Thrilled for her desert drive

They tell me I'm hyper this morning.

Well, I'm EXCITED.

I've got a car loaded with STUFF, and I'm ready to drive my little tush (actually not so little these days) nearly eight hours across the desert to spend the holidays with family yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!

About two (?) weeks ago, I was out to dinner with Alex, and I realized that I could, without taking any time off work, manage a trip to Tucson, arriving in time for Christmas day to spend with my brother, his wife, kids, and in-laws.

So I'm doin' it!

Here's the best part -- the kiddoes don't know I'm coming.

YAY!!!!!

My family's big into surprises.

I myself have traveled cross country at least three times to surprise one or more family members of my arrival: once to Indiana, once to Chicago, once to L.A., in a quick offhand count; there may have been other occasions. Oh, and every time I surprised my dad specifically.

When I was in high school, my big brother Kelly surprised us by showing up at the door for Easter. Another time he drove all night long to spend 10 minutes tee-peeing my parents' bedroom for their anniversary, only to pile again into a car with his college friends to get back to campus and take a test.

I once got on a train with Kelly, deciding I wanted to spend the weekend with him. This was before we had cell phones, and I didn't ask or tell my parents that I was going with him. When I phoned them later, Mom didn't seem to care; Dad was less amused.

We love to surprise and, I think, be surprised.

And it seems that Kelly and I do most of the surprising. Anyway.

I'm curious to see what kind of audience my 3 and 5 year old nephew and niece will be, though, for this weekend's surprise. Alex joked that they may just be as kids are sometimes, not all that taken aback by my sudden presence.

I'm obviously hoping for more of a response. My other brother's son is too young to probably know who I am, but Pat's kids are old enough -- and Skype with me enough -- that I think they'll realize who I am without being prompted by their parents.

Anyway, we'll see.

Did I mention I'm excited?!?!?

I got a little over zealous -- and haphazard -- in packing. It went a little something like this:

• Carry the crap ton of presents for the kids to the car.
• Bring in things like the crock pot that's been sitting there since Saturday in from the car.
• Pick things up off my cluttered bedspread. If staying, shove it somewhere in the bedroom. If going, shove it into a tote bag for the car ride.
• Take clothes out of laundry basket -- that's full of clean items that have been sitting there since Saturday -- and put them all in suitcase. (It will be an interesting weekend, wardrobially speaking, but with me, when is it not?)
• Wash all but a few blankets in the household. Forget to use dryer sheets, yelp a little as I pull apart staticky fleece throws and sparks fly. Fold blankets and shove in now-empty laundry basket. (Eight people will be crammed in a house this weekend, so I'm doing my part in providing sleeptime warmth for the crowd).
• This morning, take all three vases of my anniversary flowers from Alex, place them in a box with a T-shirt for padding. Carry to car.

I even tried to stop at the drugstore before work -- to get a memory card for the camera Alex bought me! -- but they were closed. Which just proves that the rest of the world should be hyper when I am. Can that be arranged? Great.

See y'all in the desert! Feliz Navidad!