Maryland, Part 1

Man. This trip has not been the usual good time. Jack and the kids are great- we got to see Johnny, which was a surprise. He was supposed to be training all weekend, but they let him come home overnight last night. We had a nice dinner with Jack, Johnny, Lauren, and Debby Saturday. I got to eat crabs for the first time in years and shredded several fingers in the process. They were really good, though. The problem? Meme.

Sometimes she's really with it. She asked about all the family, wanted to know if Teresa was ever going to get married, and enjoyed the doughnut holes we brought. Then, she'd say things like her roommate was new and just moved in (she's been there for four years) and, "That tree is a dalmation" (completely fruit-loopy- no trees in sight). She even got pretty mean at a couple of times, like when I told her roommate that her family looked really nice (there were photos of her grandchildren everywhere). Meme said, in a really mean tone I've seldom heard her use, "That's not her family." It was just really weird. Her posturing is pretty bad, but I'm used to that. I was just a little shocked at how it is to communicate with her.

I visited with Aunt Teresa, Uncle Bob, and Casey yesterday. They're doing really well, aside from the stress of dealing with Meme. Its shocking to be presented with her deterioration, but I'm sure its worse to be presented with it on an almost daily basis when you go to visit. Casey is incredibly tall and teenagery, with girls calling and playing music too loud. He's still a good kid.

I'm done rambling. We're still in Maryland as of this post. We're going to visit Meme one more time (small doses are best), go to Nana and Grandpa's house to show Troy the progress we made at Christmas, eat lunch at Chipotle, and head home. Troy's been great about all the family stuff this weekend. I think I would've had a breakdown yesterday if it hadn't been for him. He's a good man, and I love him so much! More on the rest of the trip later...