No, I'm not talking about the movie that TBS plays for 24 flippin hours. The one that I complained about in a previous Christmas movie post. I'm talking about the story that my parents will have to tell for many Christmases to come.
Earlier in the week, my parents drove to Amarillo to see my grandparents. The plan was for them to come home on Christmas eve and we would have Christmas day at their house. We always have Christmas eve at Brian's parents then go to my parents for Christmas day. It makes for an easy time especially when the time comes for us to have kids. It helps that our parents live in the same town too.
Anyway, back to the main story, my parents did leave Amarillo on Christmas eve morning BUT they didn't make it to Waxahachie until 10 o'clock on Christmas morning. The trip should have taken 5-6 hours but because of the weather, it took 25 hours! My parents made it to outside Wichita Falls and sat on the road for 8 hours. Around midnight, they made it Jolly, which is on the other side of WF to a truck stop. There they finally got to eat something and slept for a few hours in the car. They were joined by tons of other people that were stranded. It was quite ridiculous and kept me and Ali very worried. We kept getting different reports but initially mom and dad were stuck on the road because of 4 trucks that had jack-knifed. Then the tow trucks that came to help them out got stuck. Then other cars tried to drive and got stuck. People were trying to get off the highway and got stuck on the off ramps so no one else could exit or they would get stuck too! I just couldn't believe how crazy everything was! The roads were backed up, obviously, for miles and miles. I can't imagine if you were sick or just needed a bottle of water. You just had to sit there and wait because there was nothing anyone could do to help.
So needless to say, Ali and I spent Christmas eve worrying about mom and dad sleeping in their car at the truckstop and then driving the rest of the way on the icy roads. I hated that they had no food and they didn't have a warm bed to sleep in. I was feeling very Scrooge-ish.
But I learned two things: if I ever decide to be in Amarillo during the winter, I will a) likely fly and not drive and b) NEVER decline a big breakfast or sausage balls to go from Nonnie. Both of these were mistakes made by the parentals :) I also learned that, while my selfishness and Scrooge-ness stemmed from the worry that I had for my parents, I am lucky that I had parents that were coming home to me and my sister. I am lucky that they made it home safe. I am blessed that I have family to care about and worry about. There are people out there that have to sleep in their car every night, even if it is 13 degrees outside. There are people that went hungry on Christmas day. There are people that had no family to come home to. My family is so very blessed and I am thankful for our "Christmas Story" that reminded me of that.
Also, on a funny note, my parents were behind a Bud truck on the road and the driver got out and opened up his truck. No, not to hand out beer to the people that had been sitting in their cars for 8 hours (although we thought that would make a perfect commercial) but to fill his own pockets with some bottles and head back to the cab :) Don't worry, he didn't drive anywhere for the night!
While it was an eventful Christmas, it was also very blessed. We enjoyed our (short) time with family and got some great gifts. I only took a few pictures but I will post those later. I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas and appreciated your loved ones and the time spent together.
Much Love!
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