So as I mentioned, Sam and I went to Philly for my uncle's funeral despite even my dad being like "no one expects you to go" lol

Then we drove another 2ish hours to Rehoboth

I aaaaaaaaam so beyond glad we went to the funeral

It wasn't really for us. It was more for everyone else in a way?

It's hard to explain, but hear me out

So it was a BIG deal to Kimmy, we like to call her Aunt Kimmy. She never married my uncle. Not because of any reason of their relationship but my uncle's first wife was a gold digger and he just refused to deal with that again

Aunt Kimmy is. Amazing. But she had such a hard time caring for my uncle before he passed and you can just see the toll it took on her. She is a no nonsense person, would punch your face in or wrestle you into a dumpster in a back alley. Total horse girl. And just the biggest most generous heart

Funerals are closure for the loved ones of the deceased, yes, but they're also kind of shorthand for how much that person was loved in a way? So it makes sense that you showing up was a big deal for the rest of his family

Just Sam and I being there, it meant the world and the moon to her. I was honestly surprised

IT WAS. SUCH A BIG DEAL. Sam and I were shocked

Sam slept in. We were running 2 hours late.

I'm glad you went

Between her sleeping in and traffic it was a lot of me texting OMG I'M SO SORRY THE TRAFFIC IS HIDEOUS etc

Yeah, me too. It felt like total panic Sat morning with how late we were but worth it

Aunt Kimmy DELAYED the mass for us

Like put everything on halt so we could get there before it started

Oh wow!

Damn! That is a big deal

I KNOW

To be fair, she knows the funeral home's family. It's a family business. I can't emphasize how tight knit Philly is for those unfamiliar. Those from there know what I mean

So they were family friends and just wonderfully understanding and kind and just thoughtful

When we got there people waited for us, holy hell

LIKE basically the viewing had finished but most stuck around to greet us

My mom meant the world to many of these people and my uncle adamantly and vocally said at every occasion my mom was his favorite sister. Out of 5 sisters so tough competition lmao

Idk but he just treated us so special and just made sure we were okay and everything

I think just that connection, people wanted to see us and know how we were doing and just wanted to talk with us. Like I said, my mother's side did very little to keep in contact with us over the years and my uncle was our only bridge with them

So that bridge is gone I think some may make a renewed effort?

My mother's eldest sister, and the only sibling older than my uncle was there. She isn't very mobile. She gets around with a wheelchar/walker on good days. She had a stroke a few years ago and never really got back on her feet so I was impressed she made it. Her husband, eldest daughter and one of her two sons was there but not the son I thought would be

DRAGS OUT SKELETONS.

......I REALIZE THE MORBIDITY BELATEDLY with the funeral mention THIS IS FIGURATIVE just to be

clear UM SO

My aunt. This aunt that I was surprised to see

Is extremely religious

Most of my mother's family is. My mother was also religious but not unreasonably so

My aunt's middle child, who is also my godfather "did something unforgiveable" 25 years ago and my aunt and uncle completely cut ties with him

Radio silence in an instant

I was 8. I was not told what happened. He was just gone. CRIMINAL

Oh boy

While I was living in Philly, my uncle Jimmy, the one whose funeral I attended this weekend. SLIPPED and told me why my cousin/godfather was cut off

He came out as gay .-.

I'm still............................... angry but also

He was at the funeral

I couldn't believe it

I recognized him but I was in utter shock

Ugh

Okay so

This was explained to me after everyone left, Aunt Kimmy gave Sam and I extra attention I'll discuss later but like

I am glad he was allowed to attend but it annoys me that I have to say that at all

The way she explained, when my Aunt Barbara had her stroke it was a wake up call

Oooh

So they hired a detective I SHIT YOU NOT to find my cousin again and ... get over their bigotry

Some uber religious folks seem to think they will never die, it is weird

Yeah... but I mean. It's also just "that won't happen to me" mindset

Which everyone can be guilty of

Very true

So whatever happened, he was by his parents side and his sister's and the sister is same level as my aunt and uncle

He was so shy though

He managed to greet Sam but both of us were just awkward with each other

Like I could see he really wanted to just come and give me a hug or just SAY something but he couldn't

He was so special to me when I was 7. When I joined a soccer team and got to choose a number for my jersey I chose 25 because it was his age at the time

AND MY MOM WAS LIKE His birthday is in like 1 month WHY

You can't reason with a 7 year old

But I think it's just a lot of like

It was a whirlwind getting there, I was so anxious because we made them STALL and we were so late and then we finally got there, it was hot as fuck we were introduced to 5 people in a pack then scooted over to the casket and then my aunt/uncle and the two cousins and by then my brain was just like NO WAY.

