The last time I left you, I was still in State College. The last couple of days I was there I was trying to talk to Mama Trudy about her childhood. That was a little bit of a failure; All she told me was that her father was an engineer and he lost a lot of property during The Depression. It was a little disappointing, but my mother told me that she had a very traumatic childhood. Mama Trudy’s mother passed away when she was 4 years old, leaving her father to raise nine children on his own. My mother said that her older siblings used to tell stories, but now a lot of them aren’t around to say them.

On another note, since I’ve gotten to Miami (yesterday), Aunt Billie has told me so many stories. We looked at pictures of Mama Bub and Daddy Bub (my great grandparents) and even got a look at their siblings and parents. Looking at all the pictures brings out a lot of memories for her and my mother. Last night, we all went out to dinner with Shari (Aunt Billie’s daughter, my mother’s cousin) and her husband, Edwin. It is a wonderful experience to be here, but it one that is hard to express in words. Aunt Billie is now making her mother’s brisket, and I will be sure to show you a picture when it’s done!

You must be wondering what was happening in the time gap between State College and Miami… My mother and I drove through two ice storms, snow, and a lot of rain to get from State College to my home in Jacksonville, FL. We even drove on curvy, Virginia mountain roads in the storm to get to a hotel one night. My mom and I were listening to country music, trying to calm down because we had no phone service and a lot of anxiety trying to drive on an inch of ice on these mountain roads. We collected ourselves at home, and repacked before seeing my sister, Kari, and her boyfriend at Epcot. It was her belated 21st birthday present, and according to her, it was the best weekend ever!

My mom and I are leaving Aunt Billie’s house tomorrow for New Orleans to see my mom’s cousin, Robyn. Well, I’ve got to go make the tzimmes now! I don’t know what it is, but I’ll show you a picture of it the next time I blog.