9 posts tagged “christmas”
We left Whitehouse, TN around 9:30am and ended up at Rennsalaer, Indiana 90 minutes early. Prepared for such a situation, I brought out my GPS with the coordinates programmed for the geocaches in the area. My first pursuit was closest to where I was, Old Settlers (GCK423), an old cemetery that is the resting place for 19th century pioneers. I figured I could get the cache and then photograph and waymark. So, I followed my GPS down the empty backroads of snow-covered farmland until I came to a small crossing that beared nothing more than an old metal sign:
Excited to have found it, I turned onto the unplowed road. Immediately, I realised this wasn't very smart. If I continued, I'd get stuck. I stopped and threw the Kia into reverse to use my tracks back out. Too late!
So, I tried everything I knew to get myself out, but there was mud underneath. I was good and stuck. I called Progressive because I pay a hefty premium every month to have Roadside Assistance for such circumstances. Fifteen minutes later, the agent calls me to tell me that nobody in their network was willing to come out and get me. Nice, huh? So, I called 9-1-1. Almost everyone who passed by this road stopped to see what they could do to help, which was kind. The Sheriff's Deputy asked me about my firefighter plate (and I told him my husband is a retired firefighter) so he radioed this information (along with the age of my child) in all his valiant attempts to find options for me. In the end, he'd arranged for the local tow company to come out and pull me out without expectation of payment. They're pursuing my insurance for it and rightfully so. I have a couple more pictures of this failed geocaching adventure on Flickr.
I was an hour late to the McDonald's to get Michael and Eddie from my mother. She asked me if I told the Deputy the truth of why I was there. Of course I told him the truth. I don't think there's anything I could have made up that would have made my situation seem less stupid.
We left Rennsalaer, Indiana at 5pm (Eastern time) and stopped in Franklin, TN (or is it Murfreesboro?) at 11:30pm at the Best Western that promised wi-fi and failed to provide it.
We got back on the road at 9am and were on a good schedule for the rest of Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. We arrived home safely at 8:45pm on Saturday, January 5.
Trip totals:
Hotels: $133; Food: $50; Fuel: $240.50; Complete Trip Total: $423.50
I actually spent less in fuel despite costs being more, which could only account for the lack of sightseeing this time. (I would have rather spent the extra if I'd had the time!). The hotel was less because two nights were spent, instead of three.
One of my Christmas presents was a 6-piece easy lift corkscrew set. Last night, we got to try it out on a bottle of Turning Leaf Pinot Noir, which was chosen to accompany a pasta dish with marinara sauce. The device worked wonderfully. I'm someone who typically struggles with the corkscrew so to be able to open a corked bottle with very little effort was a fantastic experience!
For a cheap bottle of wine, about $8, Turning Leaf's pinot noir was one of the best pinot noirs I've ever had. On taste alone, it was a bit weak and watery. What stood out for me was the complete lack of after-bite. With no heartburn racing up and down my throat in a punch after every sip, I was able to enjoy the taste that was there. For this simple reason, I prefer the Turning Leaf over the more sophisticated pinot noirs available.
After a restful stay at the Days Inn in Franklin, TN, I headed south. Traffic ran pretty easy, especially through the mountains, and with the wind at my back I managed an average of 90-100mph. I tried to find the Jack Daniels Distillery but failed horribly. It was fun to poke around Manchester, TN, the town of the distillery's exit.
I'd had my eye on this little white painted, red roof church with a small cemetery alongside I-75 since 2004. I finally took the time to exit and take pictures. A mile south of its exit in Martin Springs, the Martin Springs Baptist Church just seems so quintessential Tennessee.
Word has it that my ex-husband picked up Michael and Eddie from my parents' house a half-hour early. My mother failed to confirm that he had someone else driving, since his license is suspended, and which car they were in, if there was a weight-appropriate booster seat for Eddie, etc. I have been unable to reach them on the phone that I provided them, which is pretty typical. It's routine that they withhold contact until I have the police do a wellness check.
