Being Thankful (and Other Adventures)...

This is how I felt when I finally pulled into my sister's driveway!

This Thanksgiving, as I do every year, I headed up to Long Island to see my family.  My sister is a great cook and I get to see my nephew, sister and brother-in-law, aunt and uncle and of course, my parents. Gina's home is very inviting and it is a pleasure to hang out there and enjoy a good meal and good company.

Normally I leave at 8am and head up and generally it takes me two hours door to door, which is great timing for a trip to New York from Southern NJ. This year, I decided to leave at 9:30am. BIG MISTAKE! It took four hours to get up there and I had to resort to side roads at the end of the trip just to finally get there.

I had expected to arrive no later than 12 noon and it was almost 2pm by the time I rolled into Syosset. It was a very very long drive, to say the least. Driving the way that I go is also a bit of a stressful drive too. We are not talking about driving through a meandering, scenic route. We are talking about driving  up the NJ Turnpike, crossing into NYC via the Lincoln Tunnnel, driving THROUGH NYC and dodging taxis, buses and crazy drivers from out of town and then going through the Midtown Tunnel and onto the Long Island Expressway, which is its own unique nightmare. Yikes!

The worst part of the trip happened at the half way point. I always stop for a bathroom break at exit 11 off the turnpike. There is actually a logical reason for this: If I hit major NY traffic, I have at least had one bathroom break and can usually make it to where I need to go without needing an additional break. Plus the rest stop off exit 11 on the NJ Turnpike is the last one heading north before the Lincoln Tunnel exit. So it is all carefully planned. This year, as I got off the exit for the rest stop, I noticed a sign that said "No food service at rest area". Hmmmm...what does that mean? I figured there was just no food service. But they had to have a bathroom, right? Well, they did. Only it was not quite the bathroom I expected. And of course, at this point, I had no choice but to use what had to be the grossest, dirtiest, most disgusting port-a-potty I have ever set foot in. I literally wish I could have floated because I didn't even want my feet to touch the ground. I am still gagging in my head as I type this. Utterly horrid!

My nephew called at the 3 hour point and said, "Aunt Julie, where ARE you? Why is it taking so long?" It is hard to describe the trip to a 5 year old. It was truly ridiculous! I tried to explain but he was having none of it. He handed my sister the phone and when she got on she told me that he had no idea what I was talking about. That is a direct quote, by the way, from my nephew. By that point, I didn't have a clue either!

Fortunately after that mess I was able to make it for the rest of the very long drive and all went well, besides the traffic. But what's a little traffic on Thanksgiving...

Normally I leave at around 8pm and sit in four hours of traffic going home. Well, after the trip from hell going to my sister's I decided I was NOT doing that. I stayed until 11:30pm (thanks for letting me stay late, guys!) and got home in two hours door to door with not a smidgeon of traffic--woo hoo!

I took some pictures for my sister and then a few snapshots throughout the day of everyone that joined us for the holiday. Overall it was a lot of fun--good food, good company, good stuff to chat about, hugs from my nephew...totally worth the drive from hell. I love and miss my family and getting to spend some time was truly priceless. I would drive four hours to spend time with my family any day of the week. And I am sure I will again soon. After all, Christmas is coming....

My Aunt and Uncle

Shadow and Lauren

My Sister's Inlaws