December 31, 2014

Maggie was spending the night next-door, and everything went accordingly until Ethan woke me up.  He was in a great deal of pain because of his ear. I spend the next couple hours comforting him,  looking online and trying to find some kind of solution for his ear ache.  I felt so helpless:  throats, stomachs and fevers I know – ears are something that I'm not very familiar with.  Fortunately I found Ingrid's medicine box (a time to be grateful that this poor little girl has such bad allergy problems), so I was able to give him some OTC antihistamines and a pain reliever.  Eventually the pain eased enough that he was able to fall asleep. This is an excellent segue into my “out of town but I still like to sleep naked” issue.  I wear a long skirt I've used  as a “strapless cover”, so I’m still naked while wearing clothing.  I swear I’m the MacGyver of the 2000s.  TMI?

I woke up knowing that it would be a busy day needing to get a lot of things accomplished as we were going to close today.  After a few showings of Frozen with Ingrid, Olivia and I warmed up the trucks to head out to the commissary in 19 degree weather. Yesterday was one of the worst days in traffic accidents in Midland/Odessa  with over 130 car accidents (3 of which I saw myself).  We needed to drop the truck off at the commissary, and so I drove the truck one last time, following  Olivia. Even in four-wheel-drive,  the truck (which is a heavy truck) was  still sliding all over the place.  I always have such adventures with my sister. Our speed was anywhere from 10 to 17 miles an hour… any faster was crazy.

We got to the office and started going through paperwork.  With a drill, we broke into a locked file cabinet  which of been locked since Deanna's death, around six years ago, but it only contained statements…no secret docs or bundles of cash.  It was amazing being in that office…I am taken back decades to when I was a little girl, with old chairs and tables which were outside when the patio was actually an “outside.”    Upstairs in the loft area,  I found old prints buried in dust, and an old wooden sign telling about the upstairs menu.   I was also very  lucky to have found my mother's old sewing box, which still contained the plastics stays for my dad’s button-up shirts,  and a  Mexican clay pot that we kept change in on top of our refrigerator.    I'm taking that home all these little memories to help capture as much as I can, so afraid to leave (and therefore lose) a memory behind.  Yesterday, though, a new thought emerged:  maybe this is truly a new beginning:  there will be nothing holding me to Texas unless I come to see my sister.   This is a good thing and a bad thing. For so long I wanted nothing to connect me, no reason to come here, now I seem to struggle as I cannot find my place, and thus I adventure, I wander…hoping to find my landing spot.

We got back home and I had just about finished unloading the fully loaded car (in very light clothing in  now 20 degree weather) when Olivia let me know that we had to go immediately to get additional documents signed.  “Let’s ride” I thought…but instead of a Harley, it was their new 2015 Toyota 4Runner. Still, you get my point.  There was a 30 minute window until 5 o'clock and once again instructions had been vague, if given at all.   Any other day, there would've been people in the office, but due to the ice over conditions,  both title companies were closed. So we missed it.  After so much struggle, we missed the closing.  The good thing is that despite tomorrow being a holiday, the buyer is a man who gets what he wants, so we’re closing the commissary tomorrow and will get the Midland store in, as well, since the attorney is handling both.  We went to the grocery store to pick up a few items for dinner then the pharmacy to get cold medication because. And then…we glided home.

New Year's eve dinner consisted of delicious baked potatoes and a huge ham given to us from the company we buy corn from to make the corn tortillas.  We busted out the Martinelli's to ring in the new year on the East Coast (We're kinda wild that way), then we finished The Lego Movie.  I only caught the last half hour or so, but after Frozen 2.5 times this morning, plus Dora on a loop, was enough for me.   Later, as the clock was at 11:59 (or, technically, 23:59 as I am on European time), I put down my 5 a Day, and went into the living area where Mags and Ethan are playing on the XBox and we did a group NYE hug, then layered up (not really) to venture out into the frigid still-21-degreetemperature to road-skate and watch fireworks.  This two are my favorite humans.  I have to say that after these few days of experiencing (despite previously hearing the tales from her) this sale with my sister, I am all the more impressed with her.  She is truly one of the coolest people I know.  My little sister is truly my super hero.

So now, despite attempts to post this in 2014, the minutes have slide into the Latest Year.  I'm excited to see what 2015 brings.  Hopefully my kids will stay happy and healthy.  That is my greatest wish.  MAYBE I'll let myself go and I shall meet someone, maybe not.  I wish all of YOU a wonderful and prosperous New Year.  Take care of One Another.  <3

Pictures:  My ice-coated windshield; The Aus-Mex Commissary; One pallet of Aus-Mex corn tortillas; A quiet downtown Midland,