Well, this week has been one hell of a wild ride, that’s for damn sure.
Monday morning, I got an early start before 5am, and I was on my way to Winnipeg, to collect Angel for a heartfelt reunion after 19-months. We hit a few snags along the way but, after a couple minor hiccups, I was there, and everything was okay.
She made me a dish that she’d been telling me about for years called Ragout de pattes et de boulettes, which takes two days to cook, along with green beans, pumpkin pie, and some good company. Despite being sent away from the border because of the stupid ArriveCAN app, and some stress… it was a good day.
Unfortunately, due to the big storm that blew in, we had to change our plans a little. So, Tuesday we got up early, did a little shopping, went out to the thrift store, and dim sum with her mom, and once we had her passport, we took off back towards home.
As it turns out, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t outrun Mother Nature when she’s on a rampage. We drove right into the storm, about 15-mihutes past the border we saw flurries. After that, it truly began to snow. By the time we hit Grand Forks, it was a whiteout and we couldn’t see more than 6-inches in front of the Jeep. It was crazy.
I was worried for awhile there, until we came across some semis and work trucks, and together formed a little convoy. I followed their lights, others followed behind us, and we eventually made it to the Flying J travel station in Grand Forks, ND where we found out I-29 was closed down from the Canadian Border all the way down to Fargo, North Dakota.
We went inside, and talked to some of the truckers who’d gathered to chat with the cashier, and they suggested that we just stop at a hotel, and hole up until Saturday, when the storm was supposed to blow over and stop enough for the highway to reopen. But, we’d already made it so far, we didn’t want to stop. We weren’t ready to give up yet, not when we’d already made it so far. So, instead we rerouted around the major highways, skipped over tolls, and decided to crawl to Fargo, where the blizzard was supposed to turn into rain.
Let me tell you, those first couple of raindrops on the windshield felt like our salvation. They meant that we’d finally made it out the other end. Minnesota was shit. There were so many terrible drivers, and multiple times I almost had someone clip my car, swerve into my lane, and nearly take me out. We had to stop multiple times in Minnesota because my anxiety was on full blast with the way people were driving but, when I made it into Wisconsin, I felt safer.
Eventually, we did need to stop for an hour for me to take a nap- where, I apparently screamed in her face when the alarm went off. But, by that point I’d been driving for 21-hours straight so, I’m going to assume that I was just in a state of complete exhaustion. You know, shit happens, right? In that time, I guess someone tried to knock on the window to get me to move from where I was parked, and she glared a hole through them.
After my nap though, we wound up doing the final leg of our trip. There was laughing, talking, singing to the radio and the road trip playlist. We bitched about how badly our backs, and butts, and everything else hurt. Then we came home, there was tears, and hugs, and cold wet snoots, and then there were grilled cheese sandwiches and naptime.
Is road trip lag a thing? Because if it is, the both of us seem to have it. One second, we’re fine, and everything is okay, and the next it’s like the exhaustion just set back in, as if we never got to sleep at all. My shoulders are still sore after the way they got held up during the drive but, even that’s going away with time.
Yesterday, we did the Easter shopping with my grandma and my little brother. We got our ham, potatoes, and whatnot, as well as a couple essentials for the house. We also went to breakfast/lunch at Whistle Stop! Then, last night, we made filet mignon, a veggie medley, loaded baked potatoes, corn, and my grandma made these butter fried mushrooms that she grew up eating- and they might be my new favorite thing.
April 14th, was also Koda Bear’s 8th Boofday! I can’t believe we’ve had the chonky, stubborn, wonderful little brat for so long already, and I wish Mom could’ve been here to celebrate it with us. So. While we had our fancy dinner, he was given a good dinner, and afterwards, he got a vanilla sprinkle cupcake. He absolutely LOVED it!
Then today was a little more relaxed, we went out and did the major grocery shopping together before cooking up some gorgeous thinly sliced steaks we picked up at Piggly Wiggly for taco meat for dinner. We also took the remains of the veggie medley from last night’s dinner, and the remainder of our skillets from Whistle Stop, cracked some eggs in there, and scrambled it all together to make ourselves a hash that we used our portion of the steak strips on.
So far, I’d say that we’re having a blast.
I’m so happy to have her back, and I know that the fun will only continue from here on out!
-Sky
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