Christmas EVE!!
So I'm finally able to make an update. YAY! We tore the house apart on Tuesday night/Wednesday to make the trip to Tennessee. I ran around finishing laundry, cleaning house, and running errands all day on Wednesday. I finally started loading up my truck around 5PM, all the gifts and our luggage. I checked the interstate weather on Tuesday, so I knew we were expecting some heavy rain in Virginia. Everything was waterproofed (plastic bins with lids are a wonderful thing) either in bins or in trash bags, and a tarp over the whole bed of the truck. Anything that would be affected by temperature changes or humidity was tucked behind the seats. And I left enough room for Theron and his backpack that he'd taken to work.
At about 7:20PM we headed out. Man, the first 150 miles were un-fun. With the little snow and ice we'd had earlier in the week, the roads were covered with salt, so I was running through tons of wiper fluid (which I thankfully filled before we left), and I realized that my headlights were coated as well, because I couldn't see the stripes on the road. As long as there was plenty of traffic to follow taillights, and there were towns with plenty of street lights, I was okay. We crossed into New York, and that was it, I was flying blind. Had to stop in a parking lot and pour water over the lamps, and suddenly, driving was MUCH easier. We got stuck 2 miles from Pennsylvania (you know that stretch of I-84 that suddenly goes up to like 3000 feet, and then just as suddenly goes back down again?) just at the crest of the hill, traffic came to a complete standstill, for half an hour. We finally got to move and there were *3* big rig accidents within a mile. Wild. Got to Scranton at midnight, and I was feeling really good. The weather was clear and dry, I was awake (Theron had been snoring since 9PM) and I figured I'd start the drive down the Poconos and see if it was foggy or not. That stretch of highways is notoriously difficult because of bad fog (well, at least every time I do the drive). I started in, and it was perfect. I flew through the next 85 miles in a little over an hour. Damn. I stopped at 2:30AM at a hotel at the southern end of the mountains. We slept for 6 hours or so, got up at 9AM and it was raining and foggy. Happy me, I did the fog area when it was clear. Okay, that's fine. We got in the truck and went in search of breakfast. Nothing at that exit, so we drove to the first exit for Hershey. What a pain in the butt. 10 miles off the interstate we finally find Hershey (well, the amusement park anyway, and a shopping center) but no food. Back to the highway, and finally found some place to get brunch. Back to the drive. It's raining, but not too terribly bad. I saw the weather channel in the hotel, and it didn't look too fun, so I wanted to outrun the storm and get south, fast.
We crossed into Maryland, and then it hit. The Storm Of The Century. The rain was obliterating everything. We're driving on the interstate at 30-40 miles per hour, with hazards flashing, and I couldn't see the lines on the roadway, much less traffic in front of me. But we got through that, and into West Virginia. Still raining. Okay, it rained for 250 miles. We were in Shenandoah county Virginia when we got that really annoying emergency signal on the radio, 2:30PM, announcing that the weather emergency for about 50 counties (that we'd been driving through for the previous 3 hours) was being lifted. LOTS of rain, but we missed the snow and ice, and accidents. Got through the mountains of Virginia in the daylight, 75mph. Got to Bristol, VA/TN just as darkness hit. Whew! Stopped for dinner and relaxed for a bit, then did the last 100 miles. Got to the in-laws right at 9PM on the 23rd. We're safe, we're happy to be here and rested on Christmas Eve.
So we got up this morning and I went out running errands with my mom-in-law. Then we got a call that we needed to go see my sister-in-law, so we popped over there to see the newphews. Jesse (3 and a half) has suddenly grown HUGE over the last year. And he's a menace to society. He's just that age, and the new baby isn't going to help. But the baby is a cutie. He's the spitting image of Jesse. There is no question of parentage, he looks just like his daddy. The little guy just twists and looks around, taking everything in. And I think I'll happily let my sister-in-law provide the grandkids, and I'll play with them once or twice a year.
And with that, I think I'm ready for a nap, then unwrap gifts, then nap again. After-Christmas shopping is going to be dangerous! I love having a budget for that this year. YAY!!
