We drove to Indiana on Wednesday night, instead of waiting until Thursday morn- ing, figuring that fighting Chicago traffic in the evening would be easier than fighting Mother Nature. Turns out we were right, because the storm that came through the next day was nasty. I drove, Keven worked, and the girls mostly slept. After a hour-long bottle-neck driving from Wisconsin into Illinois (where their two-lane toll plaza cannot handle the overflow of infrequent, cash-paying travelers), we arrived at my parents' farm in record time. An easy trip.
The next morning, we recovered from our 2am bedtime as best as we could before traveling to my brother's house for Thanksgiving dinner with his family. Casey cooked Puerto Rican turkey, homemade yeast rolls, an apple pie from scratch, and mashed potatoes; my mom contributed the yams and stuffing, and Casey's mother-in-law brought the cake and green beans. Jess, Casey's wife, cleaned the house to a gleaming shine and wrangled all of the necessary guests. Her daughter Lily, her mom, her mom's boyfriend, and my parents together made a gathering of eleven. Not bad!
Despite the snow and BLOWING wind, we made it to their dinner and back safely. Then it was time for Thanksgiving Day II. We decided to do our own traditional menu on Friday. So mom and I cooked that evening. We made three pies in record time, prepped stuffing, yams, California blend (a cheesy casserole with broccoli and cauliflower), and other tasty goods. Lovely. I got to sleep in the next morning and awoke to the best smells - turkey and stuffing roasting in the oven.
On Saturday, Keven and I went out for a while to watch Walk the Line and waste some time. We ended up talking about his school and work, of course, because the end of the semester is looming, with all of its uncertainties and difficulties. Upon returning, we watched Notre Dame win against Stanford, making my father a very happy man, and we all talked into the weeeee hours of the morning about relationships and sex.
Sunday was a lazy morning, but then we had to get back on the road for our return trip. We started out at 12:30 Central and arrived at our doorstep at 8:30. Yikes! It was awful. Even if you account for the two hours worth of stops we made (for gas, pee breaks, and eventually dinner when the evening dragged on), we were still actually driving for six hours. The total trip, stops included, normally takes me five and a half.
I attribute our horrendously slow time to the fact that although people also travel in droves on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the traffic is staggered. Some maybe got off work early, some skipped work altogether, and some (like us) left later in the evening. However, the return trip proved more uniform. People spent time where they were, delaying travel to the last possible hour while still aiming to be home at a decent hour. So that meant everyone in Chicago was driving at 3pm. I am exhausted today, even though I mostly sat on my butt yesterday. My arms and hands are cramping from the tension of driving. Hopefully Christmas won't be as bad when we make the trip back again in three weeks.
The next morning, we recovered from our 2am bedtime as best as we could before traveling to my brother's house for Thanksgiving dinner with his family. Casey cooked Puerto Rican turkey, homemade yeast rolls, an apple pie from scratch, and mashed potatoes; my mom contributed the yams and stuffing, and Casey's mother-in-law brought the cake and green beans. Jess, Casey's wife, cleaned the house to a gleaming shine and wrangled all of the necessary guests. Her daughter Lily, her mom, her mom's boyfriend, and my parents together made a gathering of eleven. Not bad!
Despite the snow and BLOWING wind, we made it to their dinner and back safely. Then it was time for Thanksgiving Day II. We decided to do our own traditional menu on Friday. So mom and I cooked that evening. We made three pies in record time, prepped stuffing, yams, California blend (a cheesy casserole with broccoli and cauliflower), and other tasty goods. Lovely. I got to sleep in the next morning and awoke to the best smells - turkey and stuffing roasting in the oven.
On Saturday, Keven and I went out for a while to watch Walk the Line and waste some time. We ended up talking about his school and work, of course, because the end of the semester is looming, with all of its uncertainties and difficulties. Upon returning, we watched Notre Dame win against Stanford, making my father a very happy man, and we all talked into the weeeee hours of the morning about relationships and sex.
Sunday was a lazy morning, but then we had to get back on the road for our return trip. We started out at 12:30 Central and arrived at our doorstep at 8:30. Yikes! It was awful. Even if you account for the two hours worth of stops we made (for gas, pee breaks, and eventually dinner when the evening dragged on), we were still actually driving for six hours. The total trip, stops included, normally takes me five and a half. I attribute our horrendously slow time to the fact that although people also travel in droves on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the traffic is staggered. Some maybe got off work early, some skipped work altogether, and some (like us) left later in the evening. However, the return trip proved more uniform. People spent time where they were, delaying travel to the last possible hour while still aiming to be home at a decent hour. So that meant everyone in Chicago was driving at 3pm. I am exhausted today, even though I mostly sat on my butt yesterday. My arms and hands are cramping from the tension of driving. Hopefully Christmas won't be as bad when we make the trip back again in three weeks.
4 comments:
Glad you had a good time!
The talk of food has made me hungry. We were wondering where you were.
I remember you saying/writing that thanksgiving is your favourite day. I am happy to hear you had a double celebration!
Kiss the girls!
We left Chicago Friday around noon and had no problems. The Sunday after Thanksgiving can be an awful day to travel.
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