The Most Unusual Week of My Life

After a rough few months of challenging call schedules, the hubs had 10 days off work. TEN. We've been thinking about and planning for these cluster of free days for weeks . . . almost like daydreaming of winning the lottery. What are we going to do with 10 days? Just imagine the possibilities.

The actual 10 days went something like this:

Day 1: Whoo-hoo the Texas State Fair. Although I've lived here for six years, I still had never attended the biggest fair in the country and right in my own backyard. (That's right, Dallas. I just called you my backyard.) Y'all, the fair is fantastic and unlike any fair. (For my Tennessee friends, this fair makes the Williamson County fair look like peanuts in both size and quality.) Please know I'm not bragging. It's more like shock. I've truly, really, honestly, never ever seen a fair so big and nice. I walked around dazed for a bit when we first got there. (Oh, and we got there by train. Anna Zane adored riding the trains across the metroplex.)

The next two hours found us cheering and gawking and smiling as our adorable daughter enjoyed ride after ride. The kid is a daredevil of epic proportions. And we totally acted the part of doting parents, not minding the money pouring out of our pockets to purchase tickets for these insanely expensive rides. It was so worth every penny dollar because she enjoyed every second of every ride.

When we finally cut off the gravy train for rides, the adults scoped out the desired fair food, which did not disappoint. We ended the day with the animal barns. In the feeding/petting barn, I nearly went psycho when I realized Anna already used up her allotted feed for the animals and was remedying this problem by fighting with a goat over the next turn in the feed bucket. She was absolutely going to take feed from his trough to put back in her cup. Child, please.

Day 2: I honestly do not remember much. Chores and a few outside projects were completed. Oh, I did shop that morning at one store who sent me a birthday coupon.

Day 3: Happy anniversary to us. Happy anniversary to us. Happy anniversarrrrryyyy. We celebrated six years of wonderful with dinner and a movie. Perfect.

Day 4: All packed up and headed to Wimberley, Texas. The Youree Three on a road trip. Our last road trip to Galveston found Bryan driving in torrential rain for hours. Unfortunately, the trip to Wimberely pretty much went the same. While we are thankful for any rain, it stinks Bryan has to drive in it both times we've tried to vacate and relax.

Day 5: "Waa Waa Wimberley" is what I was going to title a blog post about our Wimberley trip. But I've decided to contain my negativity and wrath and only post this little portion: Don't visit Wimberley. Don't get me wrong. The place we stayed--Red Corral Ranch--is delightful, quaint, fun, and had very friendly staff. It was the bright spot of our trip. But the town "square" had less than stellar shops. We also felt less than welcomed. I wasn't sure if the unfriendliness came from the fact we were taking a two-year-old into the stores or if it was because we were taking a black two-year-old. Either way, it was not a happy reception. We will not be going back.

Anna's highlight of this trip--and ours too--was the hot tub at our cabin. As you can imagine, this is the perfect swimming pool for a wee one. The first go she had on her arm floatie, but quickly figured out she could touch bottom in the deepest part. During the next swim the next morning, she was sans floatie, pushing off the side and "swimming" to the other side. She's a fish!

Day 6: As the colder temperatures peeked in and out these last two weeks, it became very apparent that little cutie was lacking in the warm clothes department. So we squeezed in a trip to an outlet mall on our way home. Thankfully, we found some good deals and garb, but it was rushed and frenzied. Little Anna was sick of it quick and tired and hungry.

When we got home, we repacked to leave for Arkansas the next day. Yes, a quick sale of my mother's house meant a last minute estate sale was in order. Such a feat seems daunting enough, but add back-to-back traveling and the unavoidable emotions of seeing your parents' belongings sorted through and sold . . . you get the picture.

Day 7:  I work in Dallas proofreading a magazine. When I'm finished, we leave for the Arkansas trip, which goes smooth and easy. Whew.

That evening, well, was a different story. The Youree Three slept in one super king-sized bed. You think that wouldn't be a problem, right? Ever slept with a toddler? She spent the first part of the night attached to my person, waking up every little bit to say "Mommy." I kept moving her back to the middle of the bed. And maybe just maybe, the last time I moved her, I may or may not have moved her closer to her father. Funny. When he woke up in the morning, he mentioned that in the middle of the night, she started cuddling with him, and he couldn't get any sleep. Coincidence, don't you think?

Day 8: Yard sale. It went really well even without prices on everything. In some aspects, it was weird watching strangers take off with your parents' belongings, but at the same time, it was comforting. This may sound a bit sappy, but it's nice to know your family's items can be of use to someone, that others will use it or repurpose it into something of worth to them.

Day 9: The traveling home day. One hour or so into our trip, Anna vomits all.over.her.car.seat.and.herself. ALL OVER. Cleaning. Stripping. Washing. Windows down. Air freshener. Pepto. Dramamine. Pretzels. Ginger ale. Help me, Jesus. (Apparently, it was a sudden case of car sickness. I am so thrilled to report the "episode" only happened once. However, now I am scared stiff to take her on another car trip.)

Day 10: Hahahahahahahahaha (crazy laugh). What a great vacation. I feel so rested.