I arrived home at 10pm on Christmas Eve.
Trip totals: $258 in fuel; $205 in hotel; $60 in food; $523 complete trip total.
We arrived at the drop off in Rensselaen, IN a bit early, had some breakfast and waited for my mother to arrive. After placing many things that were in her car into my car, and many things that were in my car into her car, I said a tough goodbye to Michael and Eddie and we parted ways. My mother took them back to her house and I began the 1100-mile drive home.
These things are extraordinarily difficult for me emotionally. I can take the travel, the long driving, the weather changes, and the strain, but I really cannot stand telling my children goodbye and not seeing them for periods of time. Anything longer than a weekend is just too long. So, after I quit sobbing at 80mph and pulled myself together, I called a friend to let her know how close I was to being back in town.
Kevin and Tracey, once again, were gracious hosts. This time, they guided me around Bardstown, which is Tracey's hometown. We visited a few of the many historical places in the city, including their beautiful church, and had a yummy dinner at Chili's. I monopolised them for the entire afternoon and really had a lot of fun.
I made it to Franklin, TN, about 100 miles north of Chattanooga. When I get too tired to drive, my eyesight stops working long before my body or mind show any signs of fatigue. My vision gets blurry and I have trouble keeping my eyes focused, even with my glasses on, that's my signal to get off the road immediately. It's a peculiar way for my body to work, but at least I'll never fall asleep at the wheel. I'm in a Days Inn, which I rate with two thumbs up, four stars, or whathaveyou. It's clean, it's stocked, everything works, I have Comedy Central and HBO, a big desk, a big bed, a nice bathroom, a great view, etc etc etc. The price is $10 more than previous places. This is getting marked as a spot to stop at.
I kept an average speed of 80mph, needing to bring myself down to 70mph when the winds were trying to push my car around the road. After leaving Indiana, the weather cleared back up. It was still cold but there's a big difference between having some wind and freezing cold and having heavy wind, freezing cold and large snowflakes pelted on you. I spent $80 in fuel and currently have a full tank. Traffic has been light.
I still anticipate arriving home tomorrow.
My mother took Michael and Eddie to a movie and then they shopped for my father since it's his birthday. My father had a birthday party, kid-style, and the boys had a great time with it. Their father should pick them up from my parents' house tomorrow evening, if they follow the instructed times in the letters sent to everyone from everyone about this visitation. My ex-husband is all about pulling stunts now that I've filed this Petition to Domesticate, but I'm hoping and praying that this visitation goes off without a hitch or stunt. December 24 - January 4... it doesn't have to be difficult.
Due to lack of internet access, this post was written off-line and is being posted late. I hope Quality Inn is proud of themselves!
***
We started the day by grabbing a quick geocache by the interstate, then got back on I-75. We headed into the Louisville area around 7pm and got to hang with Tracey and Kevin for an hour, who were kind enough to bring a Christmas present and treats for the kids, as well as buying us dinner. Their company was enjoyed most of all.
I brought us into the Quality Inn in Lebanon, IN, which is not too far from my destination. This means that I should be able to get back south a ways before having to stop again. I'm about seven hours ahead of schedule for my earliest predictions. [This is good.]
Their internet does not work, despite advertising "free high speed internet" and I cannot hop on the wi-fi from the Flying J station. The television remote doesn't work, either. The room is clean and the vending machines are stocked. The price is also the same as the Days Inn from Valdosta, GA. I averaged about 80mph, going 65-70 through the mountains and busier cities. Today's fuel expense was $70, which I expect will take me to Rensselaen. This would make a total one-way fuel expense of $98, hotel costs estimated at $120 and food at $30 ($40 if our dinner had not been generously bought for us). I expect the same fuel expense on the return, hotel expense in the same neighbourhood and food will be significantly less. Given what's in my pocket, this works out fine.
