Halfway To Somewhere: Entry Five

let me tell you a story the way my mom remembers it, and then the way i remember it. my beloving mother is from Wisconsin, and my weirdo loving father is from Arkansas. when i was 4, my parents made the 9ish or so hour trip from ABQ to Arkansas, and we spent time with my (now disowned) grandma Carolyn. she taught me how to iron clothes, and we went shopping, and we baked a cake together. i took a nap on her living room chair with a blanket and the entire time, i was terrified because it was dark and every time i moved my hands, i could physically see the static electricity. at 4 years old i had NO CLUE what this was and was convinced i was going to burn the house down every time i moved. also it smelled EXTREMELY of vanilla and now i associate that smell with family.

then, we made the nearly 28 hour drive from Arkansas to Wisconsin. this is where my mothers side of the story comes in. she swears up and down that only my aunts and uncles were there when we arrived, but i remember these people, who are NOT my aunts and uncles, greeting me. they told me "OMGGGGG I HAVENT SEEN YOU SINCE YOU WERE A BABY YOURE GETTING SO BIGGGG YOURE SO CUTE!!" and i was just thinking.........who ARE you bitches. to this day my mom and i cannot figure out when, where, or who these people were. maybe friends of my gram Linda? maybe our extended Wiley family? no clue!