Let it snow...some other holiday

While I was home in Nebraska over Christmas, the entire state experienced a huge blizzard. This was equivalent to what the East Coast is experiencing right now, except it isn’t a big news story for the Midwest to get snowed in. We had drifts taller than 6’-2” (aka my brother-in-law). The snow started December 23rd and didn’t end until after Christmas. Only a few things were willing to open Christmas Eve (only one service for the church…and they normally have four) and EVERYTHING (even churches…and Walmart) was cancelled/closed on Christmas. Want to celebrate the birth of Jesus…do it from your own living room okay. My father’s side Christmas was cancelled, so thankfully this year I got a reprieve from being followed around by nosey aunts asking why I am not married yet (you like boys right dear…well what is wrong…do you have leprosy).

We were housebound for three straight days and I developed a heavy case of cabin fever. My parents don’t believe in things like cable television, internet, or central heat, so we spent the majority of our time huddled on the couch watching every DVD they own. My Mom has the habit of buying movies that she hasn’t even seen if they are really cheap ($3 or less) at Walmart. She rationalizes this as a good investment since it is cheaper than rentals and if she watches it just once, then it has paid for itself already. Well some movies are sadly not even worth the $3. We started with action/adventure (my favorite) first. Then dramas. And finally the dreaded romantic comedies. Yeah I may be the only girl in the world who doesn’t like a predicable warm gooey heart story where boy meets girl, boy looses girl, boy has breakthrough and then gets girl. You know the story. Anyway, first was The Proposal. Not bad…but I am biased because Ryan R. is such a goofy smoking HOT guy. Next, up was 27 Dresses. Okay, I see the appeal because those dresses are outrageous, but the movie was so not believable…I mean their apartment was huge and cabbie spoke English…so not NYC. I found myself throwing up my arms and shaking my head at every “Manhattan” experience they supposedly had. The movie that made me turn to board games was Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. That is 2 hours of my life that I won’t get back. I would rather get an STD from Tommy Lee than watch that movie again.

Although Christmas was cancelled, I still gave/received gifts. Friends laugh when they find out what I actually want for Christmas. Hey I am practical and live in a small apartment that cannot be filled with a lot of random junk. This year I got: toothbrushes, slippers, leg razors, athletic socks, a sweater, and a box of tampons. Last year it was bed pillows, laundry detergent, and a fuzzy robe. I know pathetic, but I adore these gifts.

A couple of days after Christmas, my parents drove me to the airport. Normally the Omaha airport is NEVER busy because it has six gates and only caters to small planes. I’ve never had a line before…for anything. In fact, I’ve timed it from the point of entering the airport to passing through security, and it has taken only ten minutes. That is even with face-to-face check in because they don’t believe in electronic kiosks there (too many people mistake them for ATMs). Imagine my surprise when the ticket lobby is PACKED. Seriously, line out the door packed. Looking at the crowd, I noticed two things…1) everyone was geriatric old & 2) everyone was wearing head to toe husker apparel. Turns out it was the designated day that all of the Husker fans were flying off to the bowl game. Apparently, this bus was for the UNL Alumni Association…class of 1932. Some little old ladies were hilarious in their bright red track suits with husker embroidered sweaters, pins, visors and two dozen Mardi Gras BEADS. Dare I imagine how they acquired those! I badly wanted to take pictures of all of them but figured it would be disrespectful (or they would trap me into a 30 minute long conversation about rush offense vs east coast style). One woman shouted out “Amen” or “Praise the Lord” every time Tom Osborne’s name was mentioned. Wish I was but I am totally NOT KIDDING. It was like being at a southern Baptist revival.

My flight was headed to Chicago. Apparently it was plane “B” for all bowl travelers who didn’t book the non-stop San Diego flight. If they would have played the fight song over the intercom, we would have crashed from all the stomping and clapping. I sat between two corn farmers. NOT KIDDING…real life corn farmers. They declared that only Husker football would make them leave during the planting season (or harvest, or plowing, whatever, I don’t know jack shit about corn farming).