We left to come home early on Aug 11, 2011, to visit/surprise my family. The only person that knew about the trip was my Mom, and I guess my brother-in-law figured it out, since he was needing to work on my van. The day began at 5:30 am for the children, 4:11 am for me.
My children didn't even know we were headed home until Wednesday night, Aug 10, 2011. They were excited to know they would soon be seeing their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Our first flight was scheduled for take-off at 7:50 am, it took off pretty close to that time. I was sitting with my oldest and my youngest son for this trip, I was in the middle. My youngest son was asking when we were going to "blast off." I told him to look out the window and tell me when we "blast-off." When the plane started picking up speed all three of the children were looking out the window, waiting for that special moment when we were no longer on the ground.
The flights had in-flight television from DirecTV. It was free until about 10 minutes after we were in the air. Once we found SpongeBob SquarePants, the youngest got a big smile. This was while people were still boarding the plane. His smile brought smiles to faces of others that were boarding the plane. It was really nice!
My oldest two enjoyed looking out the window, seeing that we were in the clouds. They liked the idea of getting free pop. They don't get to drink pop very often, so it was a special treat. We packed a lot of snacks, along with their DS games and the laptop that would be used as a DVD player. We hit some turbulence about an hour into the flight. I saw my childrens' faces light right up. My youngest exclaimed, "Let's do it again!" Which made me laugh. The flight attendant appreciated his enthusiasm also. The older two exclaimed that it was like an amusement park ride. If only most of the adults could find the joy in the turbulence! We know that we should probably brace for more! About 2 1/2 hours later, we landed in Houston TX at around 11 am local time.
Upon landing, we had to walk swiftly to the next gate for our flight to DC. This would be another 3 hour flight. We had no time to stop and eat. Thankfully we had stocked up on the snacks. Snacks on the plane are anything but cheap! We had hoped to grab a burger between flights. We got to the next flight in just about enough time to start boarding the plane. On we go. This flight I was sitting by my daughter and my youngest son (they sat next to each other), my oldest was sitting with his Aunt, a row behind us. We decided to purchase the in-flight television, as this was going to be another 3 hour trip. It helped the trip go quicker. My two children that were sitting next to me took a little catnap about an hour before the plane landed.
We arrived in Washington, DC, with a 30 minute layover. Thankfully, the next gate we had to get to was right next door. It was a quick commute over to there. The plane was small and full. We had the first row, as there were 4 seats across, and then one seat on the next row. My oldest got about a half-hour nap at the beginning of this flight. It took 50 minutes, and we were in Cleveland.
It was wonderful to get off that plane and know that there were no more connections, we would finally see Mom and Susan, and head back to Western NY. We all gave each other hugs and kisses upon finally seeing each other after several months. Then we jumped in the van, found a McDonalds (which is a story, in and of itself), and headed home. The trip home was about 3 1/2 hours, there were lots of laughs, between hearing people try to count to 10 in Japanese and other stories we shared about the last few months. We found out when we pulled into town that my brothers won the Championship game for their bracket in the league. We arrived here at about 11 pm.
We hid in Mom's house, in the bathroom, and surprised people as they came in. We shared many hugs and kisses. It is wonderful to be home! We stayed up for a couple more hours, catching up, and enjoying the company of those we love, then headed to bed.
Oh, and yes, we did win a $100 discount on rent at the pool party on Wednesday. I will write more when I get on this computer again, tomorrow or Tuesday, but I am enjoying every minute with my family.
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
When I think of home...
Home is truly where the heart is. I have two places I call home and they are almost 2,000 miles away from each other. Both places I call home is where my family is. The apartment I live in is one of these homes. It is where my husband, three children and sister are. It is a wonderful place to be. There is only one thing I would change if I could, this home would be almost 2,000 miles away also.
I miss the place that I left on March 18, 2011. That is the other home. That is where almost the rest of my family is, except for a brother, his wife and 4 children. I affectionately refer to this as home on a regular basis. When I am sitting in my apartment and I tell my husband that I wish I was home, he knows what I am talking about. He doesn't look at me like I am crazy and ask where I think I am right now. He knows that I long for the days in Olean.
I miss the long days sitting in my parents' backyard on the swings and watching the children play. They have beautiful flower gardens back there that we would sit and swing by. There were hundreds of hours spent sitting back there, laughing and talking, or just thinking. I would go out there and just lay down on the swing and think at times. It was a place of peaceful solitude. My dad can grill food like no other. He can make regular meat taste extraordinary. I would sometimes go in the backyard and swing while he would flip burgers, chicken, steak, Italian sausage or hotdogs. Regardless of what it was, we all knew we were in for a treat when he asked for the pan to be brought out to put the cooked food on. My dad also makes the best spaghetti sauce in the world, my kids refer to it as "Grandpa's Secret Sauce." Whenever I make spaghetti, my daughter says that she wishes we could have "Grandpa's Secret Sauce." The other thing that gets mentioned frequently is Mom's Fried Pan Stew. This was passed down from her grandmother, to her father, I do believe. It is wonderful!
I miss the long evenings of softball. My father was an amazing softball player and my brothers are now. My first word was "ball," because Dad played softball during my infant years, well into my 20s. There was a hiatus for him when we moved up to NY, but he eventually started playing again. I believe he even played a game or two, competitively, in his 60s. I would see the lights of a ballpark and I guess I would yell "ball." That love has never gone away. My brother was telling me last night how it is weird not having the big cheering section in the outfield during games. All I could do was agree, I am definitely there in spirit! I sit here at night and wish I was at a ballpark watching my brothers playing their game.
