Oh how I missed you so! It's been about two weeks - which is ridiculously long to not keep in touch. Sure, I love to bore you with the mundane details of my life approximately 4-5 times a week and I'm sure it was hard for you not to have that, but what was really hard for me was not having the time to sit and read your blogs! I have definite withdrawal symptoms. So I will quickly tell you about my trip and then I will try to get to all of your blogs through the weekend by the end of this year! HA!
Number one? We had a fucking fantastic time. This is quite surprising to both C and me because a) we were in 10-40 degrees weather the whole time and being an LA girl, that usually tends to suck, b) we were with his family for 10 DAYS STRAIGHT and as much as I like them, that worried both of us and c) there was SO MUCH EATING and hardly any moving around and normally? I hate that. But guess what? This time? It was nice feeling like a lazy fat pig!
I won't bore you with too many details but I'll give you the highlights.
Last Monday, we flew into Denver and C and I immediately rented a car to drive two hours up into the Rocky Mountains to Beaver Creek (It's right next to Vail). Let me just tell you, that as a kid I always wanted to spend some time in one of these cute little ski villages, where there are ice skating rinks and chocolate stores and Starbucks and good restaurants, and you could walk around and ski and then relax by the fire and then walk some more. It was so perfect and beautiful and out of a movie. We stayed in a condo there with his family for two nights, playing Trivial Pursuit and eating yummy food and watching good movies and laughing. C also decided (on his own) that he wanted to take me out alone for dinner the second night, so he found this beautiful restaurant and we went on a date. Very sweet if you ask me, considering he sees me all the goddamn time and his family very rarely. I guess he just knew that he wouldn't be alone with me for the next 8 days and wanted to give me a "treat".
On Thursday of last week, C and I had a flight from Denver to Chicago, and what do ya know? They downsized the plane and we were left without a seat, along with 30 or more people. I immediately went into panic mode, as I quite clearly remember Last December 29th, when C and I had to be put on standby for 8 hours, and only got out of Chicago the next morning at 6. That, my friends, was HELL. SO, I nicely spoke to some sweet man wearing a Santa tie, who totally hooked C and I up. We got to fly first class to Sioux Falls (please, stop the chuckling. I know, I know, a 1 hour flight, but it was something. And Sioux Falls's airport? One long hallway with a stuffed dog.) and a couple hour layover and then off to Chicago. SO we made it there only four hours past when we should have BUT we did manage to score two free roundtrip tickets to anywhere in the US except Alaska and Hawaii so I would say we made out well.
Oh, did I tell you that I also was feeling sick again? I couldn't believe it, as I had just gotten over the WORST cold of my life a bit over a month ago, and then all of a sudden, I was sick again. And flying. This was not a good combination.
We woke up the next morning in Illinois to snow on the ground and a pretty sunny sky. And so started our week of EATING. Full-on breakfast every morning, and lunch 3 hours later, and of course a heavy hearty dinner. Did I mind? Not one bit. I loved it. C and I cooked for his whole family on the 23rd (that was 27 people - It felt like Dinner Impossible) and the other days I helped his mom out happily. When I say happily I truly mean it too, because if you would have tried to keep me inside for four straight days at C's parents' house last year or the year before I would have said NO WAY. But this time, for whatever reason, I felt so comfortable and happy, and genuinely enjoyed their company - especially his mom (In fact, we had a long heart to heart about the "marriage" issue and she was so great about it). I looked forward to talking to her, and getting her advice, and telling her stories. It was so nice. On the 2nd or 3rd day we were there, C looked at me and said this was the best Christmas home he's had in years because he could trust that I was having a good time and he didn't have to constantly check on me like he used to in the past. This time, he could freely go down to the basement with his brother and dad and play darts or pool, and he knew I would be fine upstairs with the ladies and the kids.
And ohmigod the kids! C's brother has two kids, a 4 year old boy and a little 8 month old girl. The boy has always had this thing for me - when C and I see him for the first time in a long time, he tends to run right past him and jump into my arms. I love that of course, but now that he is getting to a certain stage and has a new baby sister who gets TONS of attention, he had moments of devil-like behavior. Which was not fun. But the 8-month old! So cute - what a sweet age! And she was obsessed with her Uncle C and wow - to see him with a little baby girl got me teary-eyed at moments.
Other highlights? We went to visit C's grandparents who are both in a nursing home, the grandfather for physical reasons and the grandma for dementia. Even though it was sad to see them like that, they were both so sweet and fun and loving, and I just loved seeing the family interact and taking pictures of it.
Also, we spent the first Friday night with a few of C's friends and their wives for dinner at this great Italian restaurant. It's always good to get together with them, because amazingly enough, I get along with all of the wives really well. The not so fun part? Being grilled about marriage after a couple of glasses of wine. Haven't we had enough??? This last Wednesday, we went to one of the couples' condo, which we hadn't seen yet and they cooked dinner for us. It was so great. SUCH a cute house and great food and great music and obviously great wine (anyone else feel they have drank too much lately?) and good conversation and I just loved it. So much fun.
And finally Christmas morning. With mimosas and Christmas music and thousands of presents under the tree, it just it so much fun for me. And C and I made out pretty nice! Although I didn't get EXACTLY what I wanted (this is kinda a joke because if C ever proposed to me Christmas morning in front of all of his family, I would be mortified), he did get me the perfume I wanted so badly, an adorable shirt, and a pair of beautiful earrings and a ring. Not that kind but it was still beautiful. His parents and family all got us great stuff too (including a new DVD player, gift cards to Marriot Hotels, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Forever 21, Borders, etc. - they know me well!).
And so came Thursday morning, to quickly pack up and go home, but guess what? DG got a ridiculous sinus infection! So no matter how much medicine I took, and how much I tried to forget about it, that day of flying was honestly the most excrutiating thing I had ever gone through. I mean, ridiculous. My head was gonna EXPLODE!!!!! At least I didn't focus on the fact that we were flying and whoops! I'm scared of flying but I actually wasn't at all and I think it cured my fear!
Lastly, C and I are doing really well. There was hardly one argument the whole time, minus the marriage one after we got majorly grilled. But other than that, we got along really well and I feel like we bonded even more if that's possible? As far as the marriage and future talk? We'll just have to see. I will say I did get a little more insight as to why he's feeling the way he is, and a lot of it has nothing to do with me but with his job and the current state of his career-life. So, we'll see. If I'm happy now must I change it?
