Mission Accomplished
As noted below, I was out of town last weekend. Now I can tell you why.
Earlier this month, my mother retired after 30+ years as an elementary- and middle-school teacher. My brother Aaron and one of mom's closest co-workers had been planning a surprise party since early spring, and this weekend was the occasion. I went home to be part of the big surprise.
I got on the bus half a block down the street from my house at 5:48 a.m. on Friday to make my way to the Greyhound station downtown.001 I got to the station right at 6:30, which is when the baggage check counter opens. There were more than a dozen people already in line, and one person at the counter. Actually, there were two different lines, so I got in the one he was actually servicing. Naturally, as soon as I did this, he moved to the other line.
After about five minutes of this, one of the passengers near the front of the now unattended line managed to get his attention and ask when he was going to get back to us. He said that someone else was coming. I asked, not quite under my breath, "Is he coming before my bus leaves?" He didn't hear me, but the two girls in from of me did, and immediately agreed. As it turns out, they were both headed to Fort Collins as well. Both were students at Colorado State. One of them had been traveling around the West for 26 days or something, and had met the other by chance in San Francisco, so now they were traveling together.010 We chatted for a few minutes; one of them was a chemistry major, which I found interesting, and the other was a communications major. Just in case you're curious, Derek, she had never had one of your classes, but she knew who you were and had heard very favorable things about you from other students. It appears you're going to be missed.
Well, the promised other person did show up several minutes later, and I got my suitcase checked. I got into the boarding line, did the whole "show Security your carry-on" thing, and was on the bus and on the road by 7:30 as scheduled.
Other than the fact that it rained quite a bit, the trip across I-80 was uneventful. If you've made that trip, you already know that southern Wyoming is really nothing to blog about.
We rolled into Fort Collins about 20 minutes behind schedule, partly due to the weather, partly due to an accident on Highway 287, and partly due to having to wait for a freight train. Aaron was working, as way my other brother Sam, so Sam's old friend and business partner Andy011 picked me up. Andy was like Sam's lost twin growing up, so I know him pretty well. I got reacquainted with his son Tristan, who I probably haven't seen in three years. He's four now, and a cute kid. Gets it from his mother, apparently.
Andy took me to Aaron's apartment, where there was a spare key hidden, as promised. I let myself in and did a little unpacking. Not quite an hour later, Aaron showed up with my nieces, Mikayla and Jordan. They were happy to see me, though Jordan, as normal, took a while to warm up to me. We went out to get some groceries and a couple of videos, then came back and spent the evening eating half-pound hamburgers and watching Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.100 I love being with the girls. And Aaron too, for that matter.
Aaron had a work thing on Saturday morning, so I had the girls for much of the day. We went to a park and played on the toys. Then we went back to the apartment, did a little minor housework, and got cleaned up for the evening's upcoming festivities.
Due to an unforeseen situation that arose on Friday, Mom found out that something was going on for the weekend. So Sam, in damage control mode, told her that he and Aaron had made reservations at one of her favorite restaurants for dinner on Saturday night. Which was the truth, as far as it went. He did not, of course, mention that a limousine was coming to pick them up.
Aaron dropped us off at the limo company, which was run by someone he went to high school with. The girls and I got in the limo—a stretch Hummer—and rode to the Homestead. We pulled in just ahead of Sam and Kendra (his sig. ot.), and only Dad initially saw the limo. Mom had only seen Sam's truck, so she was surprised to see 30+ foot maroon Hummer awaiting her. Mikayla and Jordan got out, and Mom was happy to see them. I waited a few moments before emerging. Mom was taking a picture of the limo, and I walked into it. I've never had much talent for entrances, but I nailed that one.
Mom, of course, had no idea that I was coming. Nor did she have any idea that Al and Marilyn, our across-the-street neighbors for many, many years, were coming, either. They pulled in right behind Sam and Kendra. So the nine of us piled in to the limo and headed off for The Armadillo in La Salle, Colorado.
