It Really Didn't Go As Planned

I took the Sprout's to see Big Sprout's Grandparents over the weekend, and it really REALLY did not go the way I had hoped.

First, a little back story might be helpful.

Mr. Barefoot is not Big Sprout's biological father. This is something that we all forget most of the time, since we haven't heard from biodad since she was 3 or 4 and Mr. Barefoot has been "Daddy" since she was 1 yr old. It only gets awkward because Big Sprout's biological paternal grandparents, uncle and aunt, and 5 cousins all have kept up a relationship with her. Odd when you think about it, huh? That the guy who knocks up some chic runs off to another state never to be heard from again, but his family keeps in touch and makes a very big point of making sure that they have a good relationship with the baby and her new family. Anyway.

Grandma, Grandpa, and Family are all really good people. Very different from myself and my family, but good people. They are very......I don't know how to explain it. I guess I could say that they are Christian/Conservative in the extreme, and I am not. Kinda. We do agree on the important stuff, though. We all agree that family is important, that it is better to be kind than cruel, that honesty and integrity are still virtues. As long as I keep that in mind, I can ignore their discussions on how tv is the work of the devil and they won't watch it anymore because it "pushes homosexuality, which we all know is a sin" and their lectures on the evils of "that devil music, rock and roll" (when they know that Mr. Barefoot is in a rock band). I figure they are entitled to their opinions and just keep my mouth shut.

Back to the story of my weekend.

I got off work Friday morning and did the normal "hang out with Grandpa Barefoot/Traditional Friday Lunch/run errands" thing until the afternoon. I wanted to nap, but wanted to get everything packed and ready for Saturday more. I had planned on leaving early for Red Wing and letting the kids run around in a few parks down in the area or something while we waited for the rest of the family to show up, so I hoped to have the van packed and ready to go Friday night. I wasn't feeling well, but I figured I was over-tired and dehydrated and ignored it.

I finally, finally, got everything done and crawled into bed sometime between 10 and 11 that night. I had been up well over 26 hours at this point, and was feeling really cruddy. I tossed and turned until 2:30 am, when whatever bug I had hit with terrible force. By 7am, when Mr. Barefoot woke to go help his Mom move, I was honestly considering going to the hospital and asking to be mercifully euthanized. Oh, Man, I was sick. Big Sprout woke at the same time, though, and was dressed and waiting by the door in record time. I somehow managed to get myself dressed, Little Sprout ready, and all of us out the door a couple of hours later. I had hoped that once I was on the road things would be better. I was wrong.

I don't ever remember a road trip taking so long in all my life. I think I stopped at nearly every gas station between my town and Red Wing, easily doubling our drive time. Poor Big Sprout. She was so excited, and wanted to chit chat the whole way down. All I wanted was silence so that I could concentrate on making it to the next public restroom. To say it was unpleasant would be an understatement.

Anyway, we arrived at the hotel to find that not only had Sprout's Grandma reserved us rooms, she had reserved us all suites. Beautiful, gorgeous, two room, with all the trimmings, fabulous suites. They were amazing. Big Sprout took off with her family to do some sight seeing while Little Sprout and I lounged in our rooms. Thank goodness Little Sprout is easily entranced by tv, cuz I just sat her down in front of cartoons and dozed for a few hours.

When Big Sprout and family returned to the hotel, we all headed down to the pool. I sat with Little Sprout in the hot tub while the older kids (all 6 of them) played in the bigger pool. It was heaven. Seriously. You know how you ache after a bout of the flu...well that hot water felt amazingly good.

We did supper (a home cooked meal by Sprout's Auntie) and I took Little Sprout off to bed. Big Sprout and her Cousin Sweetie decided that they wanted to sleep in Grandma and Grandpa's extra room, so Little Sprout and I got our suite all to ourselves. I felt a little guilty. There were 4 folks in Grandma and Grandpa's suite, 6 in Auntie and Uncle's suite, and only 2 in ours. I offered to take the girls in my suite and let a couple of the boy cousins go share with Grandma and Grandpa, but no one took me up on it. So I enjoyed the solitude. I got to watch a House marathon while Little Sprout slept, which was a rare treat. I usually have to watch Disney or Elmo with Little Sprout, so any grown up show is really fun for me.

In the morning, Big Sprout went off to church with the family and Little Sprout and I did some sight seeing. Then it was lunch and back to the pool for everyone for an hour or two before we all headed back to our own homes. Big Sprout didn't want to come home, but her family had hours and hours to drive to get home, and needed to get going.

I called into work for the first time in over two years that night. I lost my voice from being sick, and I figured that I wouldn't be able to boss my clients properly without it. Instead, I spent the day doing laundry and trying to get things settled around the house. I still don't have much of a voice, just a cracked whisper, but I will have to go back to work tonight. At least I will have the next few days off to try and recover.

Anyway, that is the story of my weekend. All in all, I can't complain. I was terribly ill, but both the Sprouts had a grand time. I got to sleep in a huge bed all by myself for as long as I wanted, and I even got to watch grown up tv. Being sick seems to have knocked all the "funk" that has been plagueing me right out of my system, so you should be hearing more positive posts (or at least posts being funny about the cruddy stuff) soon.