I miss Sunday football at my parents' house. Although I haven't actually missed it yet, I know that I am going to. We moved after football season ended and it hasn't started yet, but I know what will be happening on Sundays even though I won't be there. There will be a house full of people, sprawled out all over the family room, watching whatever game is on at the time. It is a time when not only family, but many friends, pile into the house, and enjoy several hours of games. I would make brownies every Sunday after church and we would have those, along with something that was usually a quick thing to make/eat between getting home from church and football starting. It was often hotdogs, sausage or sandwiches. Sometimes we would eat that, then have brownies, then forget to eat the rest of the day, because we were enjoying the time so much.
I miss being able to go to the YMCA with members of my family. My mom and I would go water walking in the therapy pool, which is a pool that was warmer than the other pool. We don't really care to be cold. My sisters would join us when we would go at a time that was convenient for them. We would generally walk for 30 minutes to an hour. By the time we finished, we would be sweaty. It was a good workout. We joined some Mission Meltdowns, where there would be many members of our family on a team. It was a fun time. One time, the whole team was family. That was a good time. It was nice to be able to participate as a family.
I guess I can just sum it all up by saying I miss the family, the times together, the laughs, the conversations, the trips, the movies, the times we would go out to eat...
My parents' house is for sale now. This is the house that I grew up in, I lived in from the time I was 9 until I was 18, then during summers while I was in college. This is the house that I moved back into after college was over and I lived there until I moved to California, where the love of my life was living at the time. This is the place that when I moved back to Olean, I would spend many hours with my family, including my husband and children. This is the place that I call home. Although I am excited to have them move closer to us, and they are excited to do it, it will be weird to not have that as HOME. So, if you read this, and are looking for a HOME in Western NY (or know anyone that is)... there is a beautiful place in middle of a small town, about 15000 people, that is waiting for someone to buy it, I hear it went on the market today. The house has been a place of love and happiness. I believe that a home carries the disposition of the people that have lived in it.
I miss the place that I left on March 18, 2011. That is the other home. That is where almost the rest of my family is, except for a brother, his wife and 4 children. I affectionately refer to this as home on a regular basis. When I am sitting in my apartment and I tell my husband that I wish I was home, he knows what I am talking about. He doesn't look at me like I am crazy and ask where I think I am right now. He knows that I long for the days in Olean.
I miss the long days sitting in my parents' backyard on the swings and watching the children play. They have beautiful flower gardens back there that we would sit and swing by. There were hundreds of hours spent sitting back there, laughing and talking, or just thinking. I would go out there and just lay down on the swing and think at times. It was a place of peaceful solitude. My dad can grill food like no other. He can make regular meat taste extraordinary. I would sometimes go in the backyard and swing while he would flip burgers, chicken, steak, Italian sausage or hotdogs. Regardless of what it was, we all knew we were in for a treat when he asked for the pan to be brought out to put the cooked food on. My dad also makes the best spaghetti sauce in the world, my kids refer to it as "Grandpa's Secret Sauce." Whenever I make spaghetti, my daughter says that she wishes we could have "Grandpa's Secret Sauce." The other thing that gets mentioned frequently is Mom's Fried Pan Stew. This was passed down from her grandmother, to her father, I do believe. It is wonderful!
I miss the long evenings of softball. My father was an amazing softball player and my brothers are now. My first word was "ball," because Dad played softball during my infant years, well into my 20s. There was a hiatus for him when we moved up to NY, but he eventually started playing again. I believe he even played a game or two, competitively, in his 60s. I would see the lights of a ballpark and I guess I would yell "ball." That love has never gone away. My brother was telling me last night how it is weird not having the big cheering section in the outfield during games. All I could do was agree, I am definitely there in spirit! I sit here at night and wish I was at a ballpark watching my brothers playing their game.
I miss Sunday football at my parents' house. Although I haven't actually missed it yet, I know that I am going to. We moved after football season ended and it hasn't started yet, but I know what will be happening on Sundays even though I won't be there. There will be a house full of people, sprawled out all over the family room, watching whatever game is on at the time. It is a time when not only family, but many friends, pile into the house, and enjoy several hours of games. I would make brownies every Sunday after church and we would have those, along with something that was usually a quick thing to make/eat between getting home from church and football starting. It was often hotdogs, sausage or sandwiches. Sometimes we would eat that, then have brownies, then forget to eat the rest of the day, because we were enjoying the time so much.
I miss being able to go to the YMCA with members of my family. My mom and I would go water walking in the therapy pool, which is a pool that was warmer than the other pool. We don't really care to be cold. My sisters would join us when we would go at a time that was convenient for them. We would generally walk for 30 minutes to an hour. By the time we finished, we would be sweaty. It was a good workout. We joined some Mission Meltdowns, where there would be many members of our family on a team. It was a fun time. One time, the whole team was family. That was a good time. It was nice to be able to participate as a family.
I guess I can just sum it all up by saying I miss the family, the times together, the laughs, the conversations, the trips, the movies, the times we would go out to eat...
My parents' house is for sale now. This is the house that I grew up in, I lived in from the time I was 9 until I was 18, then during summers while I was in college. This is the house that I moved back into after college was over and I lived there until I moved to California, where the love of my life was living at the time. This is the place that when I moved back to Olean, I would spend many hours with my family, including my husband and children. This is the place that I call home. Although I am excited to have them move closer to us, and they are excited to do it, it will be weird to not have that as HOME. So, if you read this, and are looking for a HOME in Western NY (or know anyone that is)... there is a beautiful place in middle of a small town, about 15000 people, that is waiting for someone to buy it, I hear it went on the market today. The house has been a place of love and happiness. I believe that a home carries the disposition of the people that have lived in it.
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