A Day in the Life of Mui: Christmas Break

Warning: This is a long post.

It's been almost two months since Joey and I visited New Mexico. I am barely posting pictures and blogging about it. Better late than never. I just wish I took more pictures. I hope you enjoy what pictures I was able to take.

When I found out my grandpa was ill, I contemplated on whether or not I would fly home. It was decided one Sunday night, that I would go. Joey had one week of school left before Christmas break. Originally, I planned to be the only one flying to New Mexico. I decided to speak with Joey's teacher on Monday morning to see what her thoughts would be, if I chose to take Joey with me. She didn't hesitate and said Joey should go with me. She would send him home with a homework packet. I thanked her, and went straight home and purchased the plane tickets. We were lucky to find a budget friendly flight. We would leave that Friday. Preparing for a last minute trip can be a bit hectic. I had a long to do list. I barely completed it by Thursday night.

When I called my parents to let them know the flight details, I told them Joey could not go, because he had school. As much as they tried to hide their disappointment, I knew they were bummed Joey would not be with me. Four days was too long to keep this secret. I ended up telling my sister and promised her to secrecy. I also made sure that both my parents would be at the airport to pick me up. Friday came and we had a layover in Denver. From there, we would take a regional flight to Durango, CO. It's an hour drive back to my parent's house. All morning, I had to watch my phone calls and texts to make sure I didn't blow my cover. It was snowing when we arrived in Durango. It was a little hectic getting off the plane, but luckily, my parents were not there yet. I had a chance to pause and regroup. I got our luggage and called my dad. They just parked the car. They couldn't find parking, so my Mom stayed in the car, while Dad came to help me with my luggage. I got my phone ready to record his reaction upon seeing Joey. The reaction was priceless. What a surprise. I called my mom and told her to come in and help. We told Joey to hide behind a chair. She walked in and spotted Joey just as he popped up his head to get a peek. It was a wonderful surprise and my little white lies the past four days paid off.

That day we met up with my sister and her kids for lunch. Afterward, we went to visit my Grandpa at the hospital. He was surprised to see Joey. We sat with him until he was ready to go to sleep. It was great to see my grandpa and grandma and the rest of my family. We didn't get back to my parent's house until later that evening. After my day of travel, I was exhausted. That night, Joey had his first sleepover. His cousin Sam stayed the night with us. They played and watched Saturday morning cartoons. I think it's safe to say, they had a blast.

That Sunday, we went to church with my sister's family. After church, we had lunch at my sister's house, and we all went with my Dad to feed the cows and the horses. It just snowed, so the farm was very muddy. It was cold, but the kids did not notice. They were too excited running around and throwing snowballs at each other. At one point, they came to a muddy area and Joey got stuck in the mud. The more he tried to get out the deeper his boots sunk. Eventually, he got covered in mud, and lost his boots. He walked back to the truck with just his socks. The first thing he said to my Dad and Mike (my brother in law), was "Don't tell my mom." They told him, "I think she is going to notice." He was scared of getting in trouble. I took one look at him and I couldn't scold him. It was too funny. The look on his face was priceless. He thought he was in big trouble.

Everyone still had work and school the following week, so Joey and I were on our own. We went to lunch with friends, we spent a day with my Dad, we visited Grandpa, we played in the snow, and we did some shopping. Joey and Sam caught pinkeye and we made an impromptu trip to the hospital. I eventually caught it as well. Not fun at all. This week was a blur, it went by so fast. The weekend came and I knew we had two more days before we had to leave. Two of my brothers came home for a visit. We spent Saturday evening with my niece and nephews. We had Navajo tacos for dinner and cupcakes for dessert. We played charades and we watched movies. Eventually, one by one they all crashed out on the living room floor. Our last full day, we had dinner at my sister's house and we did a white elephant gift exchange. It was a good time and everyone walked away with a fun gift. I said farewell to everyone who came and spent my last evening in New Mexico packing.

The next day, we stopped to visit my Grandpa before we headed to the airport. It was hard to say goodbye. I went through the week, thinking he was getting better and he would be out of the hospital soon. I didn't know at the time, but it would be our last goodbye.

I chose to fly on Christmas Eve, which I don't think I will do again. It was a little hectic. It snowed again and our regional flight to Denver was delayed. I eventually missed our connecting flight to NYC and had to catch a later flight. I arrived back in NYC around 11:00 p.m

My trip was filled with a lot of mixed emotions. I came home to see my grandpa and my family. This trip back home was exactly what we needed. I enjoyed my stay and I wish it was possible to come home every Christmas. For now, I am counting down the months until I will be back in New Mexico. It will be different without Grandpa, but I look forward to spending more time with family.