A weekend of Too Much

(But, thankfully, not too much food!)

I've been meaning to write because it was a big weekend, but haven't had time...and I came in early to work today because I have to leave at 4 to take my mom to the doctor...but I need a little break so here we go!

We had a wine-tasting party to go to at our new neighbor's old house on Friday night but it didn't start until 8 so we went to Our Local next door for Happy Hour sushi dinner. We had had one appetizer and half a drink when, at 7 pm, my phone rang, then went right to voicemail. I picked up the message and it was Lifeline saying they had gotten a signal from my mom and couldn't reach her and would I go check. My mom is a half hour from me!! So I ran out of the restaurant leaving DB to deal with paying and called my mom's number. It rang two times, then was "answered", but no voice, no voicemail. It was like she pushed the button to answer, but couldn't speak. I freaked out. Called 911 and got them to send someone over...while I'm making all these calls, DB is pulling his car out and we're headed down toward my mom's. I called a neighbor of hers who has a key and (feeling horrible about this) asked her to go check on my mom. When I hadn't heard from my mom in 10 minutes, I knew something was wrong...I figured if she was there and her neighbor checked on her and she was ok she would call me. I tried other numbers for other neighbors. I tried my mom's complex's answering service and they couldn't reach the on-site manager and said they'd call me back (which they did TWENTY MINUTES LATER). In the meantime, 911 kept calling me back getting clues as to how to access my mom's apartment and finally saying they were forcing entry because they were getting no response (DUH, hurry up!). When we were about 3 minutes from her place (this is now close to 1/2 hour from the first call...you can imagine what was running through my head), I got a call from 911 that she was not in her apartment!!! This still wasn't GOOD news because, for all I knew, she tripped the button from somewhere else (I now know that the Lifeline thing only works within 300 feet of the base in her apartment). They searched the premises. When I got there, I saw her car was gone. I wasn't sure if she could trip the Lifeline from somewhere away from her house so we went to her neighbor's apartment and she said she thought my mom was at a concert and she told us where. We headed out to try to find the place, but at this point, were pretty sure that she was ok so headed home soon after...after leaving a message for my mom to call as soon as she could.

Yes, she was at a concert. And her Lifeline malfunctioned. And I believe that phone answer was part of the malfunction because they use the phone line to call out from the unit in the apartment. Bottom line is that my mom is ok (THANK GOD) and we learned a lot of good lessons -- like she always has to tell me when she's going out, her complex needs MUCH quicker response time, she needs a new Lifeline unit (and we need to make sure they call 911 too if they can't reach anyone because I'm not sure they did). It was a NIGHTMARE.

Anyway...after that, we went back to dinner and then to the wine party (which was more of just wine-drinking and socializing than TASTING!). We got home around 1:30, I think...

Saturday we had a birthday party for the one-year-old of some new Burning friends. It was supposed to start around 2. We had to shop for presents (it was also the daddy's birthday) and I had to get to the gym...after sleeping in. But wait...I wake up in bed at 10:30 and DB is not with me. I figure he's in his office (although I almost never don't hear him get up). I finally get up and go looking for him and he is NOWHERE. The doors are locked. There is no note. He is GONE. I call his phone and NO ANSWER. Finally, I e-mail him with "where are you?". He left to go walk for coffee and was just walking back along the beach!! I was frantic...couldn't stop crying (leftover from the night before I'm sure). When he got home, I cried and cried and told him he HAS to leave me a note if he leaves like that...but that I would prefer that he wake me (he didn't want to because I was so asleep so that is nice, but...).

OK, that trauma over, I head to the gym and shop for Baby birthday gift. Just as we were leaving, I got a call that my aunt in Northern Indiana (who we had just seen last month) died. I am so happy I got to see her -- she had Alzheimers (and had had a stroke before), but she was in fine form and very lovey. That will be my last memory of her and that is so great!! When we were in Indiana, we went to the cemetery where my grandparents are and where my uncle (my dad's brother) got a stone for my dad (he had a hard time with the fact that we didn't do that when Daddy died). He and I stood there and cried. And he said to me "I know I'll be standing here crying again soon over her [meaning my aunt]". They had been together for something like 66 years. My heart is breaking for my uncle (and my cousin, of course). But I am SO HAPPY we got to see them last month. Hallelujah!! Aunt Mary's service is tomorrow, but we sent flowers to the mortuary today...I had never done that so had no idea how to!! Had to call my cousin's wife (who works at the local flower shop) for advice.

Anyway... on Saturday, we made it to their pad around 4 pm and most everyone was already there!! They had a roast pig (family is Filipino) and a big spread of food...and I didn't eat TOO much. We had a really good time...stayed there until 10:30 or so...the last to leave except for the family!

Sunday we had yet MORE socializing!! We had planned to have dinner with some other friends (whose house we went to for Samhain). So we had breakfast out, I went to the gym and barely had time to shower and read my vampire book a little before they arrived at 4!!! We did a beach walk, then dinner at Our Local (the 1/2 price appetizers make a great meal!), then went back to our place. They are looking to move out of L.A....and are looking at an area we are maybe interested in someday along with some other Burner friends of ours. The girls get along great and so do the boys and we get along great together. We had a really fun time dreaming of the future!! :-)

Yesterday DB and I went for our flu shots at lunchtime (which is why I had no time to blog) and last night I did the gym since I have to miss it tonight to take Mommy to the doc (she's got something weird with her eye).

Whew....
So how was YOUR weekend? ;-)