Because of my speeding ticket (damn ticket!) I couldn't afford to do much of anything this holiday. Christmas found me at my grandparent's home in Bakersfield again this year.
T and I drove up on Friday evening. Funny story about Friday. My grandma D was giving a hat or a dress (can't remember which) to one of my little cousins and wanted me to make a scarf to match. However she told this to me a week before x-mas. That week found me knitting a pink scarf like mad every chance I got. I finally finished it Thursday night, and intended to take it to work the next day and mail it during my lunch. Well typical me, I forgot to take it to work.
So I planned to rush home during my lunch break and mail it off then. 12:00 hits and I am flying out the door. I have one hour to get to my home (15 mi; 20 min), pick up the scarf (5 min), run to the post office and put together my package (2 mi; 15 min), and then rush back to work (15 mi, 20 min).
So that was how it was supposed to go. I realized the lines at the Post Office would probably be long, so I did have some foresight to prepare the package before I left work so I could just stuff, seal, and go.
This is how the trip actually turned out: Run home (15 mi; 18 min!), pick up scarf (2 min), head off to post office but get stuck in very, very bad traffic on a surface street with road construction (2 mi, 25 min!), give up on ever making it to the post office and head back to work (15 mi, 20 min).
So I get back to work 5 minutes late, and kind of realize that the office is looking a little empty. Thinking everyone has headed back to their offices since lunch was over, I didn't think too long about it and went to my desk and started working. I was trying to figure out when I would have a few minutes to spare so I could try yet again to run to the post office when one of my co-workers pokes his head in the door. He asked me if I knew how to activate the security system. Now why would I need to know something like that? He replied so that I could lock up when I leave. Well, why won't the usual lock up people be here? Because "They" gave us the rest off the day off! "They" announced it during lunch!!!!
So I rushed back to work for no reason at all!
Anyway I ended up making it to the post office and getting the scarf sent off so g-ma D could get it the next day on x-mas eve.
Funny story about her getting the package. I sent it express USPS for next day delivery and called g-ma D to let her know it was on its way. G-ma D has a few last minute things to do on Saturday and headed out on some errands. She got back home around 12:00, and goes inside to check her mail. She knew the package was too big to fit through her mail-slot, so she checks the door first. No package. So then she checks the mail-slot. No package. So then she opens the door and goes outside to check the mail-slot. Hmmm, a pink delivery notice slip. "We tired to deliver a package to you but you weren't home"…blah, blah, blah. G-ma freaks out! She had just missed the package! She jumped into her car and started driving up and down the streets looking for the postman. She finally found a truck and pulled up next to it waving the pink slip. The post-guy looks at it and says she has the wrong truck, he doesn't deliver to her house. He tells her to try 9th through 5th between A and L street. So g-ma starts looking again. She finally goes out of the "grid" and heads down to 4th when she spots another post truck. She doesn't want to accidentally approach the same postman, so she waits and watches him as he delivers to a few houses. Convinced it's not the same guy, she jumps out of her car and runs up to him with the pink slip. Yes he tried to deliver that package! and he has it right here in his truck! Yeah g-ma!
So x-mas ended up happy for everyone. I made off with some books, a knitting-pattern-a-day calendar from g-ma D, a beautiful silver bracelet from my nana, some g-strings from uncle D (thankfully it turned out his wife, aunt S, bought those) and a gorgeous purse and perfume from dad and mom.
Happy New Year!
