SURPRISE!!

*Me and some of my family on a cruise 2 years ago*

This weekend has been full of some really great surprises and just showed me how much I really am going to miss my family. It started Friday morning when my Grandma from Florida came bouncing on my bed while I was still sleep. I knew she was coming, but I was planning to be up when she got here. She came up for my great-Grandma's surprise birthday party (or was it??) and it would be the last time I saw her before I left. We ran some errands and met up with my mom after she got off of work before I had to leave to stay with my little sister in Philly for the weekend.

I woke up Saturday morning got dressed and me and my sister waited for my mom to come get us so we could go to the movies. Well... if you don't know my mother, waiting on her can be like waiting for Bush to find weapons of mass destruction... anywhere. She was supposed to be there at 12, however, she didn't pull up until 1:25. Yes an hour and 25 minutes late. At the time, I wasn't a happy camper, but I'll explain her tardiness further along.

So while we were waiting for my mother and grandma to show up, I talked to Kory (you remember, my boyfriend). He informed me that he was going for a little drive... drive to where you ask?? NEW JERSEY! Mind you, he is supposed to be in school (Hampton, Virginia) at football camp. I had some mixed feelings about this. As I am sure you will soon find out, I have an extremely overactive imagination, so I pictured all kinds of things happening to him while he's making a 5 hour drive by his self... with 1 hand (the other is in a cast) no less! I was also a little upset because it wasn't easy to say "I'll see you later" last week, and I didn't want to go through that again, but on the other side, I was so excited to see him, everything else cancelled out and I found myself checking my phone every couple of minutes to see how much longer I had until he got here.

While waiting, we went to the movies to see the new "Mummy." I absolutely love the movie. It's one of my favorites. After the movie, we went to the mall and my mom bought me some really nice pants and a sweater. Boy can I shop. Whenever I walk into a store, I get like a pit bull with a T-Bone... I just can't stop. Thankfully, Kory got there (SURPRISE!) and I completely forgot about shopping (he tends to have that affect on me :) Mommy and Grandma left, and me, Kory, and my little sister Kasey went to Philly to her house. I was so in awe because I wanted to see and give him one more hug and here he was. I saw him for 3 short hours but those were the best 3 hours. He drove a total of 10 hours to see me for 3. I think he kinda likes me! I'm kinda fond of him too! We said our "I'll see you later's" for a second time which was pretty hard but Kasey was there so I didn't have a chance to get upset, which was good.

*Me and Kory*

Sunday came around and I went to church (let's NOT get into that), and because my mother didn't go, I was again stuck waiting for her so we could go to my great-grandma's surprise party. For a second time, she told me she would be there at 12 but didn't show up until well after 1. Not only was she late, but she had a car full of people, forcing me to fold up into the car. Now, I'm not Yao Ming, but I'm not Gary Coleman either, and trying to fit all 5'10 inches of me into a 5'5 space should have been an Olympic event.

So we got to the party and I was a little baffled because my great-grandma was already there... isn't the surprise for her?? Nope... SURPRISE!! It was my going away party! That was the reason for my mother's constant tardiness. It was my great-Grandma's idea and my mom and a couple cousin's helped put everything together (thanks Tiff, Ashley, and Shaletta!) I was shocked at the fact that my mother kept a secret. I don't think she's ever been able to keep a secret from me (she should be in one of those "Chewy" commercials). They even bought a decoy cake to throw me off if I had any suspicions. That was also the reason why Kory came up to see me. He knew about the party weeks ago, but because of his football schedule, he couldn't make it on Sunday. Besides that, we had a great time. We always do when my family gets together. Kasey, Ms Battiste, and Mr William, part of my extended family were there too. What a surprise. I LOVE MY FAMILY! After the party, we went to a cousin's house a talked for a little while then we went home.

*My cake*

I checked my e-mail this morning and there it was, my official offer from CDI (the school where I'll be teaching at). I found out I'll be living in Dongjak, a province of Seoul and classes start Sept. 15. And instead of leaving this Thursday, I'll be leaving next Thursday because I'm still waiting for my Visa. My grandma also left this morning. Saying "I'll see you later" is not at all easy and I found myself saying it a lot this weekend.

Although this was a great weekend, I want to say Rest In Peace to Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes. Two phenomenal people. Hope you're in a better place.

Until Next Time