Carmella's Hang Out

We had a busy weekend!! I always love busy weekends! It is nice to have things to do, and to be needed or wanted in places.

My Hepworth Grandparents live in an old Civil War home, and have since before my dad was born. In the years they have lived there, they have made some additions to the place to accommodate their growing family. This additions included a family room, a bathroom which connected to another addition….the master bedroom. These all, however, were added long before I myself was even thought of….since Dad still lived at home!!! They have not been worked on or fixed up since then, and are in great need of some attention.

One of my Uncles is working on gutting and re-doing the family room. This past weekend, my Uncle Jon and his family made plans with my family, to meet up in Bancroft to repair the roof on the bathroom and bedroom. Ok…so the families would all meet up….but most of the work was done by the two Dad’s: My own Father and my Uncle Jon. However, the rest of us did what we could. {Remember…this is a roof……even though we wanted to help…there really was little that David or I could do…and the little kids are also very limited in their helping abilities. PLUS, the two men working on the project are very good at what they do, and seldom need much help in things such as this! They are such a great team, and have been since kids!} Kade and I got to climb up there on the roof and pull out nails!!! YAY!! Mum got pics for us too….to prove that we were there and up there….and to once again prove that we are not city girls who dont like to get dirty! Those will be up shortly. Perhaps tomorrow if I can think of it.

I was unable to stay the entire day, since I had to be back here in Auburn Hills to work at 4. This meant I had to leave Bancroft shortly after 2. :/ It was still a nice amount of time spent there for me, since we got there around 9 in the morning. The others stayed there till long after dark, and I was in fact home from work for near an hour when they got back! Little side note here….as silly as I am sure my brother will find this should he read it…..that was very lonely to me! I like the quiet….I stay up late at night and the house is silent and it is very nice! Sometimes I feel as though I am alone…..but I take comfort in the fact that I indeed am not….and should I need someone….there are seven someone’s in this house somewhere. I dont ever recall a time when I came home to only the porch light, and no one inside….with the outdoors being so very very dark. I sat out on our front step drinking milk and eating some McD’s thanking the Lord once again, that we did not have to leave David behind this past summer when we went on vacation. He may not have felt the same way that I did….but I would not have liked knowing he was coming home to that every night!!! This just proves once again {*ehem.* if only my boss were reading this} that I am not one to live the single life! I am not cut out for it! I need my family……and should the day come that I do not need them in the same way….it will only be because I have a new family….or sorts. {trying to keep this open for either a husband and kids of my own, or my mission field should it be in a different form than my ‘plan’} {back to the first topic though}

The saddest part of the day {at least the part that I was involved in that is} was when my Grandad woke up in his easy chair….which had been moved to the living room while his family room is being redone…..and had no clue where he was, who Mum was, who Caeley was….or how he got where he was. He did know Dad, when he saw him….but he still did not know why he was there or much of anything else. {from what I am told, his chair was back in a spot it has not been for over 20 years….so he was taken back to that point in time in his mind when he first woke up…and was finding it hard to come back to the right time.} When Dad told him that it was after 1 and that we would soon be sitting down to eat….Grampa wondered why we would eat at midnight?? heee. I tell no lie when I say he looked so different while he was in that state of mind. It made me want to cry. He didnt look like Grampa as much as he did a scared man who didnt know what was what. You could tell he was trying so hard to remember anything, and everything…but it was not coming to him. That is, not until Gramma came out to talk to him, and then he was ok. He knew that she was still there and had not left him. He began to return to his normal self with the sight of her. I have said it before and will say it again…..my Grampa is a wonderfully brilliant, funny, Godly man. It is tough to see him slightly slipping….almost slipping away. Yet, I thank God that he still comes back! I was told that just a few hours later, my 88 year old Grampa was trying to get up on the ladder to look up at what his sons were doing to his roof!!! LOL!!

He still insists that he could be a Mammy!! That his calling, which he has found far too late, is to have 30 kids around him…..and all of them be under his care and charge. He told Dad and Tiff that he knew that if he had I think it was 20 little kids not just around him, but under his care, he knew he would be better in one day. And looking at him with Sam, Caeley and Katren….you can believe it! There is no doubt that he loves every one of his grandkids and great-grandkids!!!

