update

In the last two months I started providing therapy to two kids going to public school, which is a fun change but also challenging because I have to learn all new paperwork and routines (and the schools’ forms are messed up! it’s like the dark ages or something). It’s definitely been a brain workout, and sometimes a physical one. it’s pretty cool to see these kids (both of whom are on the autism spectrum) doing so well in mainstream classrooms.

Both of my sisters, Toni and Melanja, came to stay with us for a month in between their seasonal jobs. I like my sisters a lot (now - they were pains in the butt growing up) and it was awesome to spend so much time with them. Especially because I told them at the onset that I hate doing dishes and so that was their job, so I never had to do dishes that whole month. It was awesome. I also got some relief in the area of parental support - my parents are getting a divorce, and while they’re pretty low maintenance we all benefitted from having the other offspring around.

Mike and I had planned to take a week off to drive down to see my grandmother in northern California - she’s my last living grandparent - she’s 81 and all I heard for months leading up to this visit was “i’m so glad you’re going to come see me… because I never know if I’ll make it up there again to see you… before it’s too late..” etc, despite the fact that she can still drive for over 8 hours by herself, walks 2 miles 3 times a week, makes homemade sourdough waffles, and knows every person in the county, where they live, where they used to live, where their ex-sister-in-laws’ friend from college who she met one time while volunteering at the Senior’s Thrift Store lives. The saying in our family is “She’ll live for 20 more years, bitching and moaning the whole way”.

So when my sisters called me back in August (within 4 days of each other) it went something like this:

Sister 1: So can I stay at your house when I come to North Idaho to visit? You have TV, and internet, and go to bed at a reasonably late hour.

Me: Sure. When? (i’m not that easy going - I also said “and clean out some of the crap you left last time”)

Sister 1: October. You going to be around then?

Me: Yep. Oh, except for when Mike and I go see Grandma for a week.

Sister 1: Hey! I should go see Grandma. She’s been saying “I hope I get to see you before… you know…” a lot lately.

Me: That would be fun! Roadtrip!!

Then commenced lots of discussing where we would eat each day on the trip, because that’s what Jones’s do. We also discussed everywhere good we’d eaten together in the last 5 years, along the lines of “remember the garlic rolls at Angelo’s in Wellington? wow!” and “remember that time when we were kids and the parents stopped and bought us pizza? that was awesome!” which it was, since my parents bought us pizza, or any kind of “eating out” food, approximately once a year.

Then I told Mike about the new trip plans, how exciting! and he wasn’t quite as excited as me, but eventually forgave me and came around, thankfully.

Four days later:

Sister 2: So can I stay at your house when I come to North Idaho to visit? You have TV, and internet, and go to bed at a reasonably late hour.

Me: Sure. When? Sister 1 is going to be here then too. (i’m not that easy going - I also said “and clean out some of the crap you left last time”)

Sister 2: October. You going to be around then? And, I want the guest bedroom. All my crap is there anyway.

Me: Yep, we’ll be here in October. Oh, except for when Mike and I go see Grandma for a week.

Sister 2: Hey! I should go see Grandma. She’s been saying “I hope I get to see you before… you know…” a lot lately.

Me: Ya! Roadtrip!!! I mean… Sure… but I better check with Mike first.. kind of run it by him.. make him feel like he has some amount of control in the train wreck of a crazy family roadtrip.

Sister 2: I promise I won’t talk too much. I’ll bring my iPod.

So.. that’s how Mike, me, and my two sisters ended up going on a week long, 2000 mile long trip through California, Oregon, and Washington, with a quick detour for Mike over to Nevada. It was great. Definitely provided lots of fodder for the Jones’ Food Nostalgia discussions. And we made our grandma happy for the rest of the year, I think.

When we got back my mom’s house was ready for painting, and then flooring and cabinets, all of which we volunteered to help do. My parents have 20 acres that they have split into two parcels - my dad is keeping the original house, and my mom is building a new house on the other half of the property. So over the last 3 weeks or so that’s pretty much where Mike and I have been every other evening after work and almost every day on the weekends - we put in bamboo floor, assembled and installed IKEA cabinets, helped paint the whole damn interior, and are currently working on tiling shit. I’ve also picked up a cursing habit thanks to my dad - “curses like a sailor” can’t hold a candle to “curses like a carpenter”. My god. We’ve tiled the hearth, the bathroom/laundry room, and most of the tub enclosure. And then you have to grout it and seal it… I hate grout. It sucks. Poor me. But the good thing is the end is in sight - just a few more plumbing things for my dad to do, a lot more grout (grumble) and she can pretty much move in! And then my parents can become more separate (they’ve been living together since they decided, finally, to get divorced 10 months ago) and I truly believe - happier.

And I can go back to playing frisbee golf, reading lots of books, avoiding housework, and going on random drives around the countryside on my weekends.