Chocolate Castles as wel

We are still in Phoenix with kids and grandkids. Wanting to do our part and not be a burden financially to them, Jodi and I sat down to discuss the situation. When she began to tell me what they were treating us to for Valentines, I remarked that I didn’t think that was fair to them as we were staying free for over a week, using their water, washing our clothes with their laundry soap and so on…she begin to tell me that that was their payment to us for the babysitting we were doing and for the groceries we had already bought. It went downhill from there. We began to itemize, for fun, going back and forth, things that they had bought and things that we had bought. Bargaining began. She offered me turn down service if I would do her laundry. She even offered a mint on our pillows, if we wouldn’t mind picking up the mints next time we went to the store. I told her that I would do her laundry if we could have air conditioning in our room. Randy walked in and as he sat there and listened to us, he spoke up and said that he thought it would be cheaper if we stayed in a hotel as we got free breakfast without having to take  turns playing basketball in the park in the afternoons. We could snack our way through Costco for lunch,without having to change 2 dirty diapers in exchange for lunch provided by the Duprees, which usually consisted of Tortinos Pizza or cus of Macaroni & Cheese.

Spending our Valentines day with 3 little precious darlings, ages 12-1 1/2, might not be as romantic as we are used to, but where else can we sit down to eat with valentine stickers stuck all over our arms or a lego wedged between our toes under the table? Next Valentines Day might be a little quieter, but this Valentines day is special. There is nothing quite like having a grandchild wrap his little arms around you and tell you that you are his favorite valentine in the “whole whhoold”. unless Randy gets me a new phone for Valentines, That wins over the grandchild. Sorry Caleb, but Pops wins “favorite valentine” this year.

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