Bittersweet week

It's 10:15 at night, and I'm sitting in the outside hallway at the Clubhouse, with Micah leaning against me (playing on his Nintendo DS). It's our last night here, in this place I've been coming for love and vacation since I was 14 years old.

We got to Grandma's house Monday afternoon, after a meandering drive down the coast. Stopped on the beach while David had a conference call - very cold and windy, but lovely. Micah and Sofia built a sandcastle on top of her toy horsey.

Hung out a bit and rested and unpacked and did laundry. In the evening, we drove down a bit and met my friend B and her family (three boys, including one of Micah's best buddies) for dinner. Lovely time, because the restaurant had a play area right behind us, fenced in and completely visible, so we could send Sofia and all the boys out while we had grownup conversations.

To celebrate Sofia's birthday, the waiter brought her a bowl of whipped cream with a candle (since they did not have ice cream). She was in complete heaven!

Tuesday morning, we swam. Actually, the kids and David swam, I mostly napped poolside. Sofia was in the water for two and a half hours solid; the boys took breaks periodically.

Back to the house for a bite to eat, then off to the mall, which wasn't as successful a visit as we would have wished. But Sofia and I spent some time in Build-a-Bear, and she found the Chipettes (the female Chipmunks). I bought her the purple girl, then handed her off to David and the boys and snuck back to buy the green girl and Simon, since they were on sale! Late birthday presents, probably when we have her party (on the 10th).

Took the kids to the movies to see "Escape from Planet Earth". Eh, but it was fun to go to the movies all together. I really can't remember ever doing that with all five of us!

It was pouring when we got out. Quick stop at the grocery store, and then home. We'd gorged on popcorn and candy, so no one (except Sofia, of course) was all that hungry. Hung out, relaxed. The boys played cards with David, and I went through boxes of old photos. Found pics from the 1930s! My grandmother was "A Looker", for sure!

Today was also relaxing. Spent the morning at the pool again - David had a conference call, so he sat near the clubhouse to access the WiFi - until they closed the pool because the pump broke. DARN IT! My last time here!

Back for lunch and showers. Then we went to the cemetery.

Sigh.

I miss her. I can't get sad when I think about her, because Wow she led such an awesome and amazing life. But I miss her. So that makes me sad.

The cemetery was farther away then I'd remembered (I'd only gone once, right after my grandfather died, back when I was pregnant with Sam in 1999). And it's in a less-than-lovely neighborhood, so Sam was freaking out. And they are "buried" in a mausoleum - big concrete building with "drawers" for couples or families. And it's multi-denominational (since Grandpa Ralph was not Jewish).

So it was completely different from anyplace else. And with the sun beating down on all that concrete, it was mighty warm.

But it was lovely. Very peaceful and beautiful. Interesting to read all the names.

Sofia collected all the rocks (usually, you place a small stone on the headstone you are visiting, but since this is a big wall, the stones are at the bottom) and lined them up while reciting the whole alphabet (which was pretty neat). Micah wrote a message for Grandma and stuck it in the crevasse between their box and the one underneath (kind of like sticking a note in the Kotel [Wailing Wall in Jerusalem]). Very sweet.

Ok. After that, we went to Singer Island to walk around the beach. David didn't want to swim, so we were just walking. Until Sofia decided to sit down in the water ;)

So then we had to go buy her some shorts.

Off to Boca Raton, to dine at Ben's Kosher Deli. Awesome, and as stereo-typical as possible.

Home, got Sofia to sleep, and here I am at the clubhouse with Micah. Time to go back to bed.

Tomorrow, swimming (at one of the other, smaller, pools in the complex), then lunch, pack the car, and we are headed back home. Ugh. Just found out there's 6-12 inches more expected on Saturday night. NOOOOO!!!