Run Over By A Reindeer?
So, here we are again. A New Year. Woo? Here is to hoping that 2009 is better. *why does it feel like I say that every year? Oh…right…I do*.
I hope the Holidays were good for all. They were odd and crazy around here. We decided instead of doing a bunch of shopping, to spend a week down at my Mom’s and take the kids to Disneyland, as none of them (nor Dan) have been. Because of that, I decided to not fuss with Yule decorations…so it never really “felt” like Yule. No baking, no tree, no…anything really. Well, we DID get slam dunked with a buncha snow - kinda odd for Eugene in December…but it was cool - for the first day. :) I ended up having to work from home most of the week before my vacaction, because Eugene isn’t really well prepared for such weather, and doesn’t really fix the roads when it DOES happen. So, the main pipeline (Beltline) to Springfield where the Symantec office is, was pretty much an ice rink. That led to my nearly having 3 full weeks off…which I MUST say…was nice…but is ALOT of time to spend cooped up with three kids and a bored husband. ALOT of time. ALOT.
Our trip went well for the most part. We took off early afternoon the 17th, with the first stop being Redding for an overnight bunk with my BFF. It occurred to me during the drive, that I’ve now known her for TWENTY years. 20! T.W.E.N.T.Y.!!! Holy Cheese. I AM OLD! The drive took about twice as long as I had hoped for, as just past Grant’s Pass and the Siskyou’s Pass were full of snow flurries, icey roads and TONS of Semi’s. Talk about white knuckles. Oye. We got to Redding in one piece, had a quick snack, cocktail (god I needed that Oatmeal Cookie!) and chat, and hit the hay.
The next day was the long haul to San Clemente. We got a fairly early start, and it was mostly uneventful until we got closer to L.A. The weather held beautifully, and traffic was light…so that rocked. Once we got past Modesto, things got weird for a bit. There is a HUGE LONG stretch that is basically an old sea bed I think - its a basin of sorts. Straight shot for miles and miles. Generally unpoliced, two lanes each way (stretch of I-5). I got in the fast lane, got up to about 75 or so, slapped on cruise control, and settled in for a boring 2 hour stretch. Then, cars started zooming around me, tons of them. THen the flashing of brights and the motioning for me to move to the slow lane began. WTH? So I move over to the slow lane (need I mention its a 70MPH stretch) and am slowed down to 55-60 - due to Semi’s. F That. Back over in the fast lane, as its now mostly clear - and cruise back up to 75-77 or so. No go. Again I am being zoomed passed, honked at, flashed - generally annoyed. Screw this! I take off Cruise - pedal to metal and I am pacing these morons at 85-90. Seriously. Fine, they wanna speed? I will just stick with the pack and make it to Mom’s house early. Nope. Wrong, try again. I only stay at this speed for maybe a mile, and all of sudden - break lights everywhere and “The Pack” is now crawling along at 65MPH. WTH??? I slow down as well, of course, and then the cycle starts all over again. I played this “game” for TWO HOURS driving through the Basin. o.O Drivers are idiots. Just find a nice, consistent speed - and DRIVE. SHEESH!
Though, I did totally make Haley’s day at one point during “The Game”. I had this moron chic behind me, flashing me - urging me to move over or speed up. Trouble was - I was only one car length behind the guy in front of me - and was lined by Semi’s in the slow lane. She did not seem to grasp the concept that I was not going to squish my SUV between semi’s - NOR tail the guy in front of me. So….I crept up next to the cab of the semi I was next to - so he could clearly see me, and started pacing him. Totally locked the nimrod behind me right where she was. MAN did that piss her off! The arms flew, the lights flashed and you could tell she was kickin’ a fit - dumb ass. Don’t freakin’ flash me when I have NO WHERE TO GO! I did this for a mile or so, until the pack in front of me thinned out - then I slammed on the gas and flew off down the road. Haley and I had quite the laugh. :)
The Grapevine was nice and icy. I hit a patch or two going down - thankfully I managed to stay in MY lane and so all was good…but that road at night, with ice? NOT recommended. Finally got to Mom’s about two hours behind schedule, due to a small “Navigation” error by Dan - but that can easily happen in L.A., so many freakin’ splits, freeways and traffic….YUCK!After a late dinner and some staring at the TV with a glass of wine, we called it a night. The rest of the week was filled with family get-togethers, shopping, baking, cooking, LOTS of wine, Wii playing, crocheting (I was trying desprately to NOT go out and smoke…had to keep the fingers busy) and lots of driving. It was a nice reminder why we left California, and why I would never live in LA. You have to drive fifteen forevers to get anywhere, and your entire day is commanded by the clock. Had to be “here” at “this time” and “there” at “that time” and…bah to it all.
