"Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity, Jig..."
Yes, yes, we're home again, exhausted and worn out. This constant traveling I've been undertaking since May is fun, but it is wearing on me. For now, it's over, since I start summer teaching next week.

But the trip was great. My mother was genuinely shocked that we had flown all that way to see her. On Wednesday, as we packed up and prepared to check out of our hotel in San Antonio, we called my mother to tell her happy birthday. We talked liked we were in Connecticut, about the temperature and having slept with the windows open all night. I even yelled at the dog while Da Man told her The Baroness was by the balcony barking at the neighbors. Since we always call from the cell phone, a Connecticut number showed up on her Caller ID, so she had no idea. We also found out that my step- father was taking her to lunch at Red Lobster, which happens to sit next to the hotel where we stay when we're in town. That was good to know since we wanted to check in when we arrived in town at lunch time. We knew they'd eat early, but it was good to be on the lookout. Anyway, we checked in, picked up the cake my sister had ordered, and ventured on to her house.

The other problem was that my mother had not been clear to either one of us about when she would arrive. She just said it would be in the afternoon. We had to stay on the lookout and remain somewhat hidden. I put together a bulletin board of photocopies of photos of my mother from her childhood to today. I had some of her as a child where she looks a lot like my sister as a child, who looks a lot like my niece. My niece was making signs on her computer to hang around the house. We kept checking outside the window, but we were able to get it all put together. Trixie was even able to get there long before they arrived. I was worried that I would be out trying to signal her as to which house it was (my sister lives in the country, so there are no house numbers or streets). Still, everyone was there and all was done as my mother turned onto the road.

We ran into my sister's bedroom. She had surgery a couple of weeks ago (that went well), so she was going to ask my mother to help her make the bed before they all sat down. It took them a couple of minutes, but then they opened the door. I was to the side taking a picture, and I just caught the side of my mother with her hands in the air. Da Man said her mouth was wide open and it didn't take her long before she had tears in her eyes. She had no idea. It was so perfect. We have been talking about this for months, trying not to say anything to her or convey our excitement in any way. An hour or so after we surprised her, I felt so completely physically exhausted. I think I had been hyped up on adrenaline all day and was coming down from it. It was so worth the trip just to make her feel so happy.

But Tuesday was fun, though, too. We went to Schiltternbahn, which has been voted the number one water park by the Travel Channel. It has been at least eighteen years since I've been there, on a tip with Trixie and her church. It's a fun place, and I wanted to take Da Man there, but we're never there in the summer, so it's never been possible. We arrived relatively early, but it was raining. Actually, it was storming, which it has been doing in Texas for quite a while. They won't let people while there's lightning of course, but we hung around. After an hour or so, they let us in. It rained pretty much the entire time we were there, and we staying almost until closing. But that kept the ultraviolet rays of the sun away, so there was no chance of burning. And we think it kept the crowds a bit thinner than normal. We did everything we wanted, and they've added a lot. There is a whole new section that has uphill water rides (yes, the water carries you uphill). Because of the rain, we could not float in the river itself, but that's all we missed.

Now, I feel like I have a slight cold, but I think it's just my body worn out from all this, pushing me a bit more than I should. I need decent sleep and food as well as some vitamins, all things I did not get on the trip. Though I'm so glad we did it. It couldn't have been better.
- posted by Nels @ 8:32 PM | | | Link |