The Howell Family: January 2013

About three weeks ago, Scott got offered a trip up to Spokane to watch the Gonzaga/BYU basketball game. The tickets came from an insurance guy that Scott does a lot of business with, and we take trips with him a lot, so we both know him really well. When Scott told me about the trip, and asked if I wanted to go, I broke into tears and said, "Yes. Please take me."

We have been fighting off colds/coughs/flus for the past month. It has made it's way through just about everyone. I was the first one to get it, and because I'm pregnant and so run down, I've never gotten better. I'm the one constant in this rut of sickness that has gone through this house. I'm exhausted. I haven't talked much about this pregnancy since the beginning, because there's not much good I can say about it. It has been really rough. I wonder daily if I'm going to survive till the end. My body is just old and worn out and is having a really hard time carrying this baby. So the thought of getting away for a night was beyond wonderful.

Scott had a credit on Alaska Airlines from canceling an Alaska trip last Fall, so we used that to buy plane tickets up to Spokane. Nate (the guy inviting us) said he'd pay for our hotel and take us to dinner. Scott had a big Albertsons meeting Thursday morning that he had to be to, so we got our tickets to fly out Thursday afternoon. We'd arrive just in time for dinner and the game, and then we'd leave Spokane the next day and be home Friday evening. Now I just had to find a babysitter.

I knew of three girls that were currently home from BYU waiting to leave on missions, so I was hopeful that I'd be able to get one of them for overnight babysitting. The first two couldn't do it, but the third said yes.

And then on Friday, less than a week before our planned trip, Scott called to say that the trip was off.

I've got to give a little background here to understand why the trip had to be cancelled.

Scott does insurance for big companies. His biggest client (and biggest commission) is Albertsons. For months, there has been talk that Albertsons (well, Cerberus, the investment company that owns Albertsons) had plans to buy out SuperValue. This would be big for Scott, so we watched the news for months with our fingers crossed. His sources said they were pushing for a deal to go through by the end of the year, so as December came to an end and nothing had happened, we wondered if the deal was just off. And then in the middle of January the news broke that the deal had gone through.

We cautiously celebrated while Scott waited for details on just how many stores would be brought over to be managed by Albertsons. And then the work began. He began to compile spreadsheets of insurance data from current Albertsons plans compared to the plans of the SuperValue plans that would be coming over. He's been pretty swamped with it. And the big meeting where he would have to present all his information was scheduled for this past week on Thursday morning (the morning before we were to leave for Spokane).

So, Scott called last Friday and said they had moved the Albertsons meeting from Thursday morning to Friday morning, and he had to be there. So, we had no choice but to just cancel our trip so he would be here for the meeting.

You could say I was more than just a little disappointed. And I may have had a slight emotional breakdown Tuesday morning. And then, Tuesday night, Scott and I were sitting on the couch - me on the laptop checking email, him on his phone checking email. An email from Scott popped up on my screen. It said I had a massage scheduled the next day at 3 at the Grove Hotel, downtown Boise. I got teary eyed and looked over and asked him, "Why?". He said, "It was the only local hotel I could find that had a spa located in it." He then went on to explain that he'd talked to our babysitter, and she said she'd come over and stay Wednesday night so we could still get our night away.

So at 1 the next day, I said goodbye to my two little boys (the rest were at school) and started my little get-away with my husband. We stopped by Savannah's class to listen to a presentation she was giving. Then we had lunch at Subway before heading downtown to The Grove. We got checked into our room, then Scott walked me to the spa. He told me he needed to run over to Albertsons (just a few blocks away) and meet with Mike (the HR guy there) for a few hours to get things lined up for their big meeting. He told me the meeting would be done at 5. I assured him that it was fine. After my massage, I'd just head back to our room and read a book I'd brought and enjoy the quiet.

The massage was wonderful. I've been fighting tension in my neck, shoulders, and back for weeks now, and the massage melted that all away. After the massage ended (4:30), I headed back to the room and pulled out my book to read till Scott got back. We were planning to go to a movie and dinner that night. But, as the hours ticked by, I realized our plans would have to be simplified. Scott walked into our room at 7, feeling terrible that he'd taken so long. I assured him I was just fine, that I had really enjoyed the time to sit in quiet and relax.

We bundled up in coats and gloves and walked over to PF Changs for dinner. We had a warm, cozy booth in the back of the hotel and enjoyed talking and laughing over a delicious dinner. We finished dinner at 9, and decided we'd never stay awake through a movie that late, so we just headed back to our room. We kicked up our feet in bed and watched TV till we fell asleep. It was so relaxing - no little kids to put to bed, no cleaning to have to do, no homework to have to help with, just the two of us relaxing.

The next morning we had plans to check out at 11, maybe window shop in some of the downtown stores, then head back home. But, Scott's cell phone rang at 8 am. Thinking it might be the kids needing something before heading to school, I got up to check it. "Scott," I said, "It's Mike." He told me to just let him leave a voicemail. Five minutes later it rang again. This time it was Ron, Scott's boss. This time Scott got up and listened to the voicemails and started to return calls. It didn't take me long to realize that our getaway was done, and we'd have to return to real life. So, I hopped in the shower, we got packed up, and we checked out early.

Scott apologized the whole way home about having to cut things short. I assured him that I understood. We hadn't been gone long, but it was long enough to give me a break, and I really appreciated that. I knew how important this account was for him, and I appreciated him taking the time that he did for me in the middle of it.

We stopped at a Starbucks on the drive home and got hot chocolate and muffins, then he dropped me off at home and headed off for more Albertsons planning. The next time I saw him, was after the kids were asleep and I was in bed for the night. He came in just before 11 Thursday night, ate dinner (he hadn't eaten all day), then came to bed. He was at his office the next day by 7 to be ready for his big meeting at 10.

I'd love to say that all his craziness is done now that the big meeting is over, but really it's just the beginning. I have a feeling that I won't be seeing my husband much over the next couple of months. But, every time I might think about complaining, I'll remember how wonderfully sweet he was to take me on our get-away.