Franklin Five

Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Bringing in the New Year

After Tim's family went home and we came back from Blue Mountain, we quickly did laundry and repacked our bags to head to Tyler to visit my family.  What a challenging day we had trying to get there.  We got up at 5am to make our 8:30am flight that did not leave the ground until 1pm.  We sat on the run way for five hours because of some problems involving the deicing fluid.  Thankfully the airplane had TVs and movies to help keep the kids entertained, but I got especially annoyed by the long delay.  We finally arrived in Houston late in the afternoon only to have more delays.  We had missed our connecting flight and there were no more flights to Tyler that day.  So, we rented a car and arrived at my mom's house exhausted and a bit grouchy around midnight.  To top it all off, our bag was lost and remains lost to this day.

Oh, well.  We were finally there and I was very glad to see my family as I had not been back in a year.  Earlier that week, my dad had passed out from the flu and damaged his eye so badly that it required two surgeries and several more procedures.  I am thankful he is doing much better now and his eye is healing.  He's had to be very patient as he's been on strict bed rest for over two weeks.

I was glad to visit with my granddad and spend some time with him but I was saddened to see how much his body and mind have gone downhill.  His short term memory has really declined so that it is no longer safe for him to live independently.  After I left Texas, he has been moved into an assisted living home.

Unfortunately, I took no pictures while in Tyler.  We did have a great time with my family, and I loved being pampered by my mom.  She cooked delicious food and helped so much with my kids.  She also watched the kids overnight so Tim and I could enjoy a night out on New Year's Eve.

It's always hard to say good-bye to my family and I felt a bit disappointed that our trip ended up being a bit stressful.  Canada is a long way from Texas and it is very challenging trying to travel there with three kids.  I think I have a greater appreciation for living in a place where I can drive to see my family in one day.

And, if you are wondering about when we will move back to Tennessee, we still don't know.  We could be moving back this coming summer or the move might not take place for another year.  We are still waiting.

2 comments:

Jonathan said...

Oh Jo, I didn't realize your travels were so challenging. Delays while IN the plane are the worst! I remember!!! I'm sorry your bag is gone and that your dad and granddad have been having a rough time.

I'm thinking now this should be in an email, but since I see you have comment moderation turned on, you can decide not to publish my very long comment. :) Miss you, my friend, and thanks for the blog updates!

Love,
Amy

kanani.myers said...

So glad to have an update from you guys! Sorry to hear about the stressful trip down, but I'm happy to hear that your mom was able to make the trip special. She's a great lady! I absolutely love the pics from the Christmas post. I can't believe how grown up the kiddos look, even in just six months! I hope the kids are enjoying being back at school. Miss you guys!

kanani