Returning to the States was a bittersweet experience for Tim and me. We were happy to be back in the USA but were really missing Ireland and our new friends there.
We arrived back in Minnesota at midnight on October 19th, and as we were driving on I-494 in Bloomington my Mom’s car was gently tapped from behind. Immediately afterward a car flew past us on the left with its rear bumper on the concrete median, creating an array of flying sparks. The car then returned to all 4 tires and skidded across our lane and into the side of a small semi, spun around and came to a halt in our lane facing us.
Fortunately, my Mom has good reflexes, and we have guardian angels who were doing some mighty work that night! We were unharmed, my Mom’s car received only two small scratches on the rear bumper, and the state patrol and emergency response vehicles were on the scene faster than I could complete an immediate call to 911. The driver was uninjured, though he appeared and sounded drunk, and fortunately no one was harmed despite the car being totaled. Eventually we were cleared to leave the scene, and continued our journey back to Fergus Falls, arriving there around 3:30am on Tuesday, October 20th.
Tuesday was a travel-recovery day, and we both made the most of it! Wednesday was crammed with appointments and on Thursday we packed our bags again, drove back to Minneapolis with my Mom, and slept a few hours before arriving at 3:30am at the MSP airport for what would be the first of 5 airports on Friday. Yes, FIVE. We flew to Denver, had a short layover, then on to Salt Lake City. We spent several hours at the Dressing Your Truth Salon and Store, all three of us being pampered by the fabulous Emily! This system of understanding myself and other people (Live Your Truth) has revolutionized my life, and the added layer of adding fashion and beauty has proven extraordinary useful. If you’re interested in knowing more about yourself and why you do the things you do, check it out! Tim and I both love it! That evening we returned to the Salt Lake City airport and flew back to Denver, rented a car, and drove an hour to our hotel in the Denver Tech Center (DTC). That night we also slept only a few hours.
The next day, October 24th, was the day of my PhD graduation from the University of the Rockies, and the events began at 10am with the Golden Key International Honour Society induction, a brunch at 11:30, and commencement at 2pm, followed by a reception with cake. The entire day’s events took place at the Colorado Convention Center. We had PF Chang’s for dinner, and my fortune cookie contained the message shown in the photos below: “Prepare for an exciting trip to soon come your way.” Hmm. Foreshadowing?
When the day was over, we were all grateful to return to our hotel and (after my mini-meltdown) crash for the evening. On Sunday afternoon we flew back