Great Trip
Kara and I had a great trip to Maryland. (Michael opted to stay home - too many days of togetherness and too many days away from work - in that order.)
We stayed with my parents, which was nice. They know us and love us the most - we never felt like guests because we felt like we were home - except I didn't have to cook, clean, or do my own laundry. I felt like a kid again. All I had to do was talk and laugh. For a week straight. We slept well every night, ate well every day, and were covered in love.
We drove to Maryland Monday. The sun was shining so bright, we watched the moon rise over the Appalachian Mountains, and there wasn't a single bit of traffic. Kara is wonderful in the car - she loves just relaxing and watching movies and playing on her computer and drawing. She doesn't eat fast food, so we only stop if I need food - we pack the rest. Super easy. And we only needed to stop once for gas, potty, and food. We arrived at my parents house 11 hours after we left.
Tuesday was my Dad's birthday, so we all had lunch together, and my mom made his favorite roast dinner. Christina was able to make it to both lunch and dinner, so it was the core four, plus Kara. We had a great time catching up, and just all being together. My parents have been in Florida a lot, my sister hasn't been well and has been working a lot, and we've been in Alabama. My mom and I also snuck in a little shopping in between lunch and dinner while the roast....roasted. Target and Barnes and Noble is all we really had time for. I found a little something in each place. It's funny how there really aren't any good sales or clearances in between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Wednesday was my sister day, so Kara had a Grandma day. Christina and I prepared for her to host Thanksgiving at her house. Her body is mean to her and for several reasons, she can't do it all herself. So, we prepped all appetizers, a few side dishes, defrosted turkeys, set up tables, and cleaned. All while taking several breaks to chill and visit. ;-) I just can't tear myself away from days like that. My mom finally said, "it's 10:00, so we are heading to bed. Just be quiet when you come home." lol! It's time to leave!
Thursday was Thanksgiving. My mom made mashed potatoes and I made sweet potato casserole, then we went to Christina's house. We visited with Tony's parents, and all of us, of course. We laughed all day long and it was a great day. Everyone brought a little something, which added up to Christina making turkey in the oven and Tony frying one, plus gravy. Christina is also in charge of green bean casserole every year, so she did that too. Helen (Tony's mom) made dessert and rolls - my favorite stuff to make too - we are kindred spirits when it comes to cooking and especially baking. Again, we just couldn't tear ourselves away! I watched only a teeny bit of football, and after the meal, Mom, Christina, Kara, and I watched the Grinch, like we always do, starting up the Christmas season. I felt I am raising my daughter right because she could quote the whole movie like the rest of us this year. <3
Friday my sister was able to spend even more time with me, which I loved. My mom, sister, and I went out to lunch, we saw Mockingjay part 2, then we went out to dinner. Kara was able to have a Grandpa day. I mean, it was a perfect day. Then when Christina went home after dinner, my mom and I watched Pitch Perfect 2, which I bought at Target on Tuesday. It wasn't as funny as the first one and seemed like it was trying to be funnier, which just translated to cruder. Too bad. The music was great though!
Saturday was planned all around the football game. Alabama played their rivals: Auburn (another college in Alabama). Around here you either wear houndstooth and crimson (Alabama), or blue and orange (Auburn). Like, I've never seen anything like it. Like, everyone likes one or the other. And if you don't pick one of those two, you'd better have a good reason for it - like your great grandfather started that college or something. So, my dad has liked Alabama football for years, my sister has too (she is a big Ravens fan and a lot of their best guys come from Alabama), and our friends here love Alabama. Not only that, but they are a good team, and are good boys. So, I've started watching them this year, and it's really fun. Now we were 11 games in, our record was 10-1, and it was time to play Auburn. Since this is a big rivalry, there is a lot of smack talk going on. I'm not really competitive, so I don't like this part of fandom. I just want everyone to win, except the one team we are playing this week. There was a huge upset a year or two ago and it was a big deal and Auburn won - they have been talking about it ever since. *eye roll* So, I was happy to see Alabama didn't play their best, Auburn did play their best, the referees called the game heavily in Auburn's favor, and we still beat them. No excuses. Auburn fans have been quiet. Even on their good day and our bad day, we still won. I don't care to rub it in their faces, but I'm glad they can stop talking about that game years ago. At least for a while. :-)
Sunday we spent the day with my friend Stephanie and her family. They came home early from their Thanksgiving vacation to see us that day. She was sick with a sinus infection like I've never seen before. I told her I didn't have to come, but she said there was nothing different she would have done that day - either she sit and talk with me, or sit and talk with her family. Her husband and I covered lunch and dinner and she rested as much as possible. Then we left around 6 so she could go to bed as soon as possible. We packed up the truck and got it ready for the trip home!
Monday Kara and I drove home. It rained about the whole way, which wasn't a big deal. It was just a slow, steady rain, the roads weren't slick (at least not in Michael's truck), the only annoying thing is traffic was slower. I was still fine to drive 80, but everyone else wanted to go 70. It took longer to get home because of that. But, once again, no traffic! I think those were good days to travel!
Crossing over into the state line feels so good every time. Michael had the house clean, dishes done, and laundry done. He helped unload the truck, and since he missed us, he spent a lot of time with us - meaning about 30 minutes. lol! After that he had nothing else to say and just headed back upstairs so I could unpack, shower, and go to sleep! I was tired after driving 11.5 hours in the rain!
Now we are home and boy did we miss Alabama. I love my Maryland people, but I don't miss anything else about that state! We like to drive by our old house once each time we visit - it does my heart good to see another family living their lives happily in that house. They had fun Christmas decorations up this time, which made me so happy. And, life moves on!
Kara and I did school this morning, and I don't plan to do a whole lot else. It's a rainy day here, so we slept in and I think I'll make something super cozy for dinner. I love Tuesdays.
