This post was private but I wanted to use it for my decade rewind

Travel tips
We did a lot of travelling this year.
From May to August we spent every weekend travelling, we went to Evansville for the Step-Daughter's world series, we went to the UP and explored heavily, we hiked more than usual, we went to several beaches on the west side of the state and generally had a blast; until August.

My Dad came up to Michigan in Early August for my Uncle's Wedding celebration, (their wedding was in Florida in May, but they had a reception for family in August.) He looked ok, was slowing down but not terribly, still sharp, still played guitar for the whole family, about Saturday morning he said he gut hurt, and that he would go to the hospital when he got home because it was only a "bowel obstruction", but he really had far too much to accomplish while he was in town.

Fast forward to Thursday of that week, me calling to make sure he and his "girlfriend" got home, and "Well Dee, I'm at Piedmont Mountainside, and it looks like they're admitting me.  Appendicitis and it ruptured.  I'm going in for emergency surgery sometime tonight, but first they're sending me to Piedmont Atlanta.  I love ya kid, gotta go."

And I calmly, but quickly, gather my work accoutrements and get the F out of my office.

I decided going home and waiting for news was the best thing I could do, I made Steve stay home from work because he worked in Kalamazoo and if I was going to have to run down to Atlanta, I didn't want to have to do it by myself.

WELP.  The "girlfriend" called at 9:30 saying that everything was horrible and that she was sure my Dad was going to die.  I only said "I'm on my way" and called my former step mother Susy to find out her take on the situation.

She knew very little about what was going on, and Karen, the aforementioned "Girlfriend" wasn't keeping her updated.  See, there was a problem already brewing.

Suzy was to be managing my Dad's finances while he was in the hospital or unable to mange them, Karen was to manage his DNR on file with the hospital and reiterate his wishes.

Well, Karen told myself and Susy several times she didn't think she could do it the last time my Dad had a scare.
As next of kin, and my Dad being in a really bad way, I had to make tracks.  But, I didn't get paid til the next morning, and Steve was again scheduled to work.  Being as we didn't have confirmation it was the end yet, Steve had to go to work the next night.  So, 13 hour drive to Georgia starting at 11pm because I had to borrow a few bucks from my family to make it down.

I'll skip the rest of the details, but I was down there roughly 5ever.

We've basically stayed put ever since.  I would like to travel more, but holidays+work+pretending to give a shit...

Anyway... Back to "work."