Not what I was expecting at all

I just got home from vacation.

It wasn't a vacation.

At all.

Well sort off.

I saw a cousin get married. To a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful guy. It was a wonderful, happy time.
Marriages back home are a HUGE event.
Literally thousands of people attend the function. The entire function itself spreads many days. Fantastic food! (I've probably gained 10 lbs just from the 5 days of wedding food alone! It's impossible to resist I tell you!) Plus, the added bonus is that since the extended family gets together, you get to meet everybody - from great aunts and uncles and grandparents to the tiny tots (I discovered to my everlasting astonishment that I was an "Uncle" to half a dozen kids... ME! At my tender young age! An Uncle! Holy smokes! When did I get that old! LOL!) There was a good deal of humor over the fact that so many people assumed that I was my brother! I literally had to produce ID cards and drag my Father in to prove my identity! I had changed so much in six years - folks couldn't recognize me! Haha!

And then, the other HUGE plus point was that I finally got to meet my sister-in-law (my brother got married almost 2 and 1/2 years ago... but I was unable to attend the wedding because of nursing school). My sister-in-law is adorable - I'm so happy she is a part of our family. I even got to enjoy the hospitality of the in-laws. They have some 'characters' in their family too - all the more fun now! I had a great time! :-)

But on the other hand....

I had an acute attack of Gastroenteritis for about four days.
Preceded by the "head cold from hell" for about four days. All I could feel, smell and taste was phlegm. It was horrible.

My Mother was sick for half the time I was home - mostly stress related. Yet she refused to take time off from life in general - insisting that she couldn't. From her PoV she was right, and I knew it... but I hated it no less. I detested the pressures that "life" put on my Mother. My Mother has sacrificed a lot for many people... and many a time, I feel that she is not been acknowledged nor appreciated for that. My desire is for both my parents to retire and live a life of comfort - all the while knowing that such a desire is foolish... both my parents are work-a-holics. They'd go crazy if they had nothing to do!(and it seems like I have inherited some of it!)

My grandma passed away (my Father's mother. My maternal grandma passed away when I was in nursing school and I couldn't attend her funeral. As of now, my maternal grandpa is the only grandparent I have alive - my paternal grandparent having passed away years before I was even born).

My Father didn't take the news well (hell, is there ever a right time to lose your parent?) He has been sick on and off for a while now. I'm worried about him. My dear Father is a reserved man, he doesn't speak often... especially on matters of the heart. He is calm, quiet and reserved [the exact opposite of my dear Mother!] But he is a very sensitive man. Very loving. His anguish at the loss of his Mother was hard for me to bear - I may have lost a loving, dear grandmother, but he had just lost his beloved Mother. In the wee hours of the morning, I was called upon to be a nurse again. My Father had recently lost a mother-in-law and an elder sister. Outwordly, he attempts to be calm and measured - but I know he's hurting. They are a close knit bunch, my Father's family.

Did I mention that I needed 3 root canals? Yep, not one not two... three.

In the midst of all this chaos, I missed the comfort and company of some of my dearest friends. While I am a very friendly, approachable person by nature, I don't make friends that easily (sure, everybody is a "buddy" to me. But true "friends", I'm pretty selective). Despite uprooting my life and relocating half the world away in my teens, I adamantly spent a fortune keeping in touch with my friends. Yeah, I managed to meet some of them... but I missed seeing a couple.

And they hurt.
Because they hadn't seen me in many years.
And I hurt too - for the same reason.
There is still a longing in my heart.

*sigh* I need a vacation to get over this vacation...