Last Big Trip For a While - Part 1
This was a huge trip! We traveled all over, but we are tired now!
It all started with Christmas with Michael's family. This year we celebrated on New Years weekend, which I loved. I love staying home for Christmas and traveling to see family later - especially in January. We all got together, and as usual, it was absolutely wonderful. I grew up with visits with extended family being difficult. There would be laughs and fun and cards until a fight broke out. It was stressful on a kid. Whenever I visit the Days, I still have in the back of my mind to be defensive and not say too much so it won't be held against me later. Then I see their sweet faces and I am just totally myself and totally calm and totally have a wonderful time. Every visit is the best visit we've had so far, which means it just gets better and better. Wow. I love it.
Thursday:
Thursday we drove separately to NC, which worked out fine. Kara went with Michael and I sang my heart out to the radio - Aerosmith, country music, Metallica, pop, it's all good. I love it all. The trip was about 8 hours and felt so short! I am used to 11 or 12 hours to Maryland already. We arrived around 4:45 and the fun began! Kara and Hannah found each other, and I just sat and smiled and talked and listened. Vicky started bringing out the first of many homemade meals and they were all so delicious. I didn't bring anything to this trip and I have to say it was wonderful! I didn't even clean up since we used paper plates! It was so nice that I can't wait for everyone to come visit me so I can give that gift to everyone else for a week.
Then after dinner and presents, I took myself to the hotel to watch Alabama win their football game and Michael met me there with Kara and Hannah right after halftime. It worked out well for me to go earlier because I have so much to bring in from the car and so much to do to set up the room. I like to move in wherever I go and make up the sofa bed for the girls and set up food and put it in the fridge and set up shampoo and toothpaste and all of that. It takes time and I always have to ask the front desk for sheets and blankets for the pull out bed. I'm glad I went early!
The girls had never seen the ball drop on NYE before, so they decided that sounded like the most exciting thing ever and couldn't wait to see it. I warned them it wasn't as amazing as they were thinking. It's just a colorful ball of lights on tv. They said they knew and were still thrilled. They counted down a full 60 seconds as the ball was dropping and did think it was amazing. Sweet girls. I went right to sleep after that, but they stayed up giggling until at least 1:30am. I love their friendship. Sweet cousins.
Friday:
Friday everyone overslept because of the late night, so we missed breakfast. Housekeeping woke me up New Years morning to clean our room at 8:55. Isn't that crazy? We usually leave the do not disturb sign on the door, but forgot this once - we won't do that again! Anyway, that left me up in time to get myself cinnamon rolls. Yum. I got everyone else up and running and went to Elisabeth's house by noon for the Ohio State / Notre Dame football game. The trash talk started early and it was super funny. I was hoping Notre Dame would win because Jessica and Terry wanted them to so badly, but they couldn't pull it off. Again, yummy food was ready and out when we arrived. So great. Family. Fun. Football. Laughs. Food. Cards. I mean, it was just wonderful.
When the football game was over around 5:30, everyone divided up NOT according to their family and split up. It was so neat to have the whole family together in one big group, then divide up into smaller groups. Cousin Michael stayed with Aunt Liz, we brought Hannah with us, and so on. Hannah and Kara decided they didn't want to go to the hotel yet, so we went to Tim and Vicky's house. While the kids were playing, Michael and I had time to sit and talk with Tim by himself. It was absolutely the highlight of my trip. I got to hear about jobs he had as a teenager, what his dad did for work, the houses he lived in, and more. Michael and I both left feeling so happy. When I told Michael in the car how much I really enjoyed that, he said, "me too - I didn't know most of that!"
Saturday:
Saturday we woke up, packed up the hotel into the car, and got ready to drive home separately. We visited a bit one last time, then had a wonderful lunch, then everyone started packing their cars and heading out. We stayed late for one more game of Euchre. Then Michael headed south and Kara and I headed north. Our drive went pretty well until we got close to Maryland. Miserable. Whenever we stopped to get food or use the bathroom, cars were honking, people ran red lights and almost hit us, people stopped for no reason in the road, bathrooms were FILTHY and lines were long, it was terrible. It was like the further north we drove, the worse it became. Then the traffic. It took an hour and a half to go 30 miles. I was so done. I felt like all that stuff that I hated about living in Maryland, that stuff that I left, that stuff I was freed from, all came back in a flood while driving there. Miserable. I did not handle it well and was crying by the end. THAT'S the culture shock. (People in the south always ask how I'm adjusting to the culture shock and I say we don't really feel it. Then we go back and feel it. Hard. We hate every second of it. We really, really hate it in Maryland. But we wanted to see people we love.)
We were staying at Stephanie's house, but she wanted her kids to get to bed because they just got home from their own trip and the kids needed some serious sleep - not to stay up because they were excited to see Kara. To kill an hour or so, I swung by my sister's house, which was so great. They calmed me down and reminded me I used to live here in all this mess and used to be used to it. They hugged me and assured me it will be worth it when I see everyone I love this week.
Boy, culture shock is real, man. And it's harsh.