I was shook enough I made equally 0 effort or just didn't know HOW

Being anxious already my brain was thinking Oh no, what does he think I know, what does he think people told me, what does he think I think about him disappearing... etc

When things are calmer, I'll see if Aunt Kimmy can ask Aunt Barbara for my cousin's phone number

I can try asking my dad but he'll be equally like HE WAS THERE?

My dad is like neutral to all of this

He usually waves his hand at my mother's sisters like "They're all crazy, I just smile and make a joke to change the topic"

But I think I need to make an effort to smooth things over with my cousin. I TRIED looking for him

But just 0 results. I mean. They hired a detective. I don't doubt he was bitter and just... I mean so rejected by it all idk

I mean he felt rejected

oof BUT. WE CAN STILL TURN THIS AROOOUUUND

Anyway so that was a massive shock

My aunt Barbara played 20 questions with Sam and I. What do you do now, do you have a boyfriend, are you serious, when is the wedding etc.

But overall, it was mostly a meet and greet near my uncle's casket LMAO

Which like. was good for everyone. I CAN JUST IMAGINE THE EYE ROLLS and wise ass jokes he would have made overhearing it all

My mom's childhood bestie was also there

She just tilted her head at me and said "You look like your dad"

LOL THANKS???

When I told my dad she was there he was like EVEN SISSY SHOWED UP?? You could tell he was kicking himself for not attending. Good lol

So after things quieted Kimmy insisted on treating Sam and I

I messaged her the day before saying we would be there and she LOL REPLIED at 2AM.

But she prepared like. BOXES for us and our dad to take of Jimmy's things or things he gave Kimmy but she thought we should have them as a way of like getting something from our uncle in a way

She gave me this onyx and jade pin of a violin, a jade and 14k gold ring, a sterling silver bracelet with 21 rubies

You guys.

Sam got much the same but opals and garnets (January for Sam, Ruby for July for me) and so many other thoughtful gifts. She gave us a photo album of my mother's side of the family that looks ancient and goes up to maybe 2005 or so. So my mom is in there, her 5th grade picture is in there

AND THEN SHE WAS LIKE "Yous must be hungry" and just bought us a tomato pie, an pound cake, 5 calzones, 2 dozen cookies and I'm forgetting some other foods

And then she's like "Oh, let's go around the corner where I keep my horses"

Philly man

So she took us to see her 2 horses who just had a foal. SUPER CUTE BABY HORSE, so gentle

And then she was like "Let's go for cheesesteaks" and took us to a mom and pop cheesesteak place she frequents and they know her very well

She had to dash back home for a moment to grab them candy because apparently she just always grabs two handfuls of candy to give the employees there

And we just sat and talked for an hour, she just wanted to tell stories, get some things off her chest with the legal nonsense my uncle's will created. HE HAD A VERY VERY SOLID WILL. EVERYTHING went to Kimmy

But that gold digger I mentioned left the most menacing threat to Kimmy and Kimmy being a superhuman gem basically just sent her a fuck you, try me. lmao

Kimmy had the rights to decide if my uncle's daughter (with said gold digger) would receive anything

NOW........................... my uncle's daughter and that cousin .-.

She is like her mother

And in the last 13 years only called my uncle once

And by that account it was short and seemingly a forced conversation

My uncle thought the moon of his daughter

Kimmy chose not to give her anything but a big shoe box my uncle kept of keepsakes he held of hers. Old notes she wrote for him. Pictures and cards that he tried to send but always seemed to return to sender

It's just sad but I think that's another reason why he was so good to Sam and I

So it was just a good, much needed experience to attend the funeral and everything else

They're going to do the internment in September, my uncle's being cremated because the uh... what's it called. Um. FAMILY CRYPT BUT LIKE in the ground

Anyways, it's out of room.

lol it has ONE whole coffin spot left, everything else is meant for cremated ashes in urns

But one of my aunt's husband's passed several years ago. My uncle Chris. Idk if I mentioned him. He was navy, got brain cancer as a result from previous service and it eventually got the better of him. He was a really good person

So my aunt decided to bury him there so now the family is like Well. She basically called dibs for herself so no one else can really take the spot.............

