Wednesday, February 10, 2010

When perspective slaps you in the face

Tyler is going to be gone for what amounts to almost 5 days at the end of the month. He's going to work all day Monday, fly to Denver Monday night, be there until Friday morning when he'll fly home, then work all day Friday. Denver is where the people who are in charge of his project physically work, so he occasionally goes up there for some face-to-face time, just to make sure everyone is actually on the same page, and it doesn't just look that way, you know, on paper, or email, as it were.

I briefly considered my options as to what to do with my time. Option 1: drive to see my sisters and parents in Southern California. Pro: Sisters and parents. Con: both sisters and parents have full time gigs that would prevent most all socializing during the day. Also, 9 hours one way. Option 2: drive to see my other sister in Draper. Con: 12 hours in the car. No way.

Being that I was drawing my possible driving circumference at about 1 hour, I realized I wasn't going to go see anybody, except maybe my friend Emily, who lives about 2 miles away, i.e. I am going to stay at home. By myself. During Rodeo Week when there is no preschool. All day. Me and the kids. All. Day.

I started feeling sorry for myself, maybe, a little bit.

Then yesterday, I was transcribing some genealogical-type papers I got from my mom. They were typed up legal sized, and I wanted them letter sized so I could print it out easier. One was called "Sketch of Eliza Collins Hunsaker, Daughter of Allen Collins, a Welshman, and Mary Broady, Scotch." If you're Mormon, you are probably related to Eliza Hunsaker, or, more specifically, to her husband, Abraham Hunsaker who in the end, had 5 wives and over 50 children.

Eliza was Abraham's first wife and they got married in 1833, when she was 15 and he was 20. They joined the church in Illinois after harboring a number of members who had been driven from their homes by mobs. Soon, they too were driven from their home. They loaded up their wagon and headed for Council Bluffs (near Omaha), in preparation for striking out across the wide prairie to who knows where. (It ended up being Utah, if you don't know the story.) While at Council Bluffs, the call came for 500 men who were needed to volunteer to fight in the Mexican War. Abraham signed up and left his wife and six small children with aught but a covered wagon for shelter for OVER A YEAR. Eliza had a brother who lived in Council Bluffs who offered to house her and her children on the condition that she renounce her husband and her religion. Spurning his offer, she lived in that wagon (and later, a crude log cabin) until her husband had walked clear to San Diego and back. He was gone from July 1846 to the fall of 1847.

Yeah, so. Maybe five days isn't so long.

8 comments:

vwbabe said...

I love this post. It helps to have a little perspective in all things. I hope that you have a good time and don't go too crazy...Good luck.

Carrie G said...

good post. the Ashby girls also have a great great something grandpa who walked to the Mexican War..maybe he was friends with Alexander.

The Clark's said...

I can't even fathom what the pioneer women went through! What an awesome story and good for you for doing your genealogy! We'll get together lots when Ty is gone because Brad did the same thing and it sucks to be home alone. Maybe we could do an Easter craft next?

Bridget said...

*shudder* There is a reason God didn't send me to earth in the pioneer days.

I hope you survive!

Tyler Ball said...

Did I mention I have to walk to Denver? turns out it might take a little longer than a couple days.

Anne said...

I disagree. I think you should totally come to southern california. At least it will give you SOMETHING to do. So you won't be going out of your mind. PLUS i have a lot of time off now that i don't work ;)

Carrie G said...

sorry, I mean Abraham

Rileigh said...

yes, but it still sucks. From experience I can tell you that once you get past the third day everything becomes a blur and it's not so bad. Though I have to say things like cleaning and regular meals kind of go out the window. My suggestion would be to plan one fun thing out of the house for each day and do it, and make dinners super easy and fun, think pancakes. course you are kind of a super mom who probably already does stuff like that. And did I read that right, your preschool is canceled do to "rodeo week"? Where do you live?

Tyler do you need special shoes to walk so far?

Related Posts with Thumbnails