My sleep schedule must be the first thing to get back to "normal" because I'm starting to wake up between 3:22 and 3:45am again. This morning as I tried to shut my brain off I drifted back to where I was a week ago. All of my dad's sisters, my mom, my grandma and my sister were all congregated in my dad's hospital room. He was unresponsive but I'm sure he could hear us. Much like any other time we all get together, we were picking on each other and cracking jokes. It turns out that our uncle who we don't see very often thought the short sister (me) was also the youngest. Needless to say that went over with my younger sister like a turd in a punchbowl and I milked it the rest of the day! (And I may have mentioned it off and on since). We had some moments when we were all in tears laughing instead of tears of sadness... and it was nice.

My oldest daughter had a school dance that next night and I insisted that she go. The last dance I chaperoned so she was so incredibly happy at the thought that I wouldn't be at this one. So I decided to give her the good news Friday morning that instead of her mom going, her Aunt Bonnie would be there instead! She was pretty sure we were just playing but she wasn't sure. That night my brother-in-law drove the three of us to the middle school and the whole way my sister was giddy with excitement and even demonstrated some of the dance moves she was going to break out in front of all of Gen's friends. Jon stopped in front of the school and Bon jumped out, jumping up and down waiting for Gen to get out of the Jeep. It was at that point Gen saw her and looked at me with pleading eyes and said, "Seriously. She isn't going is she?" Bon grabbed her excitedly and said, "Just kidding. Have fun!" The look of relief on that kid's face was P R I C E L E S S!

We weren't even out of the parking lot yet and I told my sister. Someday when Gen is our age she is going to tell the story about the time her Aunt Bonnie made her think she was going to her school dance and how mortified she was! Ah, good times!