Friday after Christmas we went to Disneyland. It was a 12 hour day PACKED full of walking, rides, and really - not too many lines. There was GADS of people. I mean TONS. More than I’ve ever seen at any of the parks I’ve visited. I don’t suppose that it was helped by the fact that USC was there celebrating the Rose Bowl that was coming (and that they won! WOOO!) AND it was a Holiday Week AND the nicest weather that LA had all week…but still! It was FREEZING most of the day - so lucky for us, lots of walking helped keep us warm. I’ve never been to any of the parks at Christmas, and I am glad I did for this trip. The park has always been pretty - but they really do go ALL out for Christmas! Soooo many lights, garlands, trees and wow, the Castle at night - utterly breath taking. Claire got to meet her Idol, Tinkerbell. It was a very cool moment for her, and really touching for Dan and I. For weeks, all she could talk about was wanting to go to see Tink, and when we finally got there, after a near 40 min wait - all she could do was stare up at Tink in utter reverance and awe. She slowly nodded to Tink’s questions, and finally after a bit of encouragement, musterd up the strength to use her arms and gave Tink a big ole hug. I could see on her face that her mind was racing with the thought of “OMG, you really DO exist!!!”. It was very cool. :) We hit all the “big” rides, except Splash Mountain. However, considering the tempature and the fact that Splash is a log ride…I am ok with having skipped it. ;) The Haunted House was very fun, having been completely redecorated (inside AND out) with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme, of which I tried to take pictures of - but pretty much failed miserably at. Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain will always be my favorites, but the “new” Indian Jones ride was VERY cool. I am happy that we waited in line for over an hour for it (that being hte longest wait we endured, thanks to smart planning, fastpasses and some sheer dumb luck - like a 10min wait for Pirates!) and highly encourage anyone who goes to the park to seek it out. VERY fun stuff. We ended our night with a Space Mountain run that left us pumped up, even at nearing 11pm, caught a few fireworks - did some shopping and trucked back to the car.
The next morning, we packed the Escape to the BRIM. I do mean full. I had a hard time finding nooks and crannies to shove feather pillows into! We got a bit of a late start (trend!) and headed out of LA - or tried to. It took, again, about two hours more than I planned for to even GET TO the Grapevine, dumb LA traffic *stabs* and even the Grapevine was slow going. The weather was better this time through - so hooray for that. The Basin was even MORE boring on the way back, although the same idiots I delt with on the way down seemed to be absent on the way back…hooray! We started hitting bad weather about an hour outside of Redding…so we ended up getting into Redding late…again, despite all efforts to make up time. Bah.
We still ended up having a nice visit with my Sunny and had the “luxury of being able to sleep and visit a bit more the next morning - as we had just the “short” leg to Eugene left. After a nice brunch with them, we packed up for the final time, and hit the road. Weather was once more NOT our friend. I think Haley got some footage of the fog in the Siskyous with the Flip camera my Mom got for Dan, I will have to try to get that up on Youtube and post a link here. It was actually pretty creepy looking, because it was so thick, you could not see where the winding road of you was headed. Yuck. Not too much ice, just snow and fog, and of course, Semis. We hit snow, ice, freezing rain, torrential DOWNPOUR, wind and I am quite sure sleet…all on the way to Eugene. I am grateful we are not in Hurricane Alley. We got to Eugene just about dinner time, mostly as planned, and after a quick stop to Wally World to grab some needed supplies - we were finally home. YAY!
The house felt so weird after having been gone for nearly 10 days, but MAN it was GOOD to be home! I am quite sure our pets were glad to see us too! I am also glad, despite bored kids, that I had the foresight to take the following week off. We pretty much were a family of bums that week - but it was MUCH needed bummage. Now, everything is “back to normal”, which is good…but also kinda depressing. I spent so much time NOT working…I really wish I didn’t have to do so altogether. LOL!
