you think i get it from?
from the delightful high of lunch with my grandmother, my mother and i then trekked into the lower depths of the seventh circle of hell: my uncle’s apartment. after running into him at christmas dinner after nearly two years of carefully planned non-contact, he asked me to help him install itunes and put some music on a new ipod he got as a gift. unable to find a polite way to say no, and feeling compelled to be a good person due to the big jc’s birthday, i said yes. it didn’t end up working out, so he intends on returning the ipod. i did get a free 8gb flash drive out of it, though. score.
after this full day of driving and visiting (and tending the scorch marks from exiting hell), mom, janis and myself curled up in the family room and watched the sex and the city movie. mom got it on dvd for christmas and enjoyed it just as much as when she saw it in the theater. she’s just plain adorable.
next morning, wake up even earlier to have breakfast with my godmother at 9am. like my grandmother, i hadn’t seen my godmother in about a year and a half. it was so wonderful to catch up with her and share a meal.
after breakfast, we headed down the street to get mom’s hair did by janice, the woman who cut my hair from the fourth grade until i moved to boston. it was amazing to see her and how well she was doing. she likes my hair the way it is now (although she did have the awful task of tending to it when it was shoulder-length).
packing then happened, and after checking and double checking, we left the house for brockton to see my dad. we all went to a delightful lebanese restaurant for lunch and ate fantastic food. it was nice to see dad doing so well (and wearing jeans!). now i’m back home, fresh from watching two movies on the couch, irrigating my nose, writing thank you cards, and organizing my life over the next few days. as wonderful as it was to see everyone i love, it’s very fantastic to be back in my apartment cuddling with mr. mitchi awaiting jeremy’s return from south carolina.
i’m looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow!