I decided to go home for Labor Day and see my family this past weekend. The original plan was that Troy and I would leave straight from OKC to go to Malaysia in two weeks, so I wanted to see my family one last time before we move. Well, that plan may be changing and we might have more time than we originally thought. More on that in my next post, though.
It was really good to see my family and just get away from all the stress of work and this whole move. If we could just move and be done with it, it wouldn’t be so bad. But the information seems to change on a daily basis and I feel like I’m being hurled around on a spin cycle in my dryer. I’ve decided to just start planning for the worst case scenario or the most expensive and difficult avenue and just go from there. That seems less stressful than to work according to plan and then have it change 50 times.
Anyways, I flew home on Saturday and got back to Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. It was a nice little trip. Got to relax and spend a lot of time around people who love and care about me. Since Troy has been gone, I’ve really been missing hugs and smiles and just having someone who cares about me around. Not that the people here don’t care about me. A lot of people care about me. It’s just different when it’s the person you’re dating and your family. Troy and my family get me and understand me in a way that most people don’t. A lot of the time growing up I would do the typical teenager thing and think that my parents just don’t understand me. There are a lot of things that they don’t quite get sometimes, especially since I moved away, but last Thursday and this weekend just showed me how much my family really does get me and have my back.
When I had my super awful day on Thursday, I called my mom and just laid it out on her, all the stuff I was feeling and how overwhelmed I was. She listened and offered words of encouragement and support. She talked about her experiences moving with her two previous husbands and living in Sicily. It was nice getting her insight and realizing that she may not understand 100% what I’m going through, but she has a really good idea because she has been through similar situations. It gave me a new appreciation for my mom and the life she has lived. She has told me a lot that we are a lot alike and I keep seeing that more and more. It’s so weird. lol.
So, when I was home, I spent a lot of time talking and hanging out with my mom. And sleeping. lol. My flight got into Vegas about 7:15 and the shuttle left at 9:00, so I didn’t get into St George until about midnight. I’m so not a fan of that shuttle. It was dark when I got in the shuttle and when I went to put my phone in the cup holder, it fell inside the vehicle! I don’t mean it fell on the floor, I mean it was actually inside the sidewall of the van! Holy crap! I had almost put my glasses in there because I was going to lay down for the drive and I’m so glad I decided to attach them to my shirt instead. The driver tried to get my phone out, but he couldn’t find it. He tried telling me I would just have to get a new phone in St George. Ha. No. I told him if I couldn’t get my phone out of his vehicle that his company was going to owe me a new phone. I really wanted my phone back, though, because I have all these messages from Troy on there and I like listening to them. He likes to pretend he’s this bratty guy, but he says sweet things sometimes and those messages make me feel better when I’m really missing him. So, I really wanted my phone back. I stuck my arm down inside the cup holder (yes, I was scared about sharp things and gross things) and I couldn’t find it. My arm was too big to fit all the way down inside. I have a whole bunch of bruises around my elbow from that. They go from four fingers below my elbow to two fingers above. There’s a huge one on the back of my elbow that goes all the way around to the inside of my elbow. It hurt a lot.
How I ended up getting my phone back was to pull up on the bottom of the side panel and stick my arm in that way. The guy was a little ticked off and told me I couldn’t tear his vehicle apart and I just told him I wanted my phone back. lol. The girl in the seat behind me was cracking up the whole time and the older couple in front of me just kinda sat there and watched. I wasn’t acting like a total lunatic, but I really wanted my phone back. The messages, texts and pictures on it are irreplaceable.
But, I got my phone back and I was happy. I stuck it next to my head and slept the whole drive home. Good thing I got it back because my dad was at the wrong shuttle pickup. After he came and picked me up, he told me that if I hadn’t been able to get my phone back, that he would have brought his tools and taken the door apart to get it back for me. lol. My dad is awesome.
On the drive home, I got confused because dad turned up the wrong street to the house. He said he took the wrong turn. The liar. lol. When we got to the house, I saw a car and my first thought was that my brother was there. He’d told me he couldn’t come down because he had a soccer game that night. Then I remembered that Chris had given Patty his car and then I was confused because it was midnight on Saturday night. I asked dad what Patty was doing there and he said she was spending the night because she wanted to see me. That made me feel good. My family always makes me feel special when I come to visit.
Well, I walked in the house and down the hall and guess what? My brother was there!!!!! He had LIED to me (the brat) and told me he wasn’t coming, but all the while he was planning on surprising me! What a nerd. Patty stayed and talked to me for a bit while I made some food (i had only had a few chips that morning and a V8 on the plane, so I was STARVING) and then she left. Then Chris and I talked for about an hour. He had some interesting insights on people who stay in Utah (mostly St George) versus people who move away and try to come back. It was an enlightening conversation. My brother is very pro-Europe, so it is interesting to see what his thoughts are on Americans now.
Sunday, I ended up skipping church. I know. I’m going to burn for that. lol. I woke up about 40 minutes before my sister’s ward started and I just couldn’t get myself to get up and get moving. I was still so exhausted, mentally and physically. So, mom made me a sandwich and I just sat and talked with her and dad. After my sister got home from church, we played games! It was so fun! We played Mexican Train and then Phase 10. I think Chris won Mexican Train the first go around, but I can’t remember who won the second round. I can’t remember who won Phase 10, either. Wasn’t me!
While we were playing Phase 10, I set up the Wii! That thing is so fun. We (wii?) played a bunch of games on it. We all had fun bowling and then Chris kicked everyone’s butts playing tennis. Seriously, we all played multiple three-round matches against him and the most any of us won was one match, never a round. So, he is the grand master of tennis. Chris went to bed after he proved his dominance and then the rest of us just kinda goofed off with the Wii. It was fun. My sister ended up playing baseball by herself after our parents went to bed and I decided to play on my computer. But I batter for her while she ran to the restroom and I struck out as myself and hit a home run as her. What on earth. lol. It was pretty funny.
Monday, I don’t really remember Monday. lol. Dad wanted me to mow lawns with him, but I ended up sleeping. haha. Mom told him not to wake me up, so I slept until I woke up. It felt good. All I really remember about Monday is sleeping in, showering, dinner at 3:00 with my parents and my brother (dad grilled hamburgers and hot dogs) and then going to visit my sister at work with my brother. He was leaving town, so he dropped me off at Patty’s work. I talked with her for a while before my mom came to pick me up, then my mom and I wandered around the mall and looked at a few clothes stores. I found one shirt I liked (50% off!) and then we left.
Every year for our birthdays, we each got to pick a place to go for dinner. Most of the time we chose Poncho & Lefty’s. It’s a really good Mexican restaurant that has super yummy fried ice cream. Well, for the past several years, I’ve been out of state on my birthday and haven’t found anywhere that has fried ice cream. I’ve gone to a few Mexican places, but they don’t have it. 🙁 Last time I was in town, dad promised to take me, but there just wasn’t enough time with all the other things we had going on. But this time, we did it! Dad took mom, Patty and I out to Poncho & Lefty’s as a family (minus Chris) birthday dinner. We all got dessert and just had a really great time. I FINALLY got my fried ice cream and I couldn’t have been happier. Yay for fried ice cream!
