That's What Friends Are For

Thank you all for your prayers and sweet words. We had a good (albeit emotional) visit with family, both immediate and distant.

The funeral was on Monday in Alabama and was very sweet and honoring to both Mamabel and Jesus. HUGE props to my Mom (who is a cryer like myself) for giving an awesome eulogy without any ugly crying!

After a couple of days of resting (grief is exhausting) we took the kids to the Atlanta zoo for a much needed mental diversion. We got back to NC late yesterday afternoon. Here are some photos from the week and a few funny moments from the trip. (zoo pic's in the next post)

Mamabel and Papa's house (currently Granny and Grandad's house, too)

Mamabel's favorite spot was the swing on the front porch.

The shed in the background of the blueberry bushes. Papa spent hours trying to outwit the birds who loved to steal his blueberries.

If by chance you stopped by and couldn't find the "old folks" in the house, which was never locked; this was the second place to look -Papa's shed. The door would be propped open and Mamabel would be sitting just inside watching Papa saw out the pieces for his swings.

While reminiscing about the old days we got to hear and share some funny Mamabel stories like these:

Mama, Mamabel, and a neighbor named Jo would head to Penney's outlet while us kids were in school. (All this time I thought my Mom just sat at home coming up with cleaning projects for us kids.) Miss Jo would pass gas and then her and mom would walk away and leave Mamabel standing there. Well, she was never one for subtleties and would inevitably and loudly say, "Somebody stinks!" Then look up to realize that she, having drawn the attention of unknown shoppers, was the only one standing there in the funk. My mom and the true culprit watching and laughing from a distance.

While Mamabel and Papa were still newlyweds she fell prey to yet another flatulence ploy. In the dark of their bedroom, Papa would say, "Liz, you better put your head under the covers 'cause I'm about to spit straight up into the air." Wanting to avoid getting a lugee in the face, she would duck her head under the blanket at which point he would let one rip. Talk about a catch 22. Poor soul.

I may have shared this one before but it's worth repeating. Mom, Terrie (my sister), and I had taken Mamabel to the mall to shop. The stores were closing and it was already dark outside as we headed into the parking lot. Two things we knew about Mamabel -she had horrible knees and a weak bladder. I whispered to my two partners in torment, "on the count of three, let's all run for the car." Mean? yes. Worth it? Oh yeah! She tried to catch up but couldn't run because she was busy holding her crotch and screaming, "I'm gonna wet myself." In the end, she was laughing as hard as the rest of us -always a good sport!