I had a great weekend celebrating my birthday and Easter. Had friends over on Saturday; we ate birthday cake and other goodies, chatted about the good old days and listened to lively music. Guests ranged in age from a very tall 7 year old up to some 60-something retirees. I received flowers, generous coffee and restaurant gift cards, lots of edible treats, and thoughtful greeting cards. Best of all, hubby has been home from the road for several days. He really made the party work, both on a practical and emotional level. It was my best birthday in a long time!
On Easter Sunday, April 24 (my actual birthday) we went to church where Father Mike's musical skills added to the joyous celebration. He sang the Eucharistic prayer and a song called "He's Alive." For the latter song, Mike accompanied himself flawlessly on the guitar.
Sunday night, I got a free dinner at "Crazy Buffet" in Tampa and Robert got his money's worth by going back to the buffet five times!
I also enjoyed long telephone conversations with my brothers. I never get tired of talking to them! I am so grateful to live in a time and place where we have access to technology which allows us to keep in touch over the miles that separate us.
On Monday, it was time for doctor's check-ups for both of us. I got the unpleasant, though not unexpected news that I've reached that certain age where it's a good idea to get screened for colon cancer - you know, that scope procedure.
As we left the doctor's office for another appointment, we ran into a sudden traffic jam on Massachusetts Avenue. Reminding me of my recent "milestone" birthday, as if on cue, the infamous "Red Hat Ladies" were gathering for a luncheon at the Spartan Manor in their unmistakable red-and-purple garb.
Monday night, friends took us out for fajitas at Sioux City. Can't beat good food, good company, a shared brownie sundae with a candle, and another birthday song. As we looked out the window during the meal, we saw a fabulous, huge rainbow.
Robert's getting ready to return to the road. Meanwhile, I am on Spring Break and we are organizing things around the house.
We have tomatoes started on the back porch, it's 77 degrees and sunny here in New Port Richey, Florida. Life is good. <3
~~Renée~~
A few words from little old me . . .
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Well, I know some of you are wondering why in heck I drove all the way to Tennessee on a Friday afternoon and evening and back to Florida on Saturday morning!
Robert needed to get home to take care of some paperwork, things around the house, routine doctor's appointments and of course, most of all, he had to get home for Easter and my birthday!
As it worked out, he was able to do that by leaving his truck in the nearest company terminal to his last delivery; the terminal is out in the Middle of Nowhere, Tennessee. He looked into renting a car, but the cost was astronomical and he would have had to find a way (probably a pricey cab ride) to get to the nearest rental car place which was at an airport at least 35 miles away. It isn't possible to get a train or bus to Florida from this particular town, and even if there were, he would not have been able to take all the personal belongings from his truck. You see, when a trucker is off for more than a few days, the company can’t guarantee he gets the same truck back! So he wouldn’t have been able to carry a mini-fridge, microwave, radio, navigation system, personal items and 4 weeks worth of laundry on a bus!
So, I drove to Tennessee to pick him up. It took about ten hours and I got there after midnight. I was quite grouchy about the whole thing because I hadn’t been feeling well for a few days (a woman thing) and was already tired from school paperwork and FCAT testing.
Robert drove on the way back, with our little car stuffed to the gills, while I tried to sleep. We arrived home around noon, exhausted. We spent a daunting sum on gasoline, but it was still a big savings over any other mode of transportation. Thank goodness for 24-hour travel-stops with clean restrooms!
On the plus side, Robert is home early and will stay through the day after Easter. He is going to check the brakes and transmission on our car as they seem to be working less than perfectly.
I'm glad that Robert is home and that we will have a little more time together than expected! When he wakes up, I will have plenty of things to add to the honey-do list.
Happy Holy Week!
Renée
Robert needed to get home to take care of some paperwork, things around the house, routine doctor's appointments and of course, most of all, he had to get home for Easter and my birthday!
As it worked out, he was able to do that by leaving his truck in the nearest company terminal to his last delivery; the terminal is out in the Middle of Nowhere, Tennessee. He looked into renting a car, but the cost was astronomical and he would have had to find a way (probably a pricey cab ride) to get to the nearest rental car place which was at an airport at least 35 miles away. It isn't possible to get a train or bus to Florida from this particular town, and even if there were, he would not have been able to take all the personal belongings from his truck. You see, when a trucker is off for more than a few days, the company can’t guarantee he gets the same truck back! So he wouldn’t have been able to carry a mini-fridge, microwave, radio, navigation system, personal items and 4 weeks worth of laundry on a bus!
So, I drove to Tennessee to pick him up. It took about ten hours and I got there after midnight. I was quite grouchy about the whole thing because I hadn’t been feeling well for a few days (a woman thing) and was already tired from school paperwork and FCAT testing.
Robert drove on the way back, with our little car stuffed to the gills, while I tried to sleep. We arrived home around noon, exhausted. We spent a daunting sum on gasoline, but it was still a big savings over any other mode of transportation. Thank goodness for 24-hour travel-stops with clean restrooms!
On the plus side, Robert is home early and will stay through the day after Easter. He is going to check the brakes and transmission on our car as they seem to be working less than perfectly.
I'm glad that Robert is home and that we will have a little more time together than expected! When he wakes up, I will have plenty of things to add to the honey-do list.
Happy Holy Week!
Renée
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