LOL MY MOTHER IS THERE TOO rude

BUT LIKE okay I get it

Anyways, we're invited to attend the internment but gosh that's going to be rough I think

The last time I visited that grave, that's also my mother's was WITH my uncle and dad

So it's just gonna be surreal

Sam hasn't even been since my mother's funeral

But I think we should go and with luck, I can convince my dad to attend since he failed to attend the service

IN THE END, he had a long talk with Kimmy and messaged Sam and I to express how proud he was that LMAO I was stubborn and didn't listen to him

A M A Z I N G

So after all that, Sam and I headed to Rehoboth for that beach day. We've gone to Rehoboth for family vacations every year since I was 2

AND THIS WEEKEND of all GODDAMNED WEEKENDS we do a beach day

Biden was ALSO there LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It honestly meant nothing except fly by helicopters from time to time and no plane advertising that you'll usually see periodically over the water

still, pretty wild coincidence that it was this weekend of all weekends lmao

it's nice to hear he takes quiet vacations lmao

LOL I KNOOOOOOW Sam and I were like Bruh..... c'mon

He's there for 2 weeks. I MEAN LIKE

I remember as a kid my parents pointing to a house "a Senator lives there"

WELP.

Pretty sure it's a President's house now

Unless he moved lol

Beach day was good though. We swam a bit. I instantly burrowed myself in a hole and dove for some sand crabs and tiiiiiiny seashells

Found a few nice tiny shells. V cute~

We did some skeeeeeee-ball and lol

They have like Small, Medium, Large, Giant, CHOICE prizes

Sam and I ruled out the choice prize. It was just bigger but not cute

But the Giant was like I THOUGHT HAMSTER?? it's not but we thought it was cute so we were like, okay let's do that

So in about $10 we had the Giant prize and a spare Large and spare Small. Decent haul for 10 I guess

You can basically trade 3 smalls for medium, 3 mediums for large, etc. I think we only lost 2 or 3 games between us. The employees just hovered by us at one point LMAO

It was really fun

Sam and I argued if we wanted to ride the SEA DRAGON that's like a rocking boat ride that does a 90 degree angle kinda swing. Or the haunted mansion

Sam wanted Sea Dragon, I wanted the haunted mansion. We did neither and just got funnel cake instead

We stopped for Grotto's which is THE BEST PIZZA EVER fightmeIdareyou

AND we debated on patio or indoors. Sam liked patio vibes but they were like "Yeah so if it rains... we can't give you an indoor seat" we checked the forecast and Sam's phone was bugging but we decided to risk it....

Our pizza came and SO DID THE STORM

The patio had umbrellas and we were thinking "we'll just huddle under an umbrella for our table, nbd

FOOLS, WE WERE

oh boy

With the storm's entrance was a massive GUST of wind that knocked over a massive planter behind me. DISLODGED an umbrella 2 tables away from us that sent the umbrella flying toward us. My glass drink went flying into my lap and shattered on the floor and Sam had the where-with-all to grab the pizza plate

While I had the brains to shove a chair at the incoming umbrella

WE WERE FINE

We didn't even get wet but what an uproar

The patio had some covering for the like server stations and the staff just let us eat our pizza there and they replaced my shattered drink too

Fucking champions. They rushed in to get down the rest of the umbrellas really quick before the downpour came

And Sam and I just huddled with our pizza laughing "yeah, the patio's a great vibe"...

So beach was good! LOL We did a tiny bit of shopping. I bought pop rocks lol and a cat toy for Rufio

AND A SKIRT that I'm in love with

But beach was an absolute success. Weekend total success. All good choices lol

The 6 hour drive was me rambling at Sam about American history, Astigmatism and random family history she was in the dark about but I knew more about (like WHY my cousin got cut off and why it felt so awkward lol.......)

It did not bore her, but kept her awake

INTERACTIVE LESSONS on the equivalent to random trivia plus oddball family facts thrown in ha

Anyway, now this plurk is an absolute ramble but ALL RELEVANT I think..... lol it was a valuable weekend