"I'll Eat Jell-O" #12

Some of you maybe asking yourselves why is the title of this post is "I'll eat Jell-O!" Well, I'm going to tell you. It is possible one of the funniest events concerning Jell-O that I have ever experienced in my life. But first a little background.

As many of you know the day Shawn passed away the first person I called once I had gotten to the ER was Jennie, she got to the hospital in a matter of minutes. On her way she called my other friend Lora and told her that she needed to get to the hospital fast because there was something wrong with Shawn. Jennie got there and found me in that horrible, little private room and instantly came and sat down next to me. Seconds later the Dr. came in and told us that Shawn did not make it. Jennie instantly took me in her arms and held me as I was shaking, crying and I think dry heaving. At the time I did not know it but Lora had also gotten there and was waiting outside of the door. Somebody called and told her that Shawn had passed away. I remember walking out the door and Lora and her little boy Luca were the first people that I saw. Lora gave me a huge hug and I remember saying to her, "This wasn't supposed to happen this way." I'm not sure, but I think I said it two or three times as she was hugging me. After, I answered a ton of questions from the Dr's and medical examiner and after the rest of the coaching staff arrived in the ER, it was time to go home. I remember telling Jennie, and Lora that I needed to go, and that I just wanted to go back to our house. Of course they took me. I rode in Lora's car and Jennie followed behind, and so did my friend Teressa (she was the one who drove me to the hospital). So in the ten or eleven hours before my parents, and Shawn's parents arrived Jennie, Lora, Luca and Teressa stayed with me.

Once we arrived back at my house I went directly to Shawn's chair and sat down. I remember the stuffed giraffe that my Mom sent us the day before for the baby was sitting on the couch, along with the T-shirt that Shawn had slept in the night before. I grabbed the giraffe and T-shirt and just sat there in Shawn's chair thinking how could this be happening to me? Well, then it started happening Jennie, Lora and Teressa all started asking me what I wanted to eat, and when the last time I ate was. Uhm, let me tell you food was about the last thing that I wanted, the thought of eating was enough to make me vomit. However, they all knew, as did I that I needed to eat something for the baby. I instantly said that I didn't want anything to eat. Teressa sat next to me on the couch while Jennie and Lora headed into the kitchen.

First Lora came out and said, "Hey, Coin, you want some yogurt?" I looked at her and with total disgust in my voice I said, " I am NOT eating that!" Poor Lora turned and walked out of the living room. Next, Jennie came in with a zip lock bag of green peppers and said, "Coin, I found these in the fridge, you want to eat those?" This time I replied with, "Hell no, I hate green peppers, Shawn used to make me it them and now I don't ever have to eat them again!" Jennie turned and walked away as well. I knew the two of them were not going to let up and figured I might as well try and eat a little something. I yelled from the living room that I would eat a plum. Gosh, they were both so happy, that they about were running into the living room with the plum. Well, I ate a few bites of it and that was enough. I know neither Jennie or Lora hold any hard feelings over that day, but I still can't believe that I was that mean and snotty with them, they were only trying to help me.

Alright, this is where it gets good.

After both of them were going through my fridge and freezer asking me what I wanted to eat I finally said, "I'll eat some Jell-O" The both of them were on my order like white on rice and went to the fridge to get me some. I told them that it wasn't in the fridge, but in the pantry. They both went to my pantry and said they couldn't find it. From the couch I told them what shelf it was on and where it was at. Again, they still couldn't find it. So I got up and got it for them. To this day I still don't know how they couldn't find the boxes of Jell-O. Shawn had just gotten a bunch for me to eat the day before because it was the only thing I could keep down. And, I tend to be very anal and OCD like so my pantry was arranged in a nice neat way. Anyways, I got them the Jell-O, then went and sat back down. I just had no desire to be doing anything, let alone in the kitchen.

I gave Jennie and Lora the box of Jell-O and they both kind of looked at it. They were looking at it like they had never seen Jell-O in a box before. Well, apparently both of them were used to buying the pre-made Jell-O, you know the kind that comes in the little plastic cups. Shawn and I never bought that kind, I just made it from "scratch". Anyways, they both were in the kitchen looking at this box of Jell-O, and I was sitting in Shawn's chair just staring back at them, thinking what the hell are they doing? Next, from out in the kitchen I heard Jennie and Lora talking. Or rather, discussing how they should go about making this Jell-O. Lora wanted to do it one way, and Jennie wanted to do it another way. I'm listening to their entire conversation in the chair kind of laughing to myself. I kept listening to them try to figure out how to make it. I mean who doesn't know how to make Jell-O? One wanted to add ice to it, the other didn't want the ice, but hot water, then what if the water was too hot, and what if it didn't settle up right? So there were Jennie and Lora being the best friends ever struggling to make me the one and only thing I wanted to eat. After listening to them banter back and forth for a while, I finally got up and told them to just add 2 cups boiling water, 2 cups cold water, stir and set it in the fridge. Then the three of us just started cracking up. I mean seriously laughing! It turns out that one of them was reading the directions for the finger Jell-O, while the other was reading the directions for the good old fashion kind and they were confusing the ever living heck out of each other. It does turn out that neither of them had eve made Jell-O that way before. Really? Who hasn't made Jell-O?

The whole ordeal was really funny. I laughed and laughed and laughed until I started crying. I remember thinking to myself that it felt really wrong to be laughing so hard just two hours after my husband had died.

I guess there is three morals to this story. 1. Apparently people just don't eat/make boxed Jell-O anymore. 2. You should keep the Jell-O in cups on hand for a crisis situation and 3. I have the best friends EVER!

Ok, now that the story is over did you all find this funny? Or was it just one of those had to be there moments? Well, maybe it was just one of those had to be there type of moments. I swear every time I see a box of Jell-O it still makes me laugh and probably always will. Even though that was such an awful, tragic, horrible day, I will always remember Jennie and Lora making me laugh while trying to make me the one and only thing I wanted to eat....Jell-O

Oh, and that famous Jell-O, well that was the only thing I ate that day and the next!