Before we had dropped Jenna off, I mentioned that I had brought her sock and she could take it and open her gifts on Christmas morning, or she could wait for our return and open one gift each 45 minutes or so. She opted to wait and decided to open a gift each time we stopped the car to get out.
I woke up early and put on my bathing suit. I would have liked for Jenna to have one last swim - which she has never done on Christmas, but I really believed she'd enjoy being at her cousins better. Maybe not. I think there may have been pros and cons with each.
I woke up early and put on my bathing suit. I would have liked for Jenna to have one last swim - which she has never done on Christmas, but I really believed she'd enjoy being at her cousins better. Maybe not. I think there may have been pros and cons with each.
As I sat in the spa, not even remotely
in the Christmas Spirit of activities one thinks of on Christmas day, I found myself pondering upon the reason why
we have this day - well, not December the 25th, but the reminder of Christ's
birth which did not in reality take place in December (see here, here and here). Though we had announced to the boys that this
will be our last road trip to Utah, I realized that my traveling complaints
were out of ignorance (and lack of sleep) and there are others who have or have
had worse than I.
I can't even imagine having to return to
the land of my forefathers to pay taxes.
How would that even work? Would Roland
and I have to return to New Jersey where he was born? or to Puerto Rico where his father was
born? How would they even force that
kind of census today? How many days did
it take Mary and Joseph to go a shorter distance than what we were able to in
just one day? Weren't the wise men (or
kings) traveling for at least two years before they arrived? The Messiah came to us as a babe. I enjoyed the tranquility of water and
allowing myself to relax and be grateful.
It was Roland who felt depressed - not
his spunky optimistic self. He hadn't
slept well either. After we had
breakfast we went back to the room, he
wanted to unwind by watching something on TV.
I decided to get pictures of the hotel - which I didn't think I would do
- but found myself smiling as I took snapshots of the elevator which the kids
enjoyed riding. I took photos of the
tables where we had played games and enjoyed a meal. I took pictures of the dining area, the pool,
the spa, the mitten that was left on the door of our hotel room. A gift from the hotel. I knew Jenna would be impressed.
Some may think we were not wise with our money. I feel bad with the cost as Bill is now out of a job and Tony and his family have to move. Nobody knows what we paid or if there were discounts involved. True, our money could have been spent more wisely, but when I think about it, I was able to breathe in the hotel. I coughed when I swallowed the air outside, but inside I did not have to fight my breathing in addition to sleep. I did not have to use a humidifier. I could breathe. I wouldn't have felt that same sensation around dog hair. That right there made it worth it.
Some may think we were not wise with our money. I feel bad with the cost as Bill is now out of a job and Tony and his family have to move. Nobody knows what we paid or if there were discounts involved. True, our money could have been spent more wisely, but when I think about it, I was able to breathe in the hotel. I coughed when I swallowed the air outside, but inside I did not have to fight my breathing in addition to sleep. I did not have to use a humidifier. I could breathe. I wouldn't have felt that same sensation around dog hair. That right there made it worth it.
We went out to Kayla's to get our
Jenna. They opened the gift which we had
brought for them and I opened the gift they had for us.
Randy dropped by to drop off Bill's laptop and Tony's coat which had both been left at his house. We took Tony's coat to him and visited for a wee bit before getting back on the road - this time on I-80 and through Nevada as the forecast had said it was dry. The road itself was.
We pulled into Winnemucca about 5:30. It felt later than that. I told Roland to go ahead and get us a room as we still had 4 hour stretch ahead of us until the next town. Only two places were open. I chose the motel off the beaten path.
I don't believe Jenna had opened even half of her sock gifts when we arrived at the motel. I noticed an indoor pool and hot tub displayed on their sign - but it was still closed for the winter. As I wasn't really expecting to find another lodging that offered the pool or spa, I wasn't totally disappointed. Jenna was.
She decided to dump the contents of her stocking and open all that was left. The room itself was dated, but it was clean. How blessed we were that Tony and Rochelle had provided us with crackers and sausages amongst all the cookies and candies we had received. As nothing else was open, we made a simple dinner for ourselves with the sausage and crackers.
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| The new figures that we gave them, our used ones we had purchased 3 years ago |
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| I need to retake this picture as it reflects the room where it is hung. |
Randy dropped by to drop off Bill's laptop and Tony's coat which had both been left at his house. We took Tony's coat to him and visited for a wee bit before getting back on the road - this time on I-80 and through Nevada as the forecast had said it was dry. The road itself was.
We pulled into Winnemucca about 5:30. It felt later than that. I told Roland to go ahead and get us a room as we still had 4 hour stretch ahead of us until the next town. Only two places were open. I chose the motel off the beaten path.
I don't believe Jenna had opened even half of her sock gifts when we arrived at the motel. I noticed an indoor pool and hot tub displayed on their sign - but it was still closed for the winter. As I wasn't really expecting to find another lodging that offered the pool or spa, I wasn't totally disappointed. Jenna was.
She decided to dump the contents of her stocking and open all that was left. The room itself was dated, but it was clean. How blessed we were that Tony and Rochelle had provided us with crackers and sausages amongst all the cookies and candies we had received. As nothing else was open, we made a simple dinner for ourselves with the sausage and crackers.
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