Recap. It's just that good.

With the excessive family exposure, I have not found the time...read: 'energy' to replace 'time' since all of my energy has been sucked from me to remain lucid in mind...to blog. I'll do a quick lil' recap of the last several days. I know you're excited. I can sense it.

Wednesday: 26th, travel to Lubbock in the car with my parents and Grandma for 6 hours. MOMENTS before we get in the car, Grandma threw up...correction, "upchucked"...into the kitchen sink in large quantity. I heard about the "upchucking" for the next six hours. Nuff said.

Thursday: 27th, day spent with my Grandmother in her hot-box apartment. It was 34 degrees outside, and windy, and I swear that if I held a cookie sheet with buscuits on it, they would have baked in her 99 degree apartment. Wow. Highlight of the day was eating in the dining room with near-centenarians...Ruth, Inez, Elizabeth, and Iva. Are those not old lady names or what? Well, except Elizabeth. She was the 'with it' one. She told us about her 19-year-old granddaughter who had a 1-year-old, 2-year-old, AND 3-year-old. My dad remarked, "She must be busy!" and I think he was referring to being busy with motherhood...I contend that she is 'busy' doing something else. Sounds like Elizabeth needed to give her granddaughter a chastity belt for Christmas. Inez is a 91 year old retired social worker that was never married and was NOT wearing a bra. I raised an eyebrow on all accounts and would never like to see that image run through my mind again. Blech. Ruth WAS AWESOME. She was a spry 88 or so and she was telling us all about the family cattle farm. She had the best attitude of any old person I have ever seen. She was so optimistic and bubbly and clever. Quite refreshing from the other ladies asking "What?" since they couldn't hear and needed me to repeat. Anyway, Ruth received compliments on her lovely jacket and I told her that with such compliments from the gentlemen, she should wear it more often. That lady looked me square in the eye and said, "YOU BET CHA!" She was a firecracker no doubt!

Friday: 28th, Sweet release of traveling in the car 6 hours back home. I need to state now that I don't enjoy making that yearly trip....it is physically and mentally exhausting, though I can truly appreciate the time with family and my heritage. Lots of people don't know where they got their cotton shirt but I know second-hand life on a cotton farm. I learn more about bales and picking and modules every time I travel through West Texas and I have such an appreciation for it. It is truly a science and not for the weak. Anywho...on the car ride back, I busied myself by reading a book my uncle gave me the entire way and it was glorious. We stopped at Dairy Queen in an itty-bitty town. It smelled like grease and feet and it was just as it should be in the world. I love that. We had beef jerky in the car. Again, just as it should be when you travel. After going to Lubbock (and driving north to a teeny hometown where cotton farms and gins are in my heritage), I always get a bit nostalgic and ask my Grandmother and parents questions about life before me. So, in the car, I started asking my mom, "What exactly made you fall for dad, seeing as how he came from this tiny town of dirt and they were cotton farmers?" She got a twinkle in her eye and said, "Well, he was Mr. AHS so I figured he'd be pretty good." Mr. AHS was apparently tops back in 1967 and my dad was The Man. Apparently. ;) My dad took that opportunity to interject and tell me the differences between his high school graduating class of 60 people and my class of roughly 750. As if those need to be enumerated. My favorite part was when he told me about fund-raisers. "You know how y'all raised money to go on basketball trips by having car washes?" "Yes sir." "Well, in Abernathy, the cheerleaders would raise money by going out to ho."

Wait for it.

There were no words. The look on my face was a mixture of complete fear and awe. I vaguely remember that my aunt was a cheerleader there. Poor thing. My dad immediately associated my look of horror with his words and he rephrased it, "They would go out in the fields and HOE. To help the farmers." Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. So much clearer now. We laughed the entire way home.

Friday ended with me realizing that I had spent A LOT of family time in the last 6 days and I was ready for 'me time.' I got home at 5:45 and immediately went for a run...late, dark, and about 45 degrees. It was glorious, glorious ME TIME.

Saturday: 29th, Let's remember the Alamo, but not the bowl. So unfortunate. Highlight of this day was seeing dear, dear friends and laughing and sharing. Pure rejuvination for my soul.

Sunday: 30th, Great breakfast with friends and my parents where we told stories of old (well...the ye olden days of college which was 5-8 years ago) and we laughed. Went to see my new house. Goodbye hugs and promises...though not insubstantial...to remain in better contact and see each other more often. I am reminded of the generous gift of friendship that God gave me in these fantastic people and what they mean to my life. Then I ran 8.5 miles, got a tan in the 72 degree December 30th weather (um, question mark), and I now want to saw off my big toe and pointer toe (is that the anatomically correct term?) on my right foot. From all of the running, I got an ingrown toenail and huge blister on the neighboring toe from the bandages and the long-distance running. This is the time of training that I want to give up. I feel like Ruth or Inez trying to run...this 27-year-old body is wearing out. The hip, toes, knee, and right trapezius mock me in my futile attempts. I have taken Extra Strength Tylenol and had two glasses of wine and I have a full belly and didn't sleep well last night. I'm pretty sure I'm going to turn off the computer in just a sec and pass out.

Maybe I'll wake up in 2008.

I'll write tomorrow with sage reflection on the year 2007. Again...I can sense your excitement.