I’m all caught up, I think - from the last of last week’s MMP, as well as the current one. Whew!
First off, {{{flower}}} and {{{meli}}}
And just because he’s so cute when he whines, {{{BBBobbio}}}
Speaking of cute - HRH is just a doll. **swampy ** was cute too - who’d’a thunk it?!? 
Oh, what the heck {{{MMPers}}} - 'cause I missed ya!
I’m going to spare you all the ugly details, but I do have to share some parts of my trek south.
1 - We got on the road shortly after 3 on Saturday morning. First stop was just across the bridge in Virginia to fill the tank and get some caffeine for the first leg of the drive. Not a mile from the gas station, the Check Engine light came on. After a brief discussion, we turned around and went home. We offloaded most of the stuff from the van into the Scion. Look up a Scion xA on like - that’s what we drove to FL - 2 adults, 2 dogs, 2 totes, 2 pillows, plus presents, dog food dog beds, and a CD case.
2 - Back on the road just before 5 - yep we lost some time. The ride was OK till about mile marker 43 or so in South Carolina. For those unfamiliar with the US interstate highway system, on routes headed north and south, mile markers start at the southern border of a state, and increase as you go north, so we were about 43 miles from the Georgia state line. It took us *TWO FREEKIN’ HOURS * to make it to Georgia from there. There were times when we just sat, immobile, on the highway. Then we’d start moving, thinking the obstruction was cleared, only to slow, then stop again.
I said to **FCD ** that there durn well better be a schoolbus full of nun, orphans, and puppies on fire that was causing the delay. But there was nothing. We saw no evidence of accidents or giant sinkholes or alien attacks, or flaming nuns and puppies. And once we hit Georgia, we were doing 70 MPH without problems (except when we got the the construction zones - even there, we kept moving)
3 - In Florida, finally! Our exit was the one just south of the airport exit. That section of road was narrowed for construction, so not only did we have the I-95 traffic, but we had all the people trying to get into or out of the airport in a constricted artery. But once we got past that, getting to Ocala was uneventful. We arrived around 8. Do the math - 17 hours from door to door. One good thing - the guest bed at the inlaws is now a queen size, not a double, so we slept well.
4 - Sunday - overall, a good day. **FCD ** was working (he’d taken his computer) and I did a gazillion Sudokus. We took his folks out to a late lunch/early dinner. I took Bernie and Scruffy for a bunch of walks. Fences are not allowed in the community, so when the doggies needed to pee or poo, they needed to be escorted. Scruffy figured that one out really quick. :rolleyes: Plus, she bullied MIL’s dog - poor Abby hid from the Scruffster.
5 - Monday - got up early and drove to Orlando. Took daughter and future son-in-law out to lunch, then rode up to see the wedding venue. We were very pleased - it’s even prettier than on line, although we couldn’t see the inside, except thru windows.
6 - Monday evening - dinner with daughter’s future inlaws. We’d met them all last year, but there was a new addition - her FBIL’s boyfriend was there, so there were 11 of us crammed around a dinner table that would have been crowded with 8. But the food was good, if excessively plentiful (she made carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, ham, turkey, shrimp, rolls, and probably other stuff I’ve forgotten…) and the conversation was fun. Afterwards was gift time - and our hostess ignored my specific request and had gifts for us. (We had passed the word thru our daughter the we preferred not to exchange presents.) I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but she doesn’t know me, and after I threw away what she’d given me last year (dollar store apron?? Inedible chocolates - yes, there is such a thing) I didn’t want her wasting her money. Well, we came home with dollar store holiday hot pad/tea towel set and some gingerbread mix. Apparently, she’s an obsessive shopper. Oh well.
For me, the best part of the evening was FSIL’s gay brother - and not just because he gave us a restaurant gift card. When we met him last year, I thought he was an absolute hoot, and he was even funnier this year - I think it had to do with the kahlua in his coffee. His boyfriend was really nice, too, if quiet. He’d said something that led me to believe his family isn’t as accepting as we all were, and for that, he was given a big hug by our hostess. He seemed very much at easy in this crazy group. Nice as the evening was, I was glad to get out of there - we had a long drive back to Ocala.
7 - Christmas - daughter had come back with us, so we had more time with her. Fiance had to work (yeah, Universal Studios was open on Christmas) and he was coming later in the day. BIL’s family showed up shortly after noon, and I was shocked to see my nephew (this is the one who spent 2 weeks with me 2 summers ago) He’s not quite 14 and he’s already taller than I am, and very good looking. Lucky for him, he’s adopted, so he doesn’t have BIL’s ugly genes. 
Seriously, when he was 5, we knew he’d be a tall boy, and I’m guessing he’ll hit 6’3", and since he’s Russian, he’s blond and handsomly Slavic. And a real wit.
We had a humongous dinner around 2. The food was good, as usual, but one thing I didn’t understand - my MIL started cooking the green beans at 8AM - for dinner at 2!! :eek: In addition to an overloaded table, there were 2 pies and several kinds of cookies, but, believe it or not, absolutely nothing chocolate!!! Buncha heathens!
We did another $10 goofy exchange. It involved pantomime, rearranging presents, passing left and right. Sweetie and I each ended up with folding camp chairs - we actually got good gifts this year. It made up for the vaporizer and the nutcracker we ended up with last time. FSIL arrived shortly after BIL and family left, and by 9-ish, the house was quiet and empty again. Which was good, because we had to crash early.
8 - Weds morning - **FCD ** and I got up at 5. By 5:30 we were dressed, the car was packed, and we said our goodbyes. The trip was much smoother northbound, mostly… We were adjacent to the base where I work, and northbound traffic stopped. We did a quick u-turn to fill the tank one last time (glad we did) then got back in line. For over an hour. Sitting on 301 north. There was an accident on the bridge across the Potomac. And for those unfamiliar with this area, the next place we could cross the bridge was in Washington DC - over an hour to the north. So we sat. Finally, about 7:30, the accident was cleared, and we got home after 8 - just shy of 15 hours.
For the record, the trip shouldn’t take more than about 13 hours (depending upon how long/how many rest stops we make.)
As soon as I got out of the car, I heard the cat yowling in the house. We unloaded the car, fed the critters, sat for a few minutes, then crawled into bed.
Off in a few minutes to take the van back to the shop.
Ho ho ho.
But yes, he’s apparently quite genuine and just a really good guy. Which is really nice to hear!