Sweetheart

On Saturday 4/4/09 my grandma Sara had a mild heart attack. She hasn't been doing too well health wise but you wouldn't know it just talking to her. She's the sweetest woman alive. She spoiled me rotten when I lived in Sacramento growing up. She moved back to South Carolina years ago and the last time I went to visit I was 10, and flew by myself. It was definitely an adventure for me, especially since the man I sat next to on the flight back home said "hey kid, want to see something cool?" and here I'm thinking now as an adult that back then an alarm should have gone off. I should have maybe been equipped with a rape whistle (Mom!). The guy had a shiny briefcase that he slid out from the seat in front of him. It was huge, and somewhat reminiscent of the case I use to carry my old Xbox around in, only more serious. The briefcase, although space-age looking itself, was nothing compared to what was inside. Moon rocks people, real, moon rocks. My eyes were about as big and bright as the moon itself. I think the look on my face would have been that of finding something important you lost, forgot about, and stumbled upon years later. That was one of the most memorable things ever to me, especially on a flight.

That trip was so much fun, the beach being down the street from my grandma's house, almost setting the house on fire with the aerial firework assortment my grandma bought me from the black cat outlet, and going to a water park and doing the slides by myself while it was cloudy and dreary outside. One of the weirdest trips and most fun I've ever had. Not to forget Uncle Burke's fried chicken and the copious amounts of pimento cheese I ate. If you've never had pimento cheese, I feel bad for you. Don't go buy it in the store pre-made just because Joe told you you can't die without a taste either. Buy a jar of pimento's which should be in your grocery store near the olives and some sharp cheddar cheese. Get your Cuisinart out and add a 1/2 cup of mayo, cup of cheese, and a jar of pimentos (without the juice, maybe a little if you need to thin the mixture out). That’s it! Once you get the consistency right, you will have the one and only recipe featured in the cookbook "How to gain inches and become a fatty."

My mom and brother are driving to South Carolina to visit for a week or so. I think they will be in Atlanta, GA tonight. I miss my family out there, dearly, and I hope and pray every day that my grandma is doing better so that when I can get the time and money to visit, she can meet her great grandson.