Stuck......Literally

Here I am. In the Memphis airport. Me, my carry on bags and Carrie B. Stuck.

Lets see. At last count I've had 2 flight delays and 4 cancellations in the past 24 hours. My initial plan was to leave yesterday afternoon. However Mother Nature had other plans. Her ass dumped a foot of snow Saturday right after my grandfather's funeral. As soon as I upload the pictures I will post them. Of the snow, not the funeral. (LOL) I was first in denial that it would snow in Tennessee. Especially since I only packed my red round toe pumps to wear to the funeral and my yellow suede loafers. Can we say ill-equipped?? "Come on. You're not going to get any real snow here in Tennessee" said like a typical New Yorker like whatever they get pales in comparison to anything I've seen. Then waves of shock and awe covered me like the snow enveloped the town my father lives in. Tree limbs fell under the weight of the snow. Power was off on a few streets (thankfully not my dad's). Liquor stores closed early (which apparently was a blow to the party going on at my aunt's house later that night.(..that's another blog for another day. hahahahhaha).
Sure I said I wish I had more time to spend with my family. But did I really need a snow storm???

While it was sad that a funeral brought me here, I really am grateful for the time I got to spend with this side of my family. I almost got up during the family remarks portion of the funeral. My heart wanted to say something about while I may not have had a relationship with my grandfather, he must be proud of the sea of descendants sitting before his coffin to pay his respects. But my booty stayed planted in the pew as my mouth punked out and kept quiet. I met soooo many cousins I can't even keep names straight. Everyone was described by an article of clothing and where they sat. LOL Most of all, i got to spend time with my immediate family and most importantly, my brothers. I have 2 brothers, 12 and 13 years younger than me. While I am tight with my sisters, I've never felt that close of a bond with my brothers until this weekend. Blame it on the large age gap or blame it on the "you're a boy what the hell do I talk to you about?" Whatever it is, beyond courteous greetings, we had nothing to talk about. This weekend I was granted the opportunity to really chat with my brothers. We shared jokes, swapped stories, learned new things about each other. My baby brother even offered to carry me when my shoes got stuck in the mud when we were leaving the burial. It was sooo sweet to experience this relationship with my brothers. Like Sally Field, I was stoked that "they like me. they reallllly like me."

So here I sit. Stuck in the airport with another freaking delay but comforted that I am firmly planted in the fabric of my Tennessee family. And I guess I have Mother Nature to thank.

Sidebar: With my bday being tomorrow I am plagued with fear that I will spend my birthday in an airport. Now THAT would be a story to tell but one I pray I won't have to write. LOL