Our Weekend With Harrison and Jack-o-lanterns 8, 9, and 10!

We have had the best weekend with Harrison!

It's a wonderful thing to get some one-on-one time with this really amazing grandson of ours.

We all met up at church and Pastor Sam Kelly was preaching a message that went straight to my heart - it was on emotions and how important it is to feel them and deal with them in the right manner.

I've cried every day since June 18th and I am thinking I may need a little bit of help to make it through the holidays. Perhaps antidepressants - which my doctor prescribed back in the time I was divorcing and dealing with some serious health issues - and perhaps some counseling.

While I continue to grieve and feel the pain of losing my sister, I still feel joy for having her in my life for those 68 years , 8 months and 1 day.....and I continue to have joy in the Lord and I really do love my life. I just keep crying.....and I feel very fragile emotionally.

I suppose this is all part of the grief journey....it's just that this is the very first REAL grief journey I have ever been on.

Harrison was excited about spending time with us and we were excited about getting to concentrate on him! Off we went after church to the Arlington area to have lunch at Camp Verde!

They have more lights than I do or ever will!

The restaurant has a new owner and the menu has changed slightly.

We had a great time!

They are still in the process of decorating for Christmas - which they leave up until March - and I'm wondering if they will keep many of the lights up year round - as Campo Verde is famous for doing.

I hope so. I noticed the tinsel is no longer up. That gave it the flashy Mexican feel and I missed that.

We placed our drink orders and feasted on really good chips and salsa before finally ordering.

Granddad took awhile!

While we waited for our food to arrive, Harrison and I took a tour of the restaurant.

This painting is one by Susan Comish - a truly gifted artist and one that I 'copycat' my version of many of her Santas. This may be one for next year!

Harrison likes this one, too!

I love the star in the window pane.....

Good food! 

We ate and talked and had such a nice time just being together.

Harrison is so grown up for a 10-year-old!

He's already a fascinating and interesting young man with principles, morals, intelligence, personality and charm!

On our way to the restaurant, we passed Decorator's Warehouse and decided we would go back to have a 'look/see' as to the Christmas decorations this year.

We parked and Louis Dean said he would rest in the car while we went in. We knew we wouldn't be staying long. As we were walking across the parking lot - both of us noticed a teenaged boy that looked a lot like Levi.

That's because it WAS Levi!!!

Sam had just drove up to take him home so I got to see ALL THREE of my grandsons in one unexpected visit! Can you tell I was one happy MiMi and MeeMaw???

Turns out, Levi works there and had just finished his shift so talk about perfect timing!!!

We had it!

Decorators Warehouse is over the top!!

This is their 'Elfie Selfie' corner!

I bought two tablecloths there that I found in the discount section.

Next up - Kroger for more pumpkins!

Home for football - YAY! The Dallas Cowboys WON!

And naps. At least for me. Harrison started working on the puzzle while watching football with Granddad while I bailed and went to bed.

Next up?

Pumpkin carving time - times TWO!!

I may be a crazy MeeMaw but I gave Harrison free reign and he both designed and carved BOTH of these Jack-o-lanterns all by himself!

Thanks to Linda's gift of the Pumpkin Carving Set - it worked so well!

Instead of using his hands to clean out the insides - there is a tool for that.

Since he'd helped on an earlier pumpkin, he truly appreciated this carving set!

SO much easier!!

Sherry came up from the country late Sunday evening to spend the night with is since she was working from the Irving office on Monday morning.

She drove us over for the Pumpkin #9 drop at Kimmy and June's house later that night.

We carried the Jack-o-lantern in so June could see and appreciate it and we had so much fun!

Telling old stories and laughing and laughing some more.

Kimmy sent me a text message later saying how GOOD it felt to really LAUGH!

June is 91 and she and her daughter have lived together nearly all of Kimmy's life....so you can't say Kimmy without saying June.

It was a fun night.

They have a green porch light and between it and my and Harrison's shadow - it made for a really spooky photo!

We came home and Louis Dean was at the table on the driveway picking out the pumpkin seeds from the pulp. We four all sat around the table talking - me, Louis Dean, Sherry and Harrison.

Then Harrison said he would really like to watch a Gunsmoke and have popcorn before going to bed.

I had to tell him we didn't have any Gunsmoke's on the DVR. HE said, "No problem. I will FIND us some Gunsmoke's." And he DID!

While LD and Sherry visited some more, I popped the corn and Harrison took his shower and then he and I watched a couple of them while we worked the jigsaw puzzle of two kitties.

I got up and took a shower while he worked on and then we turned on an 'Unforgettable' and he went to sleep on the couch!

This morning - Monday - we had planned on riding the TRE train to Dallas.

It was after 11:00 and Louis Dean was still asleep.

We debated whether to go or not and decided if Granddad wasn't awake soon - we would go by ourselves.

He must have heard us because he DID get up and immediately got dressed as our train was arriving at 1:01 .....

and there we three were - ready to board!

We walked the streets from Union Station to the West End.....

Our destination was just a few blocks away but Louis Dean is a good bit slower than he was just several months ago. While I used to ask HIM to slow down, now he is asking ME!

Our favorite restaurant in the West End is RJ's Mexican Cuisine so that's where we had lunch today. 

Taco salad for him - which is a surprise since that's what I usually order!

Tortilla soup for me.....

and a cheese burger for Harrison!

Everything was really good!!!

Next stop was Wild Bill's Western Shop which was just across the street and where we love to browse and breathe in that wonderful aroma of leather!

I bought a few stocking stuffers to finish up one of my grands gifts and then we started walking back to Union Station from whence we came.

Can you guess what pose this is???

Spiderman, of course!

Louis Dean is walking slower these days and he doesn't have the stamina he had before the heat exhaustion he experienced in June. I never know if I'm doing the right thing in taking him out or not.

I think it's important to keep moving and doing at least some because if you don't, you will probably lose even more ground.

He and I talked about it and he agreed.....he needs to keep moving. Just slow and easy.

Harrison got some good pictures today.

This is the old red courthouse building now permanently closed.

Glad Louis Dean and I toured it back when we did a few years ago. 

Resting for a minute or two before walking on.....

and it wasn't that far from the station to the restaurant. Mere blocks away.

Made it to the station on time and we returned on the 4:00 train!

Harrison and I dropped Granddad off at home and we went to Aldi to get some things.

Jesse had come over and hooked up our land line while we were gone.

I called the home phone several times thinking Louis Dean would pick up - but he didn't.

When I got home and asked him, he said he didn't hear it!

I don't think so. I showed him how to answer the phone and when we moved one of the handsets into his music room - right beside his computer - I called him on my cell phone and he answered all happy as can be. I had to explain to him that this is a HOME phone and he can't take it with him in the truck.

I remember when car phones were BIG and you would have had a hard time to LOSE one of them!

Alas, we still can't find his cell phone and I am going to drop it from my AT&T account tomorrow.

The Bell Quads have hockey practice on Monday and that's where we went tonight.

The kids were out of school today so we met up and watched them do their thing on the ice.

Granddad is a good sport - until he got tired and went to the car to take a nap.

That's the thing.....do what you can and then cry uncle when you need to rest.

Harrison chose a dark spot in the landscaping for tonight's Jack-o-lantern.

It was daylight when he placed it and I came out later when it was dark to take a picture.

Lots of people walking up was noticing him and I think they all got a kick out of that fierce hockey style face!