Laurabelle's Blog

I haven't blogged for a little while because I was visiting my parents, and then for the past couple of days I've been recovering from that visit. The trip had its ups and downs, but to avoid boring anyone I'll keep it short. Bullet points, I think.

• 22 December 2004
  • Flight to Texas, first class because of weirdo cheap fare. Not as much fun as the first time I flew first-class, which is a story in and of itself.
  • Snow in Texas on arrival, so my dad, who was driving across west Texas and planned to pick me up on his way home, was 140 miles from the airport when I called him from the baggage claim. (Oops.) My wonderful aunt and uncle picked me up instead. Thank glod for cell phones.
• 23 December 2004
  • Shopping with junior-high best friend.
• 24 December 2004
  • Took a walk at noon with a friend from high school.
  • Christmas Eve service at my old church. Saw an old friend who grew up in that church with me; we've known each other since we were born. She got married last year and had a baby boy this summer. Crikey.
• 25 December 2004
  • Opening presents, and all that jazz. Aunt, uncle, and one cousin came over for dinner, but the big gathering was tomorrow.
• 26 December 2004
  • Christmas dinner with the whole family. Mom and I cooked most of the afternoon. My brother Ralph and his wife were going to arrive that evening, so we were going to wait dinner for them. When they told us that their flight was going to be an hour and a half late, we moved dinner up and kept leftovers for them. When they arrived, they ate while we all opened presents. Dessert was waived until the next day.
• 27 December 2004
  • Drove to New Braunfels for my grandmother's memorial service and had dinner in a restaurant with even more family.
• 28 December 2004
  • Took a long hot bath.
  • Attended my grandmother's memorial service. Beforehand, we had a little lunch for family and friends so that people could socialize. We sent the leftover food to a local women's shelter.
  • Dinner with family again, even more than last time. It was good; I don't get to see these people very much.
• 29 December 2004
  • Drove back to my parents' house, stopping at the Stagecoach Inn for lunch on the way. Mmmm.
• 30 December 2004
  • Last-minute errands in the morning, then to the airport in the afternoon. Too bad my flight was actually booked for January 30. (Gosh darn it to heck!) The first direct flight I could change to (for a $100 fee) was next Tuesday. My mother liked that idea, but I had to get back by this weekend. So we ended up buying another ticket for the next morning (first-class again, because of the same screwy first-class-is-half-the-price-of-economy fare).
• 31 December 2004
  • Home again, relatively uneventfully. I am glad to be back.