These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Thursday, January 04, 2007

It's Always An Adventure In This Family

I thought I'd let you know the end of the family Christmas story. We were supposed to be together from 12/24 until 12/29. When the snow hit we played it day by day, and it became messy . . . in many ways.

First of all, the snow just kept coming. I'm sure you probably know that because it made news all around the country. Officially, the snow was around 10", but it was 5 " deeper in some parts of the city. There was fog for several days, and it presented problems driving, plus every evening as the temps dropped, it froze and caused an icy mess. When the sun managed to get through, it seemed to help in melting the mess, however, there was between 1" and 3" of water under the 4-6 inches of snow. You couldn't always see it, but stepping on the snow often lead to having a shoe full of icy water. I wore my western boots most of the time because they are actually more waterproof than my snow boots. And you actually wondered why I bought them! My feet were dry at all times. I did switch to the snow boots with tread in the evening and early morning to avoid slipping.

Second, poor Brooke's second flight on 12/31 was cancelled! She and her dad got to the airport and waited a while before getting the bad news. She was crushed again, but handled it a little better than the first one. At this point, she was placed on a priority standby status so that she would be at the head of the list for any opening. Had it not happened, she would have been on a plane tomorrow, but she was fortunate when her dad sat with her on 1/1 until she boarded. She was squealing with delight when she learned that she was going to be home before school started.

Third, my ex and his wife were gracious hosts, but they are not used to having lots of people or kids around, and it seemed obvious that they were becoming stressed when our stay stretched and stretched. There were signs (not just in them, but in all of us) that enough was enough. I began to think of ways to get them off the hook for all of us.

Scott and his family decided to hit the road for Wichita on 1/1, as I-40 finally opened up. Unfortunately, approximately 5 million other travellers decided the same thing, and the highway was a big parking lot! It took them 12 hours to reach Amarillo, a trip that is normally around 4 hours. It sounded like what happens in Florida when a hurricane is on the way. The arrived safely on 1/2.

I suggested to Terri and her family that they might come with me to Capitan, visit with Allan, see where I live now, and I'd drive them back for their flight today. They gave it some thought and decided it would be a good thing. We had no problem going south, and we had a good time together. I hated that it added 6 more hours of travel for them (9 for me), but it was a relief to be out of a hotel room. Last night we played fame and killed off 3 bottles of wine. We were able to sit in comfortable chairs, stretch out, walk in snow (just a couple inches were left here on the north side of things) or clear soil as we chose, and did some shopping and sight-seeing.At least we could get out on the streets without feeling unsafe. I got a call 1/3 evening that they were home safe and sound. Ahhhh.

What was to be a 5 day reunion turned into an 11 day, uh, adventure. It was absolutely wonderful to have everyone together, but there is a limit. You know what they say about family visitors . . . after 3 days they, and fish, begin to stink. Well, try locking either up in a hotel room for so many days, and I promise you, they both stink much worse! We think our next one will be at a time of year when we hope to not have the weather complications!


PS added at 8:15 PM: I HAVE A CRAPPY COLD!! Thank you weather. Thank you stress. Thank you, son-in-law who had one but didn't get really sick!!! I felt a little scratchy in the throat yesterday, was congested this AM, and since around 11:00, I've been coughing, snotting and blowing, fighting to unplug my ears, and feeling just miserable. Arghhh. I hate being sick. Happy Freakin' New Year. Bah, humbug.

16 comments:

  1. I'd like to hear the retelling of this story by everyone there in about... 5 years. Should be interesting. :) Hope your cold goes away very quickly!

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  2. s3 - LOL! Isn't that the truth? I'll bet even now, the spins would be . . . unusually variant!! And, boy, me too, on the cold. My nose is so sore from blowing and wiping!

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  3. Glad to hear they made it back okay and that you had three bottles of wine to get you through the night.

    Get well soon!! Amd happy freakin' new year to you too, sweetie! :)

    Lotsa hugs.

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  4. hehe...sounds like movie material....starring Chevy Chase and John Candy. I hate it that John Candy is gone!

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  5. Seven is was comedy material. . .I like your choice of actors. While it was great to be with family. . .with 3 days worth of clothes, I was ready to be home!!!!! I was cold for several days and glad to be in FL with upper 70's!!!!

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  6. Catherine - Hey! Maybe it was the wine that did me in! Nah. Never the wine. But yes, it is good that everyone is home safe, and all considered, it is good that the worst problem is a cold. I'm a bit better this AM, and hoping for the continuation of returning health. Thanks for freakin' along with me!

    Seven - You're right! But let me assure you . . . livin' it wasn't always comedic! thank goodness for being able to look back and laugh.

    My Girl - Do you feel like you've been on one of Lampoon’s vacations?!?

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  7. Alls well that ends well...

    and i'm sorry you have a crappy cold *boo* *hiss*

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  8. patti - Yes, but . . . WHEN WILL IT END??? LOL! Thanks, I need boo-hiss against this thing!

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  9. At least you had electricity. I love thinking back to the time we had the major ice storm and were without power for 3 days. I love the memory of you, me and Glenn sitting by the fire watching a small battery operated black/white tv eating cold KFC. Sweet memories. :)

    Hope you get to feeling better. I hate colds because there's not much you can do except wait for it to pass.

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  10. Speedy recovery Lynilu. You're a real trooper!

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  11. That snow sounds CRAZY and out-of-control!
    Now I hope you get to feeling better soon! Take care of yourself!

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  12. Caroline - Hurray for electricity! Yes, I remember those ties without power. It was a pain in the touche, but also very dear, wasn't it? I just got back from the store with Puffs Plus Lotion to be more gentle on my poor sore nose, and a collection of Dayquil, Nyquil, and Honey Lemon lozenges. I'm set for the weekend.

    Eileen - Thank you. I may be a trooper, but I'm a grumpy trooper! Colds make me feel so awful!

    Cheryl - Crazy and out of control . . . welcome to my life! LOL! Thanks, I'm working on it.

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  13. happy new year to you also. i like visiting relatives when they all live in the same state and you can go visit each one and spend a little time at each place. the first couple of days are the best because you have so much to catch up to. after that every one settles down to their normal routine and some times it is hard to figure out what to talk about. well have a good day and i will talk with you again. thamks for stopping by my blog.

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  14. mrhaney - LOL! You know what they say about visiting relatives and fish . . . they all start to stink after a few days!!

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  15. OH man...Lynilu...I'm glad that you all survived without killing each other, or someone else. :)

    We got out of there just in time. A few days later and we would've been stuck.

    Glad that you're safe and sound, sorry that you're sick though. I'm sending good wishes for it to pass quickly.

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  16. Kevin - I'm glad you weren't stuck in that. It was such an anamoly! You had your own set of problems, didn't you! LOL! Thanks for the good wishes! I'm already much better, and I'll be out there kickin' butt again soon!

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!