I'm terribly sore that the internet isn't working. I would like to upload photos and search for caches in the area that the boys and I can pick up before we're apart. They had a lot of fun climbing the palm to get to the cache this morning. Michael is definitely my rock-wall climber. I'm at the phase of the trip where I dread the next step and am already missing them.
The weather has been amiable until Indiana. Once I entered Indiana, the weather turned harsh with cold rain. Yes, I now consider rain "harsh". The Weather Channel promises more harsh weather, this time extending down into Kentucky for my travel back home. I guess we'll just have to see who can get there first, the weather or me. I do not envy your weather, yankees, but I do envy your fuel prices. $2.79 - $2.86 per gallon is incredible! Southwest Florida averages between $3.01 and $3.30 per gallon!
We're coming closer to this bothersome 2200 mile drive. Today was too busy to think about it.
Bailey had her Christmas party at CCD, for which I was responsible for brownies, and the children made homemade cards and ornaments for their school teachers. We used Crayola Model Magic and it took forever to harden! The good news is that we have left-over brownies.
Earlier in the day, I cleaned out Michael's fish tank. He'd mentioned a couple days ago that "the blue sponge thing needs replacing" and I told him to talk to Tom. I got curious and checked on it today, seeing that nothing had been done. I cleaned out the filter and let the motor cool down so it could all run smoothly again. In just a few hours, you could see improvement in the tank. I've posted a reminder for him to clean out the filter once a week, on Thursdays, from this point on.
I'm staying up far too late this evening so I'll say G'nite.
The Ben Stein monologue is going around like madfire. As most readers who aren't blinded by the furious angst of hating the good wish, "Happy Holidays" as if it's an "attack on Christmas", I didn't watch the original CBS program where Stein's words were broadcast but I noticed an abrupt change in writing during this heavily shared monologue.
According to the Confessions for the Holidays page on Snopes.com, Ben Stein's original statements were only a portion of the popular mass-email that's being distributed with his name signed at the very bottom. Someone had attached a large portion of sentiment that was neither written nor approved by Ben Stein.
Here is Ben Stein's original Confessions for the Holidays, as broadcasted on CBS in 2005:
Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart:
I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life to know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important? I don't know who Lindsey Lohan is, either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.
Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. Is this what it means to no longer [be] young? It's not so bad.
Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?
I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.
Now, here is the added text that should be deleted from any email forwards that people wish to send on during this season:
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are,but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"
In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.
Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.Then Dr Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says . Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards.
Honestly and respectfully,Ben Stein
Happy Holidays!
Tonight was the Christmas play at the kids' school. Michael played percussion and was stuck way back where I couldn't get a good shot of him. We heard him, though! Eddie was in the chorus and did very well. I'm proud of both of them! It was a fun evening!
The batteries in my camera are toast so I have very little photos to share of this year's Christmas decorating and the ones that I have taken suck. Better pictures will come soon. The above picture is of the ball of mistletoe that's dangerously suspended from the entry light.
Tomorrow is a busy day with picking my daughter up in south Punta Gorda at 8, then beating traffic back up to North Port for Mass at 9, then baking and wrapping before lunch at 1 (which is back in Punta Gorda), then Stepdaughter2's birthday party afterwards back here in North Port. As far as I'm concerned, we can put the cake in the carrier, pack up the van, put on our swimsuits and head back out to North Jetty Beach for her party.
Nothing says Christmas Season like chilling on the beach.
I've been enjoying Netflix's Watch Instantly feature, which is included in the monthly membership fee. There aren't a lot of selections that appeal to me, but there's enough good stuff. I've finally been able to watch The Comedians of Comedy and a few other shows I've been wanting to see but haven't [since I have no cable].
The children watched Elf this evening. This is our only Christmas movie on DVD, I think. We might have The Santa Clause and A Christmas Story on VHS out in the garage.
EDIT: A few more pictures
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