I've been reading, but not had time to post. We were to leave for Illinois last Wed. for my MIL's memorial service last Saturday. She died in Nov. at 100, but the family couldn't all gather until this May. On Tues, DH learned that he probably would have to at least have a few stents and was scheduled for heart cath Thurs. He asked if it could be postponed a week because of trip and doctor said absoulutely not. So DH decided memorial must go on, without us, as planned since relatives are coming from all over. DD decided to fly up to Chicago Fri. to represent all of us.
Thurs, doctor finds no blockages and is surprised as we are. We ask if DH can travel and he says not in the car and not till Friday. DD decides to transfer her ticket to her dad for Friday, pack her SUV and the two of us, plus 4yr old grandson will drive to IL. It's very hard to transfer an airline ticket from female to male passenger at the last minute, but she got it done. Are you still following this?
So I leave DH at the hospital, run home, throw clothes in a bag, rush back and drive him home. We leave him in the care of kindly neighbors and take off for Illinois. We get as far as OK City that night. Drive all day Friday and get to Freeport at 10:30. We've been in the car for 1200 miles. Drop our bags off, turn around and drive 45 minutes back to Rockford to meet the airport bus at midnight. We get to bed at 2 AM. Up and at the Memorial next morning.
If you're still with me.....the minister had asked my DH for some info about his mom...and also asked one of the grandchildren who lives there. When the minister began to speak about MIL, he explained that she hadn't been able to be at Church for a while, but he wanted to share some family stories about her. His second story was the one I wrote about her and the snake....edited just a bit. The granddaughter had given it to him without my okay. When I realized what he was about to read, I said that's not exactly something to read in church....and he replied, "Oh, but it's such a good story!" Then most of the family members and some of the friends stood and told little snippets of their time with MIL. It was good that we were all there.
We spent 3 days cleaning out MIL's house and giving the grandkids dibs on all the furniture and keepsakes. Everything else went to Salv. Army and Goodwill. DH had to see lawyer, etc.
We left Wed, exhausted. DD and I wanted to keep going to Tulsa, but DH wanted to stop. Stopped in Joplin for the night so we could get a good night's sleep. That's when I took the pic of the beautiful thunder clouds outside the motel. About 10 PM, the news started warning of a possible tornado. We were too tired to watch much of it....and were about to get in bed when the motel clerk started banging on our doors. The sirens were going off (I stilll never heard them) and a tornado was sighted on the ground. We spent about an hour in the 3 story stairwell with other guests from our wing. We were all calm and quiet. I observed that nearly everyone had taken their cell phone and laptop...but some of the women had left purses behind. When it was really quiet, DD said to her dad, "We told you we should have driven to Tulsa!" Most of the folks in the stairwell started laughing. And I said to him,"You'll never live this down!" They canceled the warning, we got to sleep after 11, and were in the car again at 9:30 yesterday morning.
In Tulsa, we were just reaching the cut off to the Turnpike, when we saw the entire Interstate was blocked off and cars were heading to the feeder roads. No info, no detour signs, just moving away from where we needed to be. GPS was trying to turn us around, so we found a convenience store and before we could go in, an OK gas co. guy walked up and asked if we were lost because of the highway closing. He told us there was a sinkhole that went all the way across the road. If we had driven to Tulsa the night before, we'd have been in a huge traffic mess for hours, as it happened at 6 PM. The guy drew us a map to get to the turnpike. I know we'd have never found it without his help. This morning I tried to e-mail a thank you about him via gas co. No way to do it, so I called. They had no one who who knew who I should talk to to get an e-mail address to send a compliment. (Must only take complaints). I'll figure it out.
Anyway, today I have to be at the botanical garden to take the horticultural entries in for the flower show and tomorrow morning too. Im sorry I'll miss the RU. Maybe there'll be one in the fall.
