Jill's Journal - Entry 2: To Kansas I go for the 6th Time

13 days and I will be in Holcomb, KS! Going to see my youngest son Ethan, daughter-in-law Deni, and my beautiful, genius, talented, funny little Grandsons Faolan and Rowan! I call them My 4 Moochies. May 17 is Rowan's birthday and November 17 is Faolan's birthday, so I make the trip to Kansas twice a year for their birthdays, and that is every 6 months - in May and in November. I usually stay 5 or 6 days.

My adorable Grandsons call me Gamma, I love that name. I made it up because it's like I have extra powers like in the Gamma rays The Hulk has. I'm mean like The Hulk, and if I continue this same course, I'll be as big as The Hulk in no time. Don't know what to do about being green. But I sure am Gamma.

Anyway, while I'm there... I sit and watch them watch TV, every once in awhile Faolan will say somthing like, "Gamma, you're looking at me." I also play with them as much as I can, working through the knee, foot and back pain... usually sit on the floor, makes it easier on the pain and we surround ourselves with toys. We also go to the Richardson Zoo in Garden City, and I watch Faolan and Deni climb The Rocket. The Rocket is on the playground there and people climb to the top of it. The Rocket even has a profile on Facebook... I kid you not! It's not real tall, I plan on climbing it this year. I am an actual friend of The Rock! Cool!!

And we'll go to "Story Time" at the Library, and I'll get to watch the boys faces light up while listening to some sweet person read a book to them and other kids. You know, I think I'd like to do that. I can do voices and a British accent that Big Al absolutely hates me to do but I love doing it. Wow, that would be a bunch of fun to read stories to kids. Wish I could make a living at that, or add to my income by doing it - very cool. I wonder if they even pay the person who reads to the kids, it's probably a volunteer thing, that might be fun anyway.

We ALWAYS go to the Thai Restaurant! It's excellent food, very hot! My Moochies are beyond regulars there, they are totally into Thai food. I don't know of a decent Thai Restaurant around here, wish I did. I always get the chicken with veggies, extremely spicey - Moke couldn't take the heat, he's not good with spicy hot flavors, he's such a weenee. And you get a big glob of steamed rice with it.

Let's see what else are we going to do, oh yes, we'll go to Sondra and Robert's (that's Deni's Mom and step-dad) house and have a BBQ in their backyard. This is always fun and we have a good visit with them. They're putting their trailer in E&D's yard and hooking it up so that I can stay there during my visit. The reason for that is that E&D have some exotic animals that I'm totally unfond of and don't want to sleep in the same room with. For instance... cats, 2 rats, and a bearded dragon! Oh such joy for me!! But staying in the trailer is going to be a dream, and an awfully sweet and loving gesture from my dear friend Sondra.

Another thing we'll be doing is to go to Walmart, probably 2 or 3 times during my visit. I hate Walmart, especially hate the Walmart in Garden City. The diversity of this town is... well it's diverse... very much so. You have many, many Mexican Americans, lots of white people, some Ammenites, and a few blacks. On rare occasions I will get a return smile, which truly makes my day! But for the most part, these groups keep to their own kind and give the other kind hateful looks. It can get scary, but the best thing to do is just to pretend that we're all a like and that no one is better than anybody else, and remember to smile... smile you're ars off, and you'll pretty much be okay.

Yelp, 13 days and I'll see My 4 Moochies - Gamma is beyond excited!!!!!