I'm Back :)

Hello My Little Pumpkin Pies,

So I am back home. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I was just thankful to have another Thanksgiving with my grandparents and family. I got to talk to my grandma a lot and listen to more stories of her life "back in the day". She showed us ladies some of her treasures. She wore a beautiful, yellow expensive suit she won in Vegas over 40 years ago just after marrying my grandpa. She was gambling and kept winning and winning. My grandpa told her to stop and enjoy the cash, so she bought the suit. She wore it to Thanksgiving dinner and looked beautiful.

She also showed us her 50 year old Parisian handbag. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures. It was a black sequined handbag with gold lining. It was handmade in Paris in the 1950s with the address on the tag. They don't make them like they used to anymore. They were her prizes and she still has them. I love my grandma and the stories she tells. She was around during the Prohibition, and those stories are priceless. She also told stories about her dad coming home from the market crash of 1929, as he was a financial analyst.

I also got to stay with my dad. My dad has been wonderful. He moved out from Oregon and quit his job to take care of my grandparents. Since he has a new place, I got to stay with him. My dad put his life on hold to run the family business and take care of my grandma and grandpa so they could enjoy the last years of their lives without getting stressed out. Anytime they need anything, he is there for them. My grandma is very greatful and always tells me how he is doing a wonderful job. It means the world to me that he did that, and the family notices too. It speaks volumes of his character. My dad may have a filthy mind and may love to get annoyed reactions out of me, but he does have integrity.

My aunt brought up a lot of family documents from my great-grandparents. My great grandparents on my paternal grandpa's side were Russian-Jewish immigrants. I finally got my hands on some pictures, family letters and poetry that my great-grandma wrote. Some of it is in Yiddish, and I wonder if people still speak Yiddish nowadays.

It was nice to spend time with my family, and I got to see a lot of my cousins I haven't seen in years. One of them got married so I finally got to meet his new wife. I remember when my brother and I were the babies of the family, and we held that title for a long time until my cousins started having children of their own.

I didn't take any pictures, I really should have. My grandparents live by the coast, and I went to the beach, a state park called Jug Handle ( I don't know who comes up with these names). I was all by myself for a few minutes, the sand was smoothed over from the rain the night before. There was a couple holding hands in front of the ocean, and then they left a couple of minutes after I got there. The waves were so high, but the waves near the shore weren't. There was a little stream leading into the ocean under the huge bridge, and it felt like I was walking in a dream. I've never enjoyed nature the way I did yesterday and I was all by myself, and I got to think and look at the waves. I took a picture on my camera phone. Not the best quality, but it is still a reminder. In a way, I was glad that I didn't have a camera, as I was forced to enjoy what was in front of me, knowing I didn't get a recording of it. The area was small, peaceful, and secluded. It was cold as hell, but really pretty.

So that is all for now. My birthday is coming up on Monday, so I got some presents and my grandma sent me home with an extra cake.

I was just happy to spend time with loved ones again and we all had a grand time. I know that we are in a recession and times are tough, but for the past couple of days, I forgot all about that.

So that is all for now. My favorite holiday has passed for this year, and Christmas will be here before I know it.