January 8

I keep starting this entry and then deleting what I've written because I don't even know how to begin to describe this day. I guess the easiest way to do it is to start at the beginning.

We got up, finished the Coca Cola puzzle we'd (okay, well, mostly Adam, but the rest of us had some assists) been working on at the dining room table (under the watchful eye of Fernando the snowman), finished packing, and said thank you and goodbye to my grandma. It's always bittersweet to leave; I usually teeter on the edge of tears thinking back on my time there and my childhood and all of those memories I hold close to my heart. What made our departure a bit easier, however, was the unexpected arrival of my Aunt Barbara, who'd come from the Eastern Shore to help grandma with some chores. Grandma didn't know that Aunt Barbara was coming so I was quietly thankful that she'd have a surprise visitor in the wake of our departure. I figure it has to be jarring to go from having five people around to being alone.

We drove to the airport with no issues, returned the car, and then things went downhill. When we initially picked up the car (at 3 AM on Christmas Eve) we were exhausted and eager to get where we were going, so we didn't go over it with a fine tooth comb. The next day as we drove to the store, I noticed that it was full of dog hair and smelled bad and said we should complain, but we were rushing around getting ready for Christmas, and then the next day we were Christmas-ing, and then the next day we were unexpectedly relocating to Bobby's house. Long story longer, we never did try to exchange it. So today when we turned it in, we got hit with a cleaning fee for the dog hair. Even though we don't own a dog, have never owned a dog, don't know anyone with a dog, and don't live in Maryland. I was infuriated. Then when we went through security, a TSA agent snapped at me for pushing the bags too hard on the belt (after she'd told me I wasn't pushing them hard enough), then I had a full pat-down (why? I have no idea. It was probably belt-lady's doing). And then we discovered that our flight was delayed and we'd once again be missing our connection, this time in Denver. They'd rebooked us on a later flight, but it was much later. Much, much later. And it meant that we would be reaching our ultimate destination after midnight... again. 

As I sat there by the window at the gate, my brain scrambled to process a lot of information: the never-ending delays, the negative experiences with the rental car company and at security, the melancholy triggered by our departure, the frustration over how thoroughly COVID has managed to take over and dictate so many aspects of life. And then something broke and it all felt like far too much to take and I cried. 

Fortunately, there were silver linings as the day wore on. Southwest decided that we were inconvenienced enough that we deserved travel vouchers. Then later, although our flight out of Denver wound up being more than an hour delayed (because we needed a good de-icing and apparently they'd already sent the de-icing trucks home for the night so we had to wait for one to come back -- seriously, what? They sent the trucks home? In Denver, where it's cold?), the kids were well behaved and patient while we slogged through our nearly five-hour layover. 

And then there was the serene, near-idyllic moment I caught as I looked over at the boys toward the end of our second flight. Although Isaac had the window seat, he'd put his arm around Brady and both boys were looking out at the city lights below. I was taken (for the umpteenth time) by their care for one another and after such a challenging day, it did my heart so much good.

So yes, that was today. I'm thankful for the time back east with my family and a few friends, and I'm thankful to be home.