Lovely. Families and Snow Storms, both.

I had a nice holiday gathering with my family this past weekend.  I’ve had some strife with/about my brother in the past few years, but it seems to have dissipated if not healed completely.  I remember last year I was resentful over the fact that I was required to spend ANY money on his ungrateful, hateful ass, and I think I settled on an iTunes gift card.  Which is a pretty crappy gift, but was still too much for the relationship we had at the time.

This year, I was excited to pick something for his son, as well as for him and his wife.  I think I made good choices and they were happy.

I made my mother a photo album with a collection of photos from the year, and signed my dad up for a 2-wines-of-the-month club.  They each had little things from me to open on top of that.

Beloved also worked to provide the family with gifts, and helped the girls with projects so they had something to give as well.  I think we showed up with a nice bunch of gifts!

Beloved’s gifts rocked.  He came up with the idea before we left for Europe, and we (amazingly) followed through on it.   We took photos in Paris and Amsterdam, with particular themes in mind, and he had prints made and then matted and framed the prints.  They came out great, and the family was duly impressed.

We were also spoiled nicely.  My brother and his wife gifted us all with fun and personal assortments of gifts, perfect for each of us (J’s stripey knee socks with little toes are great).  My mom and dad got me a Martini set, complete with a recipe book, and my BOOTS!!!  They got Beloved an indoor grill and some socks.  Good socks, though.  Not complaining-inducing socks.

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We had weather issues, though.  Because this is turning out to be a delightful winter, and we are getting snow on top of snow.

This is a good thing.

The storm that brought me home early on Thursday created messes of dynamic proportions.  It was amazing.  I’m not sure I’ve ever been more grateful for my car-less status.  I apparently left work at the same time as the people who were stuck in traffic for up to SIX HOURS did, but I first walked 5 blocks to the T station, then rode the train (no traffic!) for 15 minutes, and then crossed the street and then went around the block to the girls’ school.  Once I had them in hand, we walked 3 more blocks to our HOUSE!  Where we spent the rest of the afternoon watching stand-still traffic out our living room window.

We knew even then that another storm was coming through in a couple days’ time.

Beloved and I wondered if we should change our plans.

We decided no.

But as the storm was closer and the predictions more reliable, we found ourselves more and more on the fence.

We knew we couldn’t skip the trip – there is no other time.  The girls leave to spend Christmas with their father in a week … then Beloved has a school/work trip planned, and there’s just no other time.

So we spent some time on Saturday morning – at my parents’ house – studying satellite images accompanying the various weather reports.  The question was – will we have dinner and open gifts in a rush so that we could get in the car late Saturday and drive 2.5 hours in the middle of the night, to be safe in our own beds before the storm?  Our would we stay in CT a little longer, waiting for the worst of the storm to pass.

I didn’t want to rush the gathering.  I didn’t want to feel on edge, I didn’t want to feel that I could not have a glass (or two or three) of wine because we would be driving (I actually don’t drink even one glass … or even a 1/2 glass … if I’m driving.)

So we stayed.

And driving home today was hard.

But no one would have been able to guess that my Beloved originated in Culver City, California.  The slush, ice, snow and varying temperatures were handled as if he were a native-born New Englander.  He was fantastic, and we are safe.

For now.

The temperature has begun it’s decline from 40 to 17 … all the mid-street lakes and flooded drains are in the midst of a deep freeze.  I think our morning foot-commutes will be treacherous.  And I’ll re-think that statement above about the joy of not having a car.

Although, I plan on taking a cab to work tomorrow, since I have to lug 7,000 pounds of BarBri books to the local office so I can get my $175 bar prep book deposit back … I can’t do that on the T.  7,000 pounds?  Ha!