FINALLY!

I’m finally free….for the summer anyway. The only thing I have pending is a 5th birthday party for grandson, Curtis, tomorrow,  grandson Reese’s baseball game Monday evening, n Tuesday is lunch at the Senior Center with former classmates and nephew Tyson’s baseball game in the evening, lunch with my bff probably June 12 and lunch with Michael’s widow June 14th. Those are all fun things so I’m good with that kind of thing!

The Family Reunion is over and went pretty well. There were almost as many as last year, about 65. BUT the black sheep of the family (by his admission) that was responsible for me having to host it again this year, pulled the same thing he did last year. Last year he volunteered to be host this year. After I agreed to it, I found out that he had just gotten out of jail the day before and was homeless. Talking to his ex-wife (whom he said had agreed to help him host) I found out that the only reason he volunteers is to get his hands on the collection we take for the next year’s expenses. She had not and would not help him host, she nor his kids wanted anything to do with him. So I kept the money and the hostess job!

Two days before this year’s reunion Don had to go to the next county to pick him up and bring him to our jail for failure to appear on a theft charge. I knew he was up to the same thing he did last year. Yep, the day of the reunion he posted bond (he sweet talked a former classmate into posting his bond) and appeared at the Reunion. We were ready for him this year though. We made it clear that we would not be accepting him as host and no money would be turned over to him. He loaded up three plates of food, waiting until every one was done eating and then loaded up everything that was left on the table, that was in a disposable container, and took it also! I went to the Lake Office and told them what he had done the last two years and to watch him because he would steal anything that wasn’t nailed down. Don saw him digging through the trash on the grounds. He is a drug addict and a con artist and has stolen from almost the entire family at one time or another. It’s difficult to feel sorry for him as everyone has tried to help and just gotten taken for their efforts. He now has talked the classmate into letting him stay with him but the friend’s wife says her grandkids are coming to visit this weekend and she is kicking him out. It scares me a little that he will be wandering the streets after that. I hope he leaves the county! His brother set a convenience store clerk on fire while he was robbing the place several years ago. And his brother was always the good brother, he was just mad because his wife left him. So he decided to go on a crime spree!

Another sad part of the day was when  I asked one of my cousins why her sister didn’t come with her to the Reunion. They live in Edmond, OK and normally go everywhere together. Their parents are both deceased, they are both single and have no other siblings. She told me that her sister had passed in April. I had no idea and felt terrible. Angie was bi-polar and has struggled with it for years. She felt guilty about causing so much trouble for her mother because of being bi-polar and felt she had caused her an early death. Angie took her own life in the same way my son did. She was only 44 years old. Yesterday I sent her sister Amy a sympathy card, letter and a book that helped me get through Michael’s death. I wish Amy  lived closer, as she is totally alone now, other than her Kansas cousins. Thank God, she is a devout Christian.

I didn’t mean to end this on a sad note but wanted to document Angie’s death and Barry’s shenanigans!

To keep from ending on a sad note, one of my cousin’s granddaughters, Kayleigh, drew, painted and colored me a mermaid at the reunion. She didn’t know me at all, this was the first time we had met but sure was a sweetie and a good artist. She is about 6 years old.