Sincerely a Lover of DC

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the East Coast? Well, if not, know that I do and I always have. It's been my home-away-from-home as long as I can remember. In fact, ever since I turned eleven, I think I've visited the Washington, DC area about every other year. After two years, I wasn't sure when my next stay in DC would be until my dad gave me a proposition: if I wasn't occupied with a job after graduation and I had time, I could go on an all-expenses paid trip to help my aunt with my Grandma Smith.

Sure enough, right at the end of August, I found the perfect time--that Friday, that week. So I called up my sister in Virginia ASAP and asked what her schedule was like that weekend. It was clear, so we booked a plane ticket on Thursday and my very kind BIL gave me a ride to SLC airport Friday afternoon so I would be able to spend the weekend with my sister and then go to my aunt's house on Monday when she was back from her trip from Hawaii. Catch all that? It was a little rocky planning the whole thing on such short notice, but I was relieved it worked out.

I had a wonderful weekend with my sister Jennifer, who I had not seen since two Christmases ago. The highlight was meeting for the first time 18-mos.-old Gideon, who tackled and tickled me that Saturday morning while I was still sleeping. With my sister, her husband, and the kids, we spent Saturday going to the National Zoo, hiking a trail, driving around DC, going to Baskin Robbins, ordering pizza and then settling down with a movie that night. Here are a few pics to commemorate the trip:

Gideon is learning to roll his eyes, something he learned from his sassy older sister. Quite frankly, it just creeps me out.

What has to be the most expensive gas in the country.

Sampling something called a pawpaw (think Jungle Book) along the trail. It's like a mix between a mango and a banana.

The kids and I love the zoo :)

Part of the new American exhibit theme.

We were boiling up, so the kids grabbed me and made me run under the shower spouts throughout the park.

Overall, it was a great weekend and I loved being reacquainted with my niece and nephew who were so ecstatic to see me. (Although they were perhaps a little too excited. The constant shouts of "Sabe!" and "Sabwa" and "Aunt Sabra" still ring in my ear. Hee hee.)

The two Sundays I was in town, I got to visit with my other gma, Grandma Whittle. Unfortunately, she wasn't doing as well either. She was in a lot of pain, but we got to have a nice conversation--when she could hear what I was saying, anyway. (As a side note, Jil kept yelling to Gma about wanting her George Foreman grill. I made it into a poem and said, "You should leave the grill to Jil in your will," to which Jil added, "Or else I'll be a pill!" Gma just chuckled.)

As bad as her state was, I was shocked when she died within a week of me leaving DC. I'm so grateful for the timing, though, and that I got to see her right before she went. She was a special lady and the memories I have of her will be cherished. I don't have a picture of her from that trip, but I cropped a family photo to include her and me in it together:

This is from a family reunion in Delaware approximately two years ago.

On a lighter note, on Monday, after Jen took me on a thrift store shopping spree as a grad present, I headed over to my aunt's and got to see my dad's side of the family. (Yes, both sides of my fam live in DC!) It was nice catching up with everyone I had not seen in a while and hearing about my aunt and uncle's trip to Oahu. They brought back flower clips for the girls and these hula dancer tattoo sleeves for Gma Smith to protect her arms. Just see below:

My Gma Smith is in a hospital bed and at ninety-three years old, she suffers from heart failure. She can't walk around on her own and has to deal short-term memory loss. She often didn't remember where she was, although she fortunately could recall who I was most of the time. I helped out when I could by looking after Gma, helping take her to the bathroom, giving her food and meds, and keeping her company. The sad thing was I must have caught something on the plane so I was sick for the first week at my aunt's! I was a sniffling mess, so I had to keep my distance from Gma to avoid getting her sick.

Fortunately, I had a very nice time with my aunt and uncle. It was nice to be in a different climate (as humid as it was) and be away from the college scene. I got to visit with my relatives, particularly my Aunt Claudia, and do fun activities like yoga. Aunt Claudia encouraged me to do a collage for a creative journaling project. And ta-da! here are the results of my effort:

And here is a pic of Claudia and me:

It was an excellent way to spend two weeks and I'm very glad I got to go out there to see the relatives. And of course, it's always nice to be needed and give service. I hope I was of help that time, although honestly, I think I was the one who got spoiled most of the time :). I'm especially glad I got to be with those whose time is short before they pass on. I'm grateful for my faith for the sense of unity and hope it gives us during these times. This trip has been a bittersweet memory and a very long post (sorry!) to record everything that happened at that time. So, I guess until next time....

Sincerely,

Sabra