Return...

I've been gone for a while.

On Sunday last, while working diligently on the baby's Hallowe'en costume and some interior decor for the holiday, my husband got a call from Tennessee (his parents' homestead) with bad news - his mom was in hospital for an emergency surgery after a heart attack.

Within an hour we were all (meaning all of us - mom, dad, hubby, baby, cat, and self) packed and ready to head south. The original intent was for my husband to fly, the rest of us drive and meet up with him the next day... but the airlines aren't REALLY designed to be responsive to emergency situations, and all 5 (6 including the cat) were back in the car and on the road before 7:30.

12 hours later we arrived in TN, road weary and for the most part ready for bed.

Fortunately, during our drive we discovered that his mother had had the necessary surgery and that all things considered she was doing well.

There were some hiccups:
-- not enough of the cat's special food and syringes (he's diabetic and needs twice daily insulin shots) and none of his "anti-allergen" medicine
-- too much food purchased because we neglected to examine the fridge before we left for the store
-- phones (except mine) that refused to work once they got out into the wilds of Tennessee

There were some great moments too:
-- my daughter said something VERY close to "Grandmama" (her paternal grandmother's chosen moniker) for the very first time
-- Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events
-- BEAUTIFUL scenery on the way back through many many mountains and lush hills filled with changing colors

All in all we made the trip there (and home) successfully... and I'm back in touch with the world.