Thanksgiving Weekend Update

Sorry this has taken so long to get written. It hasn’t been because I couldn’t think of anything but that I had so much that typing it out seems like such a huge job, it’s going to take hours (and it did) editing is not my strong suit. I make other people give me the two sentence version of things because I can’t stand to even try for the interest to listen to a story but I can’t whittle my tales down to less than two and a half pages typed. I’m a hypocritical person. Yes, we know this.  

So were to start? Last Wednesday? Oh I was a horrible mother last Wednesday. I was off work and I still took Laine to daycare. I know I know, special place in hell, whatever. I totally got my house spic-n-spanned so that when we got home Friday night I came home to a clean home with fresh sheets to crawl into, it was like getting an extra night on vacation. So yeah, I wasn’t working but I still took Laine to daycare. Hate me if you want, it’ll make me cry, but I got my stuff done. And I was able to spend the rest of my weekend focused on Laine instead of the kitchen counters and laundry like I am most weekends.

So, Wednesday (after I was done being horrible) we headed out to Corsicana. We’d planned to be on the road around noon but didn’t get out of League City until almost 2:00, I worried a little about Laine sleeping during such a long car ride, on the one hand it would be helpful if she slept some of it because I don’t’ have that many car activities for her and there really wasn’t any room for me to sit in the back seat with her, so I was kind of hoping that she slept more than no. on the other hand however if she slept too much in the care she would stay up all night or at least that’s the way it would normally go. For this trip Laine slept the whole way there, we had to wake her up at the bed and breakfast at 6:30. I mean that’s a four and a half hour nap! Well since Laine was awake and would be for a while we decided to drive out to Sydney’s dads house to see Levi for a while but he was coming into town so we met him at Gander Mountain instead. Laine was a holy terror running around the store, in of course the cutest way humanly possible. There was a large wooden stage area where they displayed their bbq pits and smokers and Laine liked how her boots made loud noises when she stomped on the stage. So she stomped. And jumped and danced and fell down and kicked and it was really kind of adorable, even if strangers were staring. After a while we hunted my dad down again and found Levi. LEVI!! It was so good to see him. It’s always a shock to me when I see him after so long and he’s still not 12 years old. I don’t’ know why I expect to see a little kid anymore. He’s huge now and you’d think I would get used to that, but in my head he’s the kid who forgot there was breaks on the snowmobile and almost killed me. Sigh, I miss that kid. 

So we shopped for a bit and then we headed out to Kit’s house. It was warm when we got there so he had all his windows open and it smelled like wood and nature and felt so country and homey I really couldn’t wait to leave so I could come back and spend the whole of Thanksgiving just sitting around that house. After we left Kit’s Wednesday night we headed to Chili’s for quick bite to eat. Mom had stayed at the bed and breakfast because she wasn’t feeling well and we were supposed to bring her back some food. I sent a text saying “Chili’s. want us to bring you anything?” but apparently I didn’t’ send it to mom, I sent it to my boss. Yeah. I got back a text saying “”this is major tom” which was so funny I almost pee’d because who knew that man was funny? I do now. Anyway I was just able to apologies and see that he’d replied to me again when my phone died. I wasn’t able to see that he’d wished me a Happy Thanksgiving until Friday morning.

For the couple of nights prior to us leaving Laine hadn’t been sleeping all that well. She’d wake up and want to be in my room and wouldn’t’ let me sleep so I was completely exhausted Wednesday night, ready to crash and sleep for weeks but the room Erik picked for us since we had out choice from the entire house, was the one with the smallest tallest bed. No way would two adults plus baby be able to sleep in it, plus I almost had to just to get up in it and it terrified me to think of Laine falling off onto the hard wood floors, but that’s the room Erik wanted and since I was tired and whining about it Erik took Laine and slept with her on the futon at the base of the bed. Laine only woke up like four times and popped up her head and called for me, but then she’d drape herself over Erik and pass out again, Erik didn’t wake up once. So except for the four wake ups that I fell right back to sleep after I didn’t get bothered and it was some great sleep. He did the same thing for me Thursday night but I’ll get to that later.

We met mom and dad downstairs for breakfast around 7:30. Coffee was being brewed and eggs and bacon were cooking in the kitchen and I can’t even describe the smell. Old homes and fresh baked rolls and coffee is Heaven. I was in Heaven. No lie. Heaven.
After an amazing breakfast everyone went to their respective corners to shower and get ready for the day. Erik Laine and I had a tiny little one person shower and we all three squeezed in. we did more laughing than washing but it was fun. When everyone was appropriately attired we piled into daddy’s car and headed to the party. We got there a little earlier than the rest of the family so we were able to dig our heels in and get comfortable before meeting all the new people. Most everyone had been at Levi and Sydney’s wedding so there was at least some recognition there for me but I am horrible about remembering names so everyone was ma’am and sir for me. I’m not sure anyone noticed though, I was ma’am and Erik was sir to everyone else too.