We stayed with my parents, which was nice. They know us and love us the most - we never felt like guests because we felt like we were home - except I didn't have to cook, clean, or do my own laundry. I felt like a kid again. All I had to do was talk and laugh. For a week straight. We slept well every night, ate well every day, and were covered in love.
We drove to Maryland Monday. The sun was shining so bright, we watched the moon rise over the Appalachian Mountains, and there wasn't a single bit of traffic. Kara is wonderful in the car - she loves just relaxing and watching movies and playing on her computer and drawing. She doesn't eat fast food, so we only stop if I need food - we pack the rest. Super easy. And we only needed to stop once for gas, potty, and food. We arrived at my parents house 11 hours after we left.
Tuesday was my Dad's birthday, so we all had lunch together, and my mom made his favorite roast dinner. Christina was able to make it to both lunch and dinner, so it was the core four, plus Kara. We had a great time catching up, and just all being together. My parents have been in Florida a lot, my sister hasn't been well and has been working a lot, and we've been in Alabama. My mom and I also snuck in a little shopping in between lunch and dinner while the roast....roasted. Target and Barnes and Noble is all we really had time for. I found a little something in each place. It's funny how there really aren't any good sales or clearances in between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Wednesday was my sister day, so Kara had a Grandma day. Christina and I prepared for her to host Thanksgiving at her house. Her body is mean to her and for several reasons, she can't do it all herself. So, we prepped all appetizers, a few side dishes, defrosted turkeys, set up tables, and cleaned. All while taking several breaks to chill and visit. ;-) I just can't tear myself away from days like that. My mom finally said, "it's 10:00, so we are heading to bed. Just be quiet when you come home." lol! It's time to leave!
Thursday was Thanksgiving. My mom made mashed potatoes and I made sweet potato casserole, then we went to Christina's house. We visited with Tony's parents, and all of us, of course. We laughed all day long and it was a great day. Everyone brought a little something, which added up to Christina making turkey in the oven and Tony frying one, plus gravy. Christina is also in charge of green bean casserole every year, so she did that too. Helen (Tony's mom) made dessert and rolls - my favorite stuff to make too - we are kindred spirits when it comes to cooking and especially baking. Again, we just couldn't tear ourselves away! I watched only a teeny bit of football, and after the meal, Mom, Christina, Kara, and I watched the Grinch, like we always do, starting up the Christmas season. I felt I am raising my daughter right because she could quote the whole movie like the rest of us this year. <3
Friday my sister was able to spend even more time with me, which I loved. My mom, sister, and I went out to lunch, we saw Mockingjay part 2, then we went out to dinner. Kara was able to have a Grandpa day. I mean, it was a perfect day. Then when Christina went home after dinner, my mom and I watched Pitch Perfect 2, which I bought at Target on Tuesday. It wasn't as funny as the first one and seemed like it was trying to be funnier, which just translated to cruder. Too bad. The music was great though!
Saturday was planned all around the football game. Alabama played their rivals: Auburn (another college in Alabama). Around here you either wear houndstooth and crimson (Alabama), or blue and orange (Auburn). Like, I've never seen anything like it. Like, everyone likes one or the other. And if you don't pick one of those two, you'd better have a good reason for it - like your great grandfather started that college or something. So, my dad has liked Alabama football for years, my sister has too (she is a big Ravens fan and a lot of their best guys come from Alabama), and our friends here love Alabama. Not only that, but they are a good team, and are good boys. So, I've started watching them this year, and it's really fun. Now we were 11 games in, our record was 10-1, and it was time to play Auburn. Since this is a big rivalry, there is a lot of smack talk going on. I'm not really competitive, so I don't like this part of fandom. I just want everyone to win, except the one team we are playing this week. There was a huge upset a year or two ago and it was a big deal and Auburn won - they have been talking about it ever since. *eye roll* So, I was happy to see Alabama didn't play their best, Auburn did play their best, the referees called the game heavily in Auburn's favor, and we still beat them. No excuses. Auburn fans have been quiet. Even on their good day and our bad day, we still won. I don't care to rub it in their faces, but I'm glad they can stop talking about that game years ago. At least for a while. :-)
Sunday we spent the day with my friend Stephanie and her family. They came home early from their Thanksgiving vacation to see us that day. She was sick with a sinus infection like I've never seen before. I told her I didn't have to come, but she said there was nothing different she would have done that day - either she sit and talk with me, or sit and talk with her family. Her husband and I covered lunch and dinner and she rested as much as possible. Then we left around 6 so she could go to bed as soon as possible. We packed up the truck and got it ready for the trip home!
Monday Kara and I drove home. It rained about the whole way, which wasn't a big deal. It was just a slow, steady rain, the roads weren't slick (at least not in Michael's truck), the only annoying thing is traffic was slower. I was still fine to drive 80, but everyone else wanted to go 70. It took longer to get home because of that. But, once again, no traffic! I think those were good days to travel!
Crossing over into the state line feels so good every time. Michael had the house clean, dishes done, and laundry done. He helped unload the truck, and since he missed us, he spent a lot of time with us - meaning about 30 minutes. lol! After that he had nothing else to say and just headed back upstairs so I could unpack, shower, and go to sleep! I was tired after driving 11.5 hours in the rain!
Now we are home and boy did we miss Alabama. I love my Maryland people, but I don't miss anything else about that state! We like to drive by our old house once each time we visit - it does my heart good to see another family living their lives happily in that house. They had fun Christmas decorations up this time, which made me so happy. And, life moves on!
Kara and I did school this morning, and I don't plan to do a whole lot else. It's a rainy day here, so we slept in and I think I'll make something super cozy for dinner. I love Tuesdays.
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