For everyone who sees this today, MERRY CHRISTMAS! For after that, HAPPY NEW YEAR. Or if you prefer, HAPPY HOLIDAYS. I'm going to enjoy the cold (no snow) and the sunshine of Tennessee. We'll head back over New Year's. Cool.
At about 7:20PM we headed out. Man, the first 150 miles were un-fun. With the little snow and ice we'd had earlier in the week, the roads were covered with salt, so I was running through tons of wiper fluid (which I thankfully filled before we left), and I realized that my headlights were coated as well, because I couldn't see the stripes on the road. As long as there was plenty of traffic to follow taillights, and there were towns with plenty of street lights, I was okay. We crossed into New York, and that was it, I was flying blind. Had to stop in a parking lot and pour water over the lamps, and suddenly, driving was MUCH easier. We got stuck 2 miles from Pennsylvania (you know that stretch of I-84 that suddenly goes up to like 3000 feet, and then just as suddenly goes back down again?) just at the crest of the hill, traffic came to a complete standstill, for half an hour. We finally got to move and there were *3* big rig accidents within a mile. Wild. Got to Scranton at midnight, and I was feeling really good. The weather was clear and dry, I was awake (Theron had been snoring since 9PM) and I figured I'd start the drive down the Poconos and see if it was foggy or not. That stretch of highways is notoriously difficult because of bad fog (well, at least every time I do the drive). I started in, and it was perfect. I flew through the next 85 miles in a little over an hour. Damn. I stopped at 2:30AM at a hotel at the southern end of the mountains. We slept for 6 hours or so, got up at 9AM and it was raining and foggy. Happy me, I did the fog area when it was clear. Okay, that's fine. We got in the truck and went in search of breakfast. Nothing at that exit, so we drove to the first exit for Hershey. What a pain in the butt. 10 miles off the interstate we finally find Hershey (well, the amusement park anyway, and a shopping center) but no food. Back to the highway, and finally found some place to get brunch. Back to the drive. It's raining, but not too terribly bad. I saw the weather channel in the hotel, and it didn't look too fun, so I wanted to outrun the storm and get south, fast.
We crossed into Maryland, and then it hit. The Storm Of The Century. The rain was obliterating everything. We're driving on the interstate at 30-40 miles per hour, with hazards flashing, and I couldn't see the lines on the roadway, much less traffic in front of me. But we got through that, and into West Virginia. Still raining. Okay, it rained for 250 miles. We were in Shenandoah county Virginia when we got that really annoying emergency signal on the radio, 2:30PM, announcing that the weather emergency for about 50 counties (that we'd been driving through for the previous 3 hours) was being lifted. LOTS of rain, but we missed the snow and ice, and accidents. Got through the mountains of Virginia in the daylight, 75mph. Got to Bristol, VA/TN just as darkness hit. Whew! Stopped for dinner and relaxed for a bit, then did the last 100 miles. Got to the in-laws right at 9PM on the 23rd. We're safe, we're happy to be here and rested on Christmas Eve.
So we got up this morning and I went out running errands with my mom-in-law. Then we got a call that we needed to go see my sister-in-law, so we popped over there to see the newphews. Jesse (3 and a half) has suddenly grown HUGE over the last year. And he's a menace to society. He's just that age, and the new baby isn't going to help. But the baby is a cutie. He's the spitting image of Jesse. There is no question of parentage, he looks just like his daddy. The little guy just twists and looks around, taking everything in. And I think I'll happily let my sister-in-law provide the grandkids, and I'll play with them once or twice a year.
And with that, I think I'm ready for a nap, then unwrap gifts, then nap again. After-Christmas shopping is going to be dangerous! I love having a budget for that this year. YAY!!
For everyone who sees this today, MERRY CHRISTMAS! For after that, HAPPY NEW YEAR. Or if you prefer, HAPPY HOLIDAYS. I'm going to enjoy the cold (no snow) and the sunshine of Tennessee. We'll head back over New Year's. Cool.