Life's Road Trips

It’s been one month to the day since my last update. I seem to have many “triumphant returns” to my blog. Well, triumphant in that fact that I actually come back to it and post yet another apology for the silence followed with my string of excuses.

So I last left off with my pending road trip from Houston to Salt Lake City with my dad. Obviously I survived the long trip. I have a few good stories from it and a renewed distaste for the highways of New Mexico, my apologies for the New Mexicans out there but really - what is up with your state?

A soon-to-be classic family story would be when my father and I were pulled over before crossing the Hoover Dam and had to unpack the truck. My father resisted the request for the search and even used the dreaded “B” word; no, not the one that ends in -itch but the one the one that ends in –omb! My life passed before my eyes as the Marshall insisted. I mentally saw us being taken into custody and detained indefinitely (I didn't even need a free readin’ by Miss Cleo to see what "could" have happened). True story.

As the journey continued we stopped in Cedar City, Utah to visit my uncle who had been placed in hospice for complications from cancer. It was hard to see him relegated to his bed but it was good to see him and chat for a short while.

After returning to SLC I had to get back up to speed at work and then find time to move myself across town. Yup, I have left my home of two years and relocated downtown to live solo.

The Thanksgiving holiday complicated moving my furniture and belongings since I had to drive to Missoula, Montana to visit the parent’s new homestead. Their small home was too small for the personalities contained in my immediate family (read as we had the usual fights that pre-date time itself). It was not my favorite holiday but I made the most of it – bought a HD flat panel to christen my new place in Utah (no sales tax in Montana, a $100 off coupon at Costco on top of the black Friday price, and having to make room in the back seat of my Accord made it worth it, if not uncomfortable).

After a week back at work I got word that my uncle had passed away. A true collective sigh of relief. My brother and father made the trek from Rexburg and Missoula, respectively. We headed down south for a two-day trip. Upon returning to SLC we got word that another family situation had arisen. This one had required my mom, older sister, and her kids to drive through the night to get to SLC from Montana. Without giving details that you obvioulsy don’t need to know – I had two funerals this week. What the (insert explicatives here)!

Needless to say, I was absent from work for most of the week. Then again, my new laptop had a corrupted hard drive so what was I really going to be doing at work? My MacBook Pro better get healthy soon or I will be taking it on my next trip to the disc golf course and will use it as a nice new aluminum putter. The picture was when it was new and I was still idealistic about running Windows on it.

I am grateful for friends and family that have stepped in to help carry my stress over the past month (hell, for the past year). I have been the recipient of the best hugs on record this week. Thanks for not prying when I wasn't ready to talk and thanks for listening when I finally opened up. Some people have no clue what I have been through this month and yet they are still there and don’t know how important their presence has meant to me. The dinners, lunches, and breakfasts have kept me grounded. Bowling, strolls to see the Christmas lights, and holiday concerts have all hit the spot. Having Hunter up from Texas was a big bonus - thanks for the distractions.

Here's a huge thanks to everyone for being there for me during this rough patch. I hope that I can be there for you when you need it. Until next time.