So last week Friday morning my husband, my daughter, and I left on a "vacation" to my mother's house in Lethbridge, AB Canada. The purpose of our trip (at its origin) was to help her pack up as much as possible of her home so that it can be decluttered & shown to potential buyers.
Approximately a week before arrival, my mother decided she would rent a U-haul, pack up a load of stuff, drive the truck to Sioux Center and fly back home. All simple enough in theory. Right? - - WRONG! Oh well, life's full of "fun"-filled non-vacation vacations isn't it?
But anyway, back to the story. So we packed up our little family and headed west. We made excellent time, Alexa was a perfect child, happy & enjoyable the entire way. We arrived in Billings (our stop for the first day) around 4pm their time. We checked into our hotel and decided to find dinner. In hind-sight this would probably be when the trip began its downhill slope but who knows for sure! After searching all over the city for the restaurant Micah had chosen (when in fact it was on the same exit as the hotel) we finally ended up eating a quick meal at a Denny's (not so great) and heading back to our room. Since there was a pool and Alexa loves bath-time we decided to give her the first "pool/swimming" experience of her young life and it was GREAT! :) She was totally confused by the whole thing but had a good time anyway & didn't cry at all! After drying off, we heading back up to the room for bed-time (she typically goes to sleep at 7pm & it was about 7pm in Billings (8pm our time) We put her in her pack-n-play & shut off all the lights...normally she just lays down & goes to sleep - no effort necessary at all- she has been that way since she was about 2 weeks old...9 months later she decides she's had enough! She figured out how to stand up in the pack-n-play & thought that would just be the most fun ever! After almost 2 hours of crying, giggling, talking & screaming the child finally fell asleep! - - Mind you no great naps took place in the car - - she typically takes two 2 hour naps during a day - - but in the car there were about an hour worth of naps taken...and still the child didn't want to sleep. Apparently there was way too much to see & do in this new place!
On Saturday morning we headed for the border & although encountering tons & tons of deer alongside the road & one deer ON the road we made it to the border, got through it, & to my mother's house slick as could be. We immediately put Alexa down for a real nap & went to work on the house.
After three days of packing, lively "discussions" (known as many other names and described as statements of different opinions between interested parties, usually at very loud decibals in heated manners) and many numerous problems solved we were read to load up the now 17ft Uhaul & head to Iowa. (Apparently the 14ft truck we'd originally reserved can only hold 3,000 some lbs -- and when you're packing up a minister's library - - well lets just say that was NOT going to cut it!)
The border went really well - - I think the officer at the border said it best when we told him that we'd been visiting my mother to help her pack her house up & he said "Oh that lady in the Uhaul in front of you?" - -"Yes Sir the crazy lady in the Uhaul" I answered to which he replied "Yeah I noticed no one was willing to ride with her!" :)
We had left my mother's house around 1:30pm & had at first been planning to get as far as Great Falls, MT. When we got there so quickly we decided it was best to keep going since the forecast called for snow from Tuesday night through Thursday in the area. We quickly discovered however, that the snow/rain mixture was already blanketing the area. After traveling on several treacherous roads we finally reached Billings, MT at around 8pm on Tuesday night. The snow had turned to rain when we reached I-90 & the rain had even started to let up. We figured that no matter what the night would bring we wanted to get some sleep so we checked into the motel. After a tense evening involving several "supper option debates" and people just walking off on their own, we all tucked in for bed. This time it only took about an hour of Alexa babbling before she gave up & got some sleep! (Yeah for the small victories!)
The next morning we had some light snow around the Billings area but once we got on Hwy 212 (the awesome short-cut road) the snow was gone and the roads were great. Other than some light rain off & on we had a smooth trip back arriving in Sioux Center around 9pm so Mom could go see her house.
Despite several stressful situations & heated "discusions" we all made it back in one peace thankfully. What have I learned from the last six days? SEVERAL lessons. I have learned that different people have VERY strong opinions about things and this can cause many heated debates. Every family has their own way or method to their madness. If you don't understand someone else's method do NOT assume its wrong, just respect that its not your own & DO NOT tell them to change to your way - - accept the difference & live your own life. Do not judge what you do not know or understand. I have found that I do not handle very well having my way of life critiqued and criticised by those who do not understand it. I have also learned that certain people simply feel that they have to state their opinion frequently & bluntly & if you don't agree with it or do it, they feel you've hurt their feelings.
I have also found that events in life can dramatically alter a person. This alteration can affect not only daily activities, habits, and situations, but also personalities. For those around the people undergoing the alteration a word to the wise - tread carefully, everything & anything can cause conflict.
I have also found that when people do not take the 100% open mind approach to hearing each other out things can easily get misunderstood & blown way out of proportion. I have also found that stating the way YOU feel can cause many hurt feelings & animosity. Beware!
Please do not misunderstand me. I LOVE my family & my mother. I truly do. I guess its just hard to see the difference in how things are now & how they used to be. It truly shows how much influence one person can have over other people's lives. It honestly makes the relationships in life that are left behind change drastically & sometimes the easiest & most open of relationships can become the most stressful & difficult ones to maintain. Thankfully we have the grace of God to see us through. Truly amazing!
That's probably enough for tonight - - its been an exhausting week & its still not even over yet...
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