Back to Mesa

Sometime in the next 24 hours, I will be driving to Mesa, Arizona to pass the Christmas Holidays with the in-laws.  I think I'm contractually obligated to make this pilgrimage at least once every quadrennial.  It's a little known, but important, technicality that comes when you marry a Mesa girl.

Fortunately, I love J.'s family and I also love Mesa.  And I have a lot of family there.  It's one of those places that I wish I had the chance to visit more often.  And whenever I'm there, I feel like there's never enough time to do everything that I'd like to do.

The drive out should be fun, even though I will have to do it by myself.  I hope to avoid the bouts of "projectile vomiting" that have beset our family this week.  Wednesday night, J. went to go see "Wicked" in Los Angeles with a friend.  I got home from work and had just paid the babysitter when one of my kids came running downstairs to announce that my oldest son had just had a barf attack upstairs.

Cleaning it up was a lot of fun.  As I surveyed the scene, I felt a bit like a CSI investigator and wondered how my child had managed to get it everywhere but the bowl, the sink, or the porcelain fixture.

The next day, J. and the kids drove to Mesa without me because I had to work.   :(  R. was feeling a lot better and slept the whole way.  Our second son, however, got hit with the bug and managed to "yak" (not "yuk") it up about an hour into a six hour drive.  Then E., the youngest got it too.  J. pulled over to clean up E.'s mess and E. managed to promptly  spew forth all over J.  Let's just say that apparently my kids have no trouble thinking (or throwing up at least) outside of the "box" (or barf bag as it were).

I think J. was pretty relieved when she finally pulled into town!  I told her to just take the car and get it detailed!!  I figured it was the least I could do since she had to suffer through the whole thing on her own!

I'm sure my kids must have felt the Christmas Spirit so much, that they just wanted to give back--in their own special way!  (Just be glad that I decided to spare you the photos...)

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

Anyway, we will be enjoying an Arizona Christmas this year.  It won't be white unless you count the desert sand.  Hopefully it will be warm though!

(And if any of my friends or family in Mesa read this, we're looking forward to seeing you for Christmas!)