Sydney’s family was such a comfortable group of people to be around. When I first started dating Erik I was pretty put off by how different our families were. The Rosendahl’s had no family traditions in common with the Porters at all except for the fact that yes, they did celebrate Christmas. And the food! Different as hummus and mashed potatoes. Rosendahl’s love their onions and olives and Porters don’t. well they do but not in everything they eat. So, tangent that was, all to get to this. The Herrington’s are like the Porters long lost twin. Eating at Kit’s house was like eating at Grandma’s. I was familiar with every seasoning used on the meats, no vegetable casserole was a stranger to me, and I could readily identify every pie cake and cookie. It was like going ton vacation but staying home at the same time. Did I tell you it was Heaven. It was Heaven.

After we all ate our fill the first time half of the party settled in front of the TV to watch the Saints beat the Cowboys. Then they turned on the A&M game and I’m pretty sure there was another one in there too, I was in the other room with the other half of the family, sitting around the fire talking abo9ut politics and religion and enjoying every minute of it. Another thing about the Rosendahl/Porter vs. Herrington/Porter thing I’m envious of. Herrington’s know how to talk instead of debate and debate instead of fight. As much as I love the rowdy throw downs with Erik’s family the witty discussions with Sydney’s family made me feel a little more comfortable, I even threw in a cent or two which I never in a million years would have done with my in-laws.

However nice it was to be around like minded people though, I love my in-laws. They challenge me and keep me on my toes and instead of getting contented which would make me bored I know I have a group of people on my side that will always keep me entertained. I really wouldn’t mind spending more time with the Herrington's thought. It’s amazing to me that something so familiar can feel so refreshing and new.

We finally decided to call it sometime around nine or ten, and headed back to the house for the night. Everyone went directly to their rooms and settled in, I read a few pages and Erik watched a Bond movie until we finally slept at least mostly through the night again.
Friday morning was just as wonderful s the one before it. The lady of our house made us an amazing quiche with biscuits instead of crust. Heaven. We enjoyed our slow morning drinking coffee and letting Laine run around the downstairs of the house for a while.
We have a kind of ghost story about the house we stayed in, apparently when the owners of the house first got the place they had some psychic come by to do whatever they do to see if a place is haunted and the psychic claimed to see a woman standing at the top of the stairs and she described her in detail. A few days later a family member of the previous owners stopped by to give the new owner a photo of the older owner’s family, to put on the wall I guess for historical reference and there in the photo was Miss Fanny. The ghost at the top of the stairs. (Ooooo!) So the new owner told us that anytime anything mysterious happened or if anything was just weird they’d blame it on Miss Fanny. Ha! Well Friday morning I went down to mom and dads room and mom asked us what we were doing upstairs slamming doors and stomping down the stairs in the middle of the night. I’d slept through the whole night so I had no idea what she meant but I told her it was weird that both doors to our room which I had closed incase Laine woke up before me were standing wide open, and mom said that the door on the stairwell that the owners said not to open was standing wide open last night too, letting in freezing cold air and dad had to close it around 2:00 in the morning. So when Erik wakes up we ask him about it, did he stomp around and slam doors last night, he said no, he did open our room doors though and opened the balcony door for a bit to let in some air because the heat had risen to almost 90 degrees in our room, but he closed the outside door and left our open for circulation. (the balcony door is not the door the owner said not to open, Erik said he didn’t’ touch that door, hadn’t even gone near the stairs.) so…. Dun dun dun, that leaves us with someone not Erik stomping upstairs and slamming two door shut. I went upstairs and walked around a bit then came back down and asked mom if she’d heard us walking around she said no, so I went up and down the stairs and she said no it didn’t’ sound like that, I tried a different pair of hoes and she said it was more that those but still not quite so….. Dun dun dun! It’s Miss Fanny! It had to be, we were the only people in the house and no one was admitting to stomping, slamming doors or going near the stairs or opening secret passageway doors. (which is totally what it was)

Gasp! Ghosts!

We were all completely entertained by the idea but not enough to stay another night, so after breakfast and showers we got packed up and checked out. We drove around Corsicana for a while before stopping for lunch at Roy’s. Roy’s is a diner in town that is exactly like the one that Friendswood is missing. Friendswood needs a greasy diner. I’d go at least once a week. Probably more if they served good soup and grilled cheese like Roy's. Before leaving town we stopped by the fruit cake place and the pickle place and bought something at both. It was getting close to 1:30 and Erik then decided to tell me that he had a family thing we were supposed to be doing at 4:00. In Friendswood. Der, maybe we should get going doofus. So we left without being able to see Levi and sydney and kit again which totally made me tear up. And I won’t be okay with it even a little bit until I can get hugs for Christmas.

We made it to Erik’s parents a little before 5:00 to find that the party was actually planned for 6:00 and then even later we found out that James and Cassie were told it was at 7:00, so 7:00 is when we ate and I had been hungry since 4:00, ugh! Alicia made an amazing brie pastry raspberry cracker topper thing that I ate until my stomach hurt though so all was well. Sinner was nice, the company was better, the coffee even better than that. Laine played hard until it was time to go and we finally made it home around 10:00. To a clean house. And clean sheets. It felt like a win.