And I kept driving...

I left town last week. I had work in Spokane. It's about five hours away by car. I was looking forward to the drive. I had my iPod. I was going to rock whatever my heart desired, as loud as I wanted. It was going to be a good day.

Both of my kids were sick. My mom, who had broken both collar bones the week before was watching them for us. My dad had just left town for a work trip.

I went to the Seahawks game. They lost--BAD.

Then I hit the road.

Water bottle-check
Gum-check
Tunes cranked loud-check
Seatbelt-check

On my way out of town I tried to call my Grandma to let her know that I had gotten started an hour earlier than I had thought I would.

I tried her house, no answer, slightly odd.....So I tried her cell, no answer, VERY weird.

An hour later I got a call from my Grandpa. He had taken my grandma to the emergency room. She was having severe pain in her abdomen, and she was puking. She had just had surgery the week before and he wanted to make sure everything was okay. I told him that Ty had woken up with a 104.5 degree temp. (they had been sharing a water bottle the day before) I asked him to let me know what was going on, keep me updated.

And I kept driving. In the opposite direction. Away from my sick kids, my broken mom, and my grandma who was in this horrible state of limbo.

Running through my head was-- This is what I do for my family. I work. This is my job and this is just what I have to do.

Every mile as I worried about my grandma it got harder and harder to keep the car heading east.

I finally called my mom, okay it seemed like forever but it was probably only a few minutes. But it had been long enough to get all sorts of things running through my head.

My mom hadn't heard about my grandma yet so I filled her in. I managed to get to the end of the story before I started crying. Then the thing that started the tears, I told my mom that the only reason I was still driving was because I KNEW she would call me if I needed to come home. I said a few times. I needed her to tell me it was okay to keep driving.

I drove, but I cried for miles and miles.

I'm very protective of my family, I hold them very close to my heart. Don't mess with my family.

I kept going. heading away from my family when all I really wanted to do was go home and scoop them all in to my arms, kids, mom , and grandma, and protect them. Comfort them. tell them everything was going to be okay.

This is what I do. I work. It takes me away from my family at the most inopportune times. Sometimes I hate that I work. Sometimes it the hardest thing I do. But it's what I do for my family.


I'm home now, my kids are healthy, my dad is back in town, my mom is still broken but mending, and my grandma--not sure what was wrong with her, but she is off an adventure in China right now.

Everyone survived the week that I was gone.