Moving On

My parents were planning on coming down last Friday, the 16th. I'm still not convinced that D didn't call and beg them to come early to avoid the whole cleaning thing. I made it very clear that Thursday evening was going to be spent...improving...the appearance of our apartment. So you can imagine my complete surprise when, around 4:30pm on that same Thursday we should have been cleaning, I heard a knock on the apartment door. Actually you don't have to imagine it; my dad was standing there capturing my reaction on video while my mom was standing next to him laughing. My brother Nick, who watched this video later, said I rattled off about five questions in a row not bothering to wait for an answer to any of them. I was so taken aback at their early arrival because my parents are rarely early for things. My mom said she wanted to see how my apartment really looks like—thanks Mom!

By the time the initial shock wore off, D had called and said he was on his way home. We decided to go to Delaware for dinner and ended up at the Olive Garden. Dad said that after every time he goes there, he says it’ll be the last time, but I enjoyed their fare. It was so fun and so random. All my evening plans were thrown out the window and were replaced with better, more enjoyable ones! Before bed we watched Magma…which was a Mom-pick from Netflix. Mom is notorious for, shall we say, less than interesting movie selections, but this one was actually okay.

The next morning, D and I had to get up for work as usual. I had been planning on leaving work early, around 2pm, ever since I knew Dad and Mom were coming. I told Mom not to bother visiting my class since it was a short day and we had a lot going on. However, around 9:30am, she showed up and my class was shocked that first I even had a mother and second that she was visiting them. Many of my coworkers know my mom since she’s been a frequent guest over the years. She made the rounds to say hello and even disappeared a few times after that to go socialize. The morning went by quickly and we had to set up for the surprise baby shower we were giving someone at work. Mom was a big help then, too. After the guest of honor had opened all her gifts, it was time for Mom and me to go. When we got back to the apartment, Dad was there along with his brother Vinny and his mom, both from Florida. D called soon after that to say he was on his way home, so our afternoon could really begin.

All of us piled into Dad’s Lincoln and headed out. Our first stop: The Philly Pretzel Factory. They opened a store right near us and Dad couldn’t have been more pleased. I guess he always got this type of pretzel as a kid (there are actually two pretzels in this picture...they're not your typically-shaped pretzel). Another good thing about them, they’re 3 for $1! Why couldn’t Auntie Anne’s be that cheap!?!?!? So, Dad got 50 pretzels…for only $11…too many if you ask me, but we all munched on them throughout their visit. After a few more stops, we arrived back at our apartment where Dad made all of us a turkey dinner. Uncle Vinny and Grandma left soon after and the rest of us again piled into the Lincoln and headed for the mall. Mom (and Dad ended up getting some, too) wanted soft-serve ice cream, which we found, and D and I shared a…what a surprise…raspberry smoothie! :)

The next day, Saturday, D was on call all day and overnight, which is another reason I was so happy to have my parents here. Dad, Mom, and I got up to go to my dad’s mom’s sister’s estranged husband’s funeral. My great Uncle Tootie. He was Italian. And so were most of the people at the funeral. Which had scenes of Godfather flashing through my mind the entire time. You know: the accents, the sunglasses, the long black overcoats, the Italian facial features, the food, the hugging, and the kissing. It was quite the experience, being my first funeral. I met more relatives I never knew I had at that funeral than at any other time in my life put together. All of them were older than me, so they knew of me, but trying to keep everyone’s names straight got progressively difficult. Of course, if you shouted, “Vincent” or “Anthony” I swear half the people would look at you, so that made things easier. I also saw relatives I hadn’t seen in years and years, which was nice…and awkward. I mean, what do you say, “Oh, it’s so nice to see you!” at a gathering you’re only there for because a loved one died. But anyway, it turned out to be an all-afternoon outing, from about 11am to 4:30pm. We started in Philly at the funeral home and crossed into Jersey for the funeral service, the burial, and the food. If you asked us, though, it felt like we went up and down the Atlantic Coast twice before arriving at each destination. Either everything in Jersey is way too spread out or the family was very particular as to where everything should be. Oh well, we survived…oops, umm, no pun intended!!

Sunday was departure day, but we still managed to fit in some fun before everyone left. Dave got home around 7am and went to sleep until we left because he had had a lot of traumas. Dad picked Grandma up from Jersey and then we all went to breakfast at Nifty Fifties. Then we headed into the city to visit Reading Terminal Market! Dad couldn’t find a parking space, so only Dave, Grandma, and I went inside. We didn’t stay too long, which was okay because my pretzel place wasn’t opened because it was Sunday. Grandma enjoyed looking at all the food though!
We made our way to her childhood hot spots and even stopped at this Italian pastry shop (in the background). They have pictures of all the famous people that have been there decorating the inside. It was such a cute, little place. I could totally see Grandma going there all those decades ago. The last stop was this grinder shop that was located practically under a bridge in this little trailer-type structure. I would think you would have to know where it is to even know about it, but I guess everyone knows about it because there was a very steady stream of customers pouring in and out. Notice how our morning was spent in search of food... From there, we went back to our apartment, packed up the rest of their things, and waved goodbye!