The next day, after Bible study with Chris and the boys in the morning, Mum, Kade and I went over to my Aunt Fran’s house to attend my cousin Rachel’s Wedding {I can say that word now Missy….and you cant say a THING about it! So na na na na!!} shower. She looks so happy!! YAY! I know, in the past few weeks I have said how nice it was to see Jenny so happy at her wedding….but there is really nothing like a happy Bride or Bride to be….and that is what my dear friend and cousin is now….a very happy Bride to be. She should be all set now for her marriage too, with all the wonderful blessings she was given that day! In fact….she is even started on things for her baby seeing as how little Elly {did I spell that right Miss?} was sure that she must be having a baby, for why other reason do you have a shower? heh.

Under Rachel, the next three unmarried young 20 something cousins were also there. Erin, Me and Kade. Let me tell you….I felt it! lol. Like I told Mum, I hate how I have been feeling so depressed after such wonderful events as my friends getting married and my cousins plans…..but I do feel so. A comment was made, something about like “Oh but you are not old enough…”and then “well, yes you are. You are just not yet married’ and I know it was not meant in a mean way….for it was said by my very sweet Aunt whom I love dearly…..but as she said it….oh I dont know…it sounds too dramatic to say that my heart broke a little. But, that was kinda how I felt. I know she does not know it, but this really has been a huge battle point for me. I have to fight feelings and pray sometimes daily asking God to help me stop feeling as a failure for being 21 and still single with no man even in the picture whatsoever. And, I really did not want to feel that way on this day….since I in no way wanted to take any of the focus off of Rachel! That was her day, and she deserves it!!

After leaving there, we had to run back over to Grampa and Gramma’s house to pick something up for Dad. {The Aunts house that we were at is not far from my Grandparents house. But it is not the one that is right behind them…that is anther Aunt} Grampa was out in the garage and heard/saw our car drive in, so he came out to meet us. As I stepped out, I started to say that I was just going to run in and grab this object for Dad when Grampa smiled and called out ‘Your dad is on the roof still!!’ He then stopped and said ‘Wait…no. He is not your Dad is he?” {Both Erin and I have red hair. Grampa is often calling me either Erin or Rachel. Has for awhile now.} Mum then came out, and it confused Grampa even more…since he has a hard time telling the difference between my Mum and Aunt Holly. So as not to seem rude, I went over to where he was before going into the house. I tried to explain to him that I was David’s daughter….but he was still unable to tell who exactly I was…..and was getting the days messed up thinking that David was still on the roof with Jon. Then he thought that Walter was there {dont know Walter is…but he corrected himself and mentioned the Uncle of mine that lives in the house behind his.} then he said something about Paul having been there the day before {Paul is one of his brothers. heh….at the fourth of July gathering in his birth town…..Grampa saw one of his brothers….but said the wrong name for him. I cant remember if he said it was Paul or not…but after saying it a few times he looked at me…got a glint in his eyes and said “That cant be him…..that is another one of my brother s{the proper name here} It would be pretty bad if I was seeing the first brother I mentioned!! He is dead!!!} I ran in and got what Dad needed….and found that they were still trying to explain to Grampa who we were and who was and was not there, when I went out. We told him we had to get going…..oh but not before I ran over to where my Uncle Jon was to give him a hard time about the big mess he had made!! tee heee heee!! Me: “Hey…you are making a huge mess down here….ya might want to clean it up ya know!” Uncle Jon {from up top on the roof}: “Shovel is over by the garage….you can start whenever you want!” Me: “Oh no no….I couldn’t! You go ahead….I mean, I would but I am in high heeled boots….cant do anything with that ya know!” Kade “We would ruin our nice dresses ya know!” Uncle Jon: “Sure sure. whatever….excuses excuses!! You just dont want to clean it up” LOL!!!
I waved to Grampa as I got in the car and he yelled out “I will try and remember who you are next time!! Really!!” Even though he did not know who I was…even after I told him I was Carmella David’s daughter…..all that matters to me is that from the look in his eyes I know he knew I was one of his! The fact that he thought I was Erin showed that he did know I was one of his….and once he knew I was not her…I could still tell he knew I belonged to his family. He gets this look in his eyes that shows you he loves you and is proud you are his….even if he cant remember where you fall in line of his kids and grandkids etc. I love that look in his eye! In the words of my Grandpa Hepworth its good cause “That makes two! Cause I love me too”

Hope you are all having a good week! Grant and Tara, I am praying for your Mother. Please keep me updated!!!!