On the way over, conversation turned to other friends and relatives. Sam lied extremely convincingly about how he had either not been able to contact them or how it had never occurred to him to ask them to come. I couldn't have pulled it off. As DS9's Garek said, "Lying is a skill like any other and if you want to maintain a level of excellence you have to practice constantly."101 I've never been any good at it. I'm usually the silent partner in any conspiracy. Silence, I can do.
As we pulled up to the restaurant, Mom looked out the window and saw Aunt Liz, one of the aforementioned 'uninvited' relatives. We got out, and Mom was soon set upon by a large number of long-lost friends and relatives, many of whom neither she nor I had seen in ten years or more. This went on for twenty minutes or so, with Mom's amazement growing ever greater. Finally, someone suggested that we all go inside so we could start the party. Naturally, there were another dozen or so people awaiting her inside. Final tally: 48 family and friends in attendance.
And she had no clue it was coming.
The party went on for three or four hours, as I recall. Everyone was meeting new people and renewing old friendships. Mom was in the center of it all, of course, being congratulated on and thanked for a long and very successful career as a teacher. Many of the people in that room, including both of my brothers, had had her as a teacher at some point.
What a night.
The following morning, we got a call from Mom saying that they'd buy us breakfast if we met them at the IHOP just a few blocks from Aaron's apartment. We made our way over and found about 15 family members gathered. I mention this occasion only because of how things actually played out with the bills being settled. I was sitting next to one of my uncles, whose name is Mike. Across from us were the girls, who call me Uncle Mike. So there was a little confusion. Anyway, when ordering, Aunt Rosie (Uncle Mike's wife) requested a separate ticket. Dad was having none of this and instructed Aaron to get Uncle Mike's bill from him. When Aaron initially tried, Uncle Mike saw it and whisked the bill away. Aaron very cleverly made as though he was just reaching for some more coffee, so Uncle Mike's suspicions were allayed. Then, when he wasn't paying attention, Aaron swiped the bill and gave it to Dad. Just a couple of minutes later, Uncle Mike got up and headed (presumably) for the restroom. In fact, he headed straight for the store manager and secretly paid the bill. By the time the waiter got there with Dad's Visa, it was fait accompli. We are a sneaky lot, all of us.
The girls and I joined Mom and Dad for games, family time, and the eating of cookie dough for the rest of the evening. Aaron, Sam, and Kendra joined us for burgers and dogs for dinner. We thought too late about breaking out one of our favorite family games, Balderdash. By the time the idea came up, it was already too close to little girls' bedtimes. I said goodbye to Mom and Dad, and Mom thanked me again for coming. Aww, 'twernt nothin'. I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
The bus back to Utah, for some strange reason, was scheduled to leave Fort Collins at 1:30 in the morning.110 That's right, O-one-thirty hours.111 Thankfully, I got about three hours of sleep before leaving and managed to sleep most of the way to Rock Springs as well. For those not familiar with the territory, sleeping through it a good thing. I got home around 11:00 in the morning, which gave me time to do some productive things during the day and still get some rest.
And now, faithful reader(s), life is pretty much back to normal. For those of you that I got to see, it was a pleasure. And for those than I didn't, I hope to see you again soon, or at least some day.
--
001 Greyhound was the most economical option. There are no more really cheap flights from SLC to Denver since the new airport went in, and it would have cost me around $230 in gas to drive the Dreadnought there and back.
010 For those who haven't done much of it, it's nice to have someone relatively normal and/or hygienically pleasant to sit next to on long bus trips.
011 A couple of years ago, they bought a semi and trailer and started a small trucking company. They call it "A-S Hauling". Their logo is a grinning donkey. You figure it out.
100 I've now added that series to my List of Books I've Got to Read Some Day When I Have Time.
101 Which is not to say that Sam is a liar. He's a good, upstanding, genuinely nice guy. But he's got a much better poker face than I'll ever have.
110 The other options were to board a bus in the afternoon which would have put me back in SLC after my bus stops running, or a bus that left at 4:30 a.m. and that took two transfers and sixteen hours to make the trip. No thanks.
111 What does the 'O' stand for? Oh my gosh that's early!
Earlier this month, my mother retired after 30+ years as an elementary- and middle-school teacher. My brother Aaron and one of mom's closest co-workers had been planning a surprise party since early spring, and this weekend was the occasion. I went home to be part of the big surprise.
