(no subject)

No phone call yet. Waiting is terrible. I hate not knowing what is going on.

But I'm going to the airport with Lance. I don't want to be alone...waiting. If there's a call while we're out, well, I'll find out when we get home. I'd rather grieve with people around me.

We're leaving in about half an hour. Kim's plane comes in an hour earlier than scheduled.

I've been thinking about particular memories I have of Grandma...trying to decide which is my favorite.

I think I know.

I don't remember how old I was, but it was when she lived in her old house on Concord Court, so I was fairly young. I was sitting in the kitchen and Grandma was hammering a nail into the wall.

She hit her thumb with the hammer, and instead of screaming out an obscenity, she screamed out, "God Bless America!" And she stuck her thumb in her mouth and started sucking on it.

I screamed with laughter. I thought this was the most hilarious thing ever. And then Grandma started laughing. And we were both sitting there, practically in hysterics.

***

Grandma was also a bit unconventional. When my first boyfriend broke up with me (and yes, I was legally of age to drink), she took me bar hopping and got me drunk for the very first time. Not drunk enough to throw up or pass out. But just drunk enough to be giggly and find everything hysterically funny.

She was also a member of the Moose Lodge and took me to a country line dance one night. It was my 19th birthday. Anyway, I hate country line dancing. I hate country music. But I went with her. And these elderly men kept asking me to dance. And I got up and danced with them, and I thought it was so funny. And I laughed more than I danced. I know Grandma enjoyed herself a lot more than I did, but now I'm glad that I have that memory.

Still Waiting...

No phone call yet. I tried calling my Dad, and immediately got his voicemail.

I'm trying to hold it together.

Went to the airport with Lance. It was a gorgeous day, weather-wise, so everything went fine. We got home, I put Orange Chicken in the slow cooker, Lance mowed the lawn, we made phone calls. Not necessarily in that order.

Spent the afternoon just getting caught up with the SIL. Around 5:30, we had snacks: cheese, party mix, crackers, dip. Dinner was going to be late.

I served dinner at 7:30. This was a new recipe for me, and it was good.

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (8 small...but I had 1.5 lbs., 6 thighs in the package)
3 TBSP. flour
1/3 c. orange marmalade
1/3 c. barbecue sauce (Kraft Original, if you have it)
2 TBSP. soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

Toss chicken with flour in the slow cooker. Coat thoroughly. Add other ingredients and mix well. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

I served with wild rice and green beans. Very very good.

We had brownie sundaes for dessert, and the Bourbon Vanilla ice cream I bought is very nice.

We watched The Muppet Show while we ate.

I had a couple glasses of wine, and I'm ready for bed. Kim just turned in. There's a very loud party going on at the restaurant down the street, which I expect to go on until the wee hours, so I don't know how much sleep I'll get tonight, even though I'm exhausted.

Expecting to get the phone call overnight. But I really don't know. I assume that Grandma is off life support by now. They should've turned it off yesterday. Now it's just waiting for the inevitable.