I'll be back to share the Maryland part of our trip.
It all started with Christmas with Michael's family. This year we celebrated on New Years weekend, which I loved. I love staying home for Christmas and traveling to see family later - especially in January. We all got together, and as usual, it was absolutely wonderful. I grew up with visits with extended family being difficult. There would be laughs and fun and cards until a fight broke out. It was stressful on a kid. Whenever I visit the Days, I still have in the back of my mind to be defensive and not say too much so it won't be held against me later. Then I see their sweet faces and I am just totally myself and totally calm and totally have a wonderful time. Every visit is the best visit we've had so far, which means it just gets better and better. Wow. I love it.
Thursday:
Thursday we drove separately to NC, which worked out fine. Kara went with Michael and I sang my heart out to the radio - Aerosmith, country music, Metallica, pop, it's all good. I love it all. The trip was about 8 hours and felt so short! I am used to 11 or 12 hours to Maryland already. We arrived around 4:45 and the fun began! Kara and Hannah found each other, and I just sat and smiled and talked and listened. Vicky started bringing out the first of many homemade meals and they were all so delicious. I didn't bring anything to this trip and I have to say it was wonderful! I didn't even clean up since we used paper plates! It was so nice that I can't wait for everyone to come visit me so I can give that gift to everyone else for a week.
Then after dinner and presents, I took myself to the hotel to watch Alabama win their football game and Michael met me there with Kara and Hannah right after halftime. It worked out well for me to go earlier because I have so much to bring in from the car and so much to do to set up the room. I like to move in wherever I go and make up the sofa bed for the girls and set up food and put it in the fridge and set up shampoo and toothpaste and all of that. It takes time and I always have to ask the front desk for sheets and blankets for the pull out bed. I'm glad I went early!
The girls had never seen the ball drop on NYE before, so they decided that sounded like the most exciting thing ever and couldn't wait to see it. I warned them it wasn't as amazing as they were thinking. It's just a colorful ball of lights on tv. They said they knew and were still thrilled. They counted down a full 60 seconds as the ball was dropping and did think it was amazing. Sweet girls. I went right to sleep after that, but they stayed up giggling until at least 1:30am. I love their friendship. Sweet cousins.
Friday:
Friday everyone overslept because of the late night, so we missed breakfast. Housekeeping woke me up New Years morning to clean our room at 8:55. Isn't that crazy? We usually leave the do not disturb sign on the door, but forgot this once - we won't do that again! Anyway, that left me up in time to get myself cinnamon rolls. Yum. I got everyone else up and running and went to Elisabeth's house by noon for the Ohio State / Notre Dame football game. The trash talk started early and it was super funny. I was hoping Notre Dame would win because Jessica and Terry wanted them to so badly, but they couldn't pull it off. Again, yummy food was ready and out when we arrived. So great. Family. Fun. Football. Laughs. Food. Cards. I mean, it was just wonderful.
When the football game was over around 5:30, everyone divided up NOT according to their family and split up. It was so neat to have the whole family together in one big group, then divide up into smaller groups. Cousin Michael stayed with Aunt Liz, we brought Hannah with us, and so on. Hannah and Kara decided they didn't want to go to the hotel yet, so we went to Tim and Vicky's house. While the kids were playing, Michael and I had time to sit and talk with Tim by himself. It was absolutely the highlight of my trip. I got to hear about jobs he had as a teenager, what his dad did for work, the houses he lived in, and more. Michael and I both left feeling so happy. When I told Michael in the car how much I really enjoyed that, he said, "me too - I didn't know most of that!"
Saturday:
Saturday we woke up, packed up the hotel into the car, and got ready to drive home separately. We visited a bit one last time, then had a wonderful lunch, then everyone started packing their cars and heading out. We stayed late for one more game of Euchre. Then Michael headed south and Kara and I headed north. Our drive went pretty well until we got close to Maryland. Miserable. Whenever we stopped to get food or use the bathroom, cars were honking, people ran red lights and almost hit us, people stopped for no reason in the road, bathrooms were FILTHY and lines were long, it was terrible. It was like the further north we drove, the worse it became. Then the traffic. It took an hour and a half to go 30 miles. I was so done. I felt like all that stuff that I hated about living in Maryland, that stuff that I left, that stuff I was freed from, all came back in a flood while driving there. Miserable. I did not handle it well and was crying by the end. THAT'S the culture shock. (People in the south always ask how I'm adjusting to the culture shock and I say we don't really feel it. Then we go back and feel it. Hard. We hate every second of it. We really, really hate it in Maryland. But we wanted to see people we love.)
We were staying at Stephanie's house, but she wanted her kids to get to bed because they just got home from their own trip and the kids needed some serious sleep - not to stay up because they were excited to see Kara. To kill an hour or so, I swung by my sister's house, which was so great. They calmed me down and reminded me I used to live here in all this mess and used to be used to it. They hugged me and assured me it will be worth it when I see everyone I love this week.
Boy, culture shock is real, man. And it's harsh.
I'll be back to share the Maryland part of our trip.
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