I got on the bus half a block down the street from my house at 5:48 a.m. on Friday to make my way to the Greyhound station downtown.001 I got to the station right at 6:30, which is when the baggage check counter opens. There were more than a dozen people already in line, and one person at the counter. Actually, there were two different lines, so I got in the one he was actually servicing. Naturally, as soon as I did this, he moved to the other line.
After about five minutes of this, one of the passengers near the front of the now unattended line managed to get his attention and ask when he was going to get back to us. He said that someone else was coming. I asked, not quite under my breath, "Is he coming before my bus leaves?" He didn't hear me, but the two girls in from of me did, and immediately agreed. As it turns out, they were both headed to Fort Collins as well. Both were students at Colorado State. One of them had been traveling around the West for 26 days or something, and had met the other by chance in San Francisco, so now they were traveling together.010 We chatted for a few minutes; one of them was a chemistry major, which I found interesting, and the other was a communications major. Just in case you're curious, Derek, she had never had one of your classes, but she knew who you were and had heard very favorable things about you from other students. It appears you're going to be missed.
Well, the promised other person did show up several minutes later, and I got my suitcase checked. I got into the boarding line, did the whole "show Security your carry-on" thing, and was on the bus and on the road by 7:30 as scheduled.
Other than the fact that it rained quite a bit, the trip across I-80 was uneventful. If you've made that trip, you already know that southern Wyoming is really nothing to blog about.
We rolled into Fort Collins about 20 minutes behind schedule, partly due to the weather, partly due to an accident on Highway 287, and partly due to having to wait for a freight train. Aaron was working, as way my other brother Sam, so Sam's old friend and business partner Andy011 picked me up. Andy was like Sam's lost twin growing up, so I know him pretty well. I got reacquainted with his son Tristan, who I probably haven't seen in three years. He's four now, and a cute kid. Gets it from his mother, apparently.
Andy took me to Aaron's apartment, where there was a spare key hidden, as promised. I let myself in and did a little unpacking. Not quite an hour later, Aaron showed up with my nieces, Mikayla and Jordan. They were happy to see me, though Jordan, as normal, took a while to warm up to me. We went out to get some groceries and a couple of videos, then came back and spent the evening eating half-pound hamburgers and watching Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.100 I love being with the girls. And Aaron too, for that matter.
Aaron had a work thing on Saturday morning, so I had the girls for much of the day. We went to a park and played on the toys. Then we went back to the apartment, did a little minor housework, and got cleaned up for the evening's upcoming festivities.
Due to an unforeseen situation that arose on Friday, Mom found out that something was going on for the weekend. So Sam, in damage control mode, told her that he and Aaron had made reservations at one of her favorite restaurants for dinner on Saturday night. Which was the truth, as far as it went. He did not, of course, mention that a limousine was coming to pick them up.
Aaron dropped us off at the limo company, which was run by someone he went to high school with. The girls and I got in the limo—a stretch Hummer—and rode to the Homestead. We pulled in just ahead of Sam and Kendra (his sig. ot.), and only Dad initially saw the limo. Mom had only seen Sam's truck, so she was surprised to see 30+ foot maroon Hummer awaiting her. Mikayla and Jordan got out, and Mom was happy to see them. I waited a few moments before emerging. Mom was taking a picture of the limo, and I walked into it. I've never had much talent for entrances, but I nailed that one.
Mom, of course, had no idea that I was coming. Nor did she have any idea that Al and Marilyn, our across-the-street neighbors for many, many years, were coming, either. They pulled in right behind Sam and Kendra. So the nine of us piled in to the limo and headed off for The Armadillo in La Salle, Colorado.
On the way over, conversation turned to other friends and relatives. Sam lied extremely convincingly about how he had either not been able to contact them or how it had never occurred to him to ask them to come. I couldn't have pulled it off. As DS9's Garek said, "Lying is a skill like any other and if you want to maintain a level of excellence you have to practice constantly."101 I've never been any good at it. I'm usually the silent partner in any conspiracy. Silence, I can do.
As we pulled up to the restaurant, Mom looked out the window and saw Aunt Liz, one of the aforementioned 'uninvited' relatives. We got out, and Mom was soon set upon by a large number of long-lost friends and relatives, many of whom neither she nor I had seen in ten years or more. This went on for twenty minutes or so, with Mom's amazement growing ever greater. Finally, someone suggested that we all go inside so we could start the party. Naturally, there were another dozen or so people awaiting her inside. Final tally: 48 family and friends in attendance.
And she had no clue it was coming.
The party went on for three or four hours, as I recall. Everyone was meeting new people and renewing old friendships. Mom was in the center of it all, of course, being congratulated on and thanked for a long and very successful career as a teacher. Many of the people in that room, including both of my brothers, had had her as a teacher at some point.
What a night.
The following morning, we got a call from Mom saying that they'd buy us breakfast if we met them at the IHOP just a few blocks from Aaron's apartment. We made our way over and found about 15 family members gathered. I mention this occasion only because of how things actually played out with the bills being settled. I was sitting next to one of my uncles, whose name is Mike. Across from us were the girls, who call me Uncle Mike. So there was a little confusion. Anyway, when ordering, Aunt Rosie (Uncle Mike's wife) requested a separate ticket. Dad was having none of this and instructed Aaron to get Uncle Mike's bill from him. When Aaron initially tried, Uncle Mike saw it and whisked the bill away. Aaron very cleverly made as though he was just reaching for some more coffee, so Uncle Mike's suspicions were allayed. Then, when he wasn't paying attention, Aaron swiped the bill and gave it to Dad. Just a couple of minutes later, Uncle Mike got up and headed (presumably) for the restroom. In fact, he headed straight for the store manager and secretly paid the bill. By the time the waiter got there with Dad's Visa, it was fait accompli. We are a sneaky lot, all of us.
The girls and I joined Mom and Dad for games, family time, and the eating of cookie dough for the rest of the evening. Aaron, Sam, and Kendra joined us for burgers and dogs for dinner. We thought too late about breaking out one of our favorite family games, Balderdash. By the time the idea came up, it was already too close to little girls' bedtimes. I said goodbye to Mom and Dad, and Mom thanked me again for coming. Aww, 'twernt nothin'. I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
The bus back to Utah, for some strange reason, was scheduled to leave Fort Collins at 1:30 in the morning.110 That's right, O-one-thirty hours.111 Thankfully, I got about three hours of sleep before leaving and managed to sleep most of the way to Rock Springs as well. For those not familiar with the territory, sleeping through it a good thing. I got home around 11:00 in the morning, which gave me time to do some productive things during the day and still get some rest.
And now, faithful reader(s), life is pretty much back to normal. For those of you that I got to see, it was a pleasure. And for those than I didn't, I hope to see you again soon, or at least some day.
--
001 Greyhound was the most economical option. There are no more really cheap flights from SLC to Denver since the new airport went in, and it would have cost me around $230 in gas to drive the Dreadnought there and back.
010 For those who haven't done much of it, it's nice to have someone relatively normal and/or hygienically pleasant to sit next to on long bus trips.
011 A couple of years ago, they bought a semi and trailer and started a small trucking company. They call it "A-S Hauling". Their logo is a grinning donkey. You figure it out.
100 I've now added that series to my List of Books I've Got to Read Some Day When I Have Time.
101 Which is not to say that Sam is a liar. He's a good, upstanding, genuinely nice guy. But he's got a much better poker face than I'll ever have.
110 The other options were to board a bus in the afternoon which would have put me back in SLC after my bus stops running, or a bus that left at 4:30 a.m. and that took two transfers and sixteen hours to make the trip. No thanks.
111 What does the 'O' stand for? Oh my gosh that's early!
posted by Michael at
6:40 PM
2 Comments:
Sounds like a great trip, Mike. Wish we could have been there for the celebration.
By
dilliwag, At
June 15, 2005 8:40 AM
I wish you could have as well, but I/we understand that you had other things on your plate. We'll let it slide this time. :)
By
Michael, At
June 15, 2005 12:16 PM
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