Thoughts meander like a restless wind

Weekend visits are quickly becoming one of my favorite activities.
Two and a half weeks ago, we visited Mom and Dad for my birthday weekend. The drive up on Friday night was dark, but filled with conversation that made the journey more tolerable than usual. Dad had dinner waiting when we arrived, and the next morning was slow and lazy like Saturday mornings should be. All five of us loaded up shortly before lunch and headed north across the winding mountain roads. Our first stop was to visit Minnie. Upon entering her livingroom, it was as if absolutely nothing had changed in the years since I have been there. I smiled at the memory of warm, fresh air drifting through the kitchen window. David grew restless and would not rest until he had coaxed multiple people into joining his outdoor chicken expedition. The chickens had hidden themselves well, but a friendly kitten followed our every step along the path to the horses. "Look, but don't touch" seems to be David's policy regarding furry creatures of all types. While I was unable to resist kneeling with the cat and scratching the horse's nose, he skittered away with hands held well out of reach. Our next stop was to visit the Parker's. Their small farm house was crowded with visitors, so their daughter-in-law took David outside to find the new calves. Apparently a cow with a very long tongue reached through the fence to lick David's hand, which caused him to go bananas. I'm very sorry to have missed capturing that moment with my new (birthday) video camera, but the mental image is almost enough. David and Johnathan are both crazy picky when it comes to things touching their hands, so I can only hope Emily will take after her mother and love playing with all manner of cuddly critters. The whole family watched a movie together Saturday night, and Sunday was largely spent shuffling through boxes in the basement. I found many interesting things, including three pairs of my baby shoes. We watched Napolean Dynamite to round out the evening, and I decided that it was most definitely a situational movie. I remember it being hilarious in a certain time and place, but it seemed to have lost its flare. The weekend was relaxed and filled with some of my favorite things...like cookie cake and family time. A shadow fell, however, upon discovering that Mrs. Harkins had entered the hospital only a day before my Saturday visit. She was a large part of my reason for making the journey, and to have missed her by only one day was terribly disheartening. I was unable to see her before she passed away last week. I traveled up once more this past Thursday in order to visit the funeral home. Upon speaking with Mrs. Harkins' daughter, I was reminded of a seemingly insignificant fact. As she took my hand, she mentioned that her mother thought a great deal of me and had always felt it necessary to give me a little gift each Christmas we were at the church. I began to visualize the little boxes and various jewelry sets that had been presented to me over the course of five years and was filled with a surge of endearment. As a thirteen year old, I certainly gave the gifts much less thought and appreciation than they deserved. The monetary value is little, and each object would seem immaterial to the casual observer, but my Corena-gifts have suddenly taken on priceless value. Such realizations always make me step back and evaluate who I am and who I hope to become. Friday morning, David and I braved the bitter cold, breakfasted with Mom and Dad, and visited with my grandparents and cousins before returning to Milledgeville. I spent more time than I had intended, but it was without regret.
The family then packed up and prepared to head down to Guyton for a three-day weekend. We arrived late and (after birthday presents) stayed up until midnight without realizing it. I was more than pleased with the new puppy who alternated between periods of dizzy excitement and complete exhaustion. Nothing oozes contentment quite as much as a soft, floppy puppy falling fast asleep in your arms. Saturday morning was relaxed and concluded with mid-day dinner across the field at Johnathan's grandparent's. I am always content to sit and listen to the conversation of others, especially grandparents. They always seem to have a humorous story or some kind of wisdom to impart. David pulled me onto the screened-in porch and played happily while I took pictures. I went on a larger photo-taking spree outdoors and ended with a video of Meghan and Johnathan's MG-moving scheme. I smiled as I observed my newest family members interacting with each other and with me. I felt as if I were a part of something unexplainable and overwhelmingly comforting. The rest of the evening and a large part of Sunday was spent continuing David's scrapbook. I'm very satisfied with the result and now feel an artistic drive. The weekend seemed longer than usual...as if time slowed down solely for everyone's enjoyment.
I will return to Guyton this weekend for the first of three baby showers, then travel back north to be with Mom after her gallstone surgery. I'm closing in on the once-a-week mark for my doctor's appointments. I'm not really looking forward to that point, but I suppose that as long as I keep my nerves at bay, it holds a certain excitement of its own.
Tomorrow morning threatens to be cold, wintry, and wet, which prompted me to bake banana bread. I'm sitting here, taking in the fragrance and surveying my livingroom. David's twenty-four piece puzzle lies completed at the end of the coffee table. He fit together the entire puzzle on his own with the exception of four or five pieces. There are random pictures scattered on the floor from the demolition of my photo collage. One of the pictures is from April of 2004...almost three years ago. It's the first picture ever taken with Johnathan, and I will never cease to be amazed by how far we have come. We both look so young...so different. It prompted me to put together a series of transition photos spanning our relationship. I don't normally do such sappy things, but hey...it's only two weeks until Valentine's Day. I'm allowed.