Christmas!

SUNDAY, 12/23/18 ~  Yep, the alarm went off at 3 and we were on the road by 4.  On thing I never account for is the long walk to find a cart and then the long walk to the car.  I Know, I know.  I really have to build an extra 20-30 minutes to my plans prior to trying to leave. Sorry Pete!

         As the sun came up so did the ground fog.  It was challenging for a short while, then it became spotty. It was pretty, but hard to photograph from a moving car.

     Our trip, though long, was uneventful.  We only hit one area of slow traffic outside DC.  We kept Chris and Kel informed of our progress.  When we arrived around 8:30 pm, Kel had a crock pot full of delicious, home-made, chicken vegetable soup.  YUMMM!!!

Ryder

     The girls were excited to see us, but even more excited that Santa was coming in 2 days!  Santa did send an early present for Hadi on Friday morning, through Bubbles, her Elf on the Shelf.  Ryder is a 10-week old Manx-mixed cat.  Manx cats are known for their friendly manner that is the closest to a dog’s disposition.  According to Kel, Hadi is secretly an old cat lady.  She likes Rubble, the dog, but she LOVES cats.  Kel and Chris hope that Ryder is also a buddy for Rubble and can help with his separation anxiety.  So far, Ryder is a sweet heart, but rules over Rubble.

     Riley has quite a cold.  Her nose is constantly dripping.  I keep cleaning it and then my washing my hands.  I hope I am thorough enough.

MONDAY, 12/24/18 ~  We left early so that we could see Pete’s mom.  We have an appointment at the bank to have some things changed on her account.  Thankfully, the paperwork that was submitted has been corrected prior to our appointment so the meeting went quickly.

     After, we went to Laurel Pizza, Mom’s favorite restaurant, for an early dinner.  Since Mom had a list, we stopped by Walmart and Pete ran in to pick up things on her list.  We went back to mom’s place, put away the items, wished her another Merry Christmas and headed back to Chris and Kel’s.

     While we were away, Chris, Kel, the girls and Heather headed over to Kel’s dad’s to celebrate Christmas.  They had a great time.

     Once the girls were put to bed and asleep, it was time for “Santa” to arrive.  Packages were place under the tree, Chris and Heather assembled the “Diner” the girls were getting, while Kel baked the pink cake that was one of Riley’s requests.

CHRISTMAS ~   We heard stirrings during the night, but things seemed to settle down.  We heard the girls talking and got up around 7:30.  Shortly there after, the girls were downstairs to open presents.  It turns out that both girls were up with fevers around 3:30 and were given Tylenol.  Thankfully, they went back to sleep and their parents were able to catch a bit more shut-eye before the excitement began.

Christmas Morning ~

            

          
 Hadi wanted lots of L.O.L. Dolls and that is what she got.  It is the current craze. They come in a ball with accessories and when you put them into water, stuff changes color. Adults don’t get it, but the kids love and collect them.

      Riley was totally thrilled with her pink cake. Not only was the icing pink, but so was the cake!  No need for utensils and plates. Riley immediately grabbed a hand full of cake!  She is into dinosaurs so guess what else she got for Christmas!

     Kel’s mom, brothers and their families joined us, Greg and Jenn for dinner.  Food was delicious, and a great time was had by all. 

Chris and Rubble Chillin' after all the excitement

     Heather, Greg and Jenn headed home, and we said our good-byes to all, and called it an early night. The kids were overtired and had a hard time settling down for the night. For us, tomorrow is another early, and long day.

WEDNESDAY, 12/26/18 ~ We were up when Chris left for work at 5:30 and were on our way by 6 am. We were doing really well until we hit traffic in NC.  That is where 95 narrows to 2 lanes each way.  We were in “accordion” (slow, stop and go) traffic for hours.  We stopped for lunch at a McDonald’s and it was a zoo.  Not enough staff, bathrooms a disaster with clogged toilets, and service was very slow.  I waited in line for over 30 minutes to have my order taken.  We figured it might be better if we stopped at Chic-Fil-A for dinner.  That wasn’t much better.  Trash can were overflowing, the bathrooms less then desirable, but service was faster as there were a lot more crew working.  Our trip was so long that every time we slowed or stopped, Bailey complained.  She is usually so silent we forget she is with us, except when we stop, and she can take a walk.

     We were all happy to finally park the car here at the Marina.  It was 2:30 am instead of 10:30 pm we had initially predicted, but we were back!!!  Phones are off, so we can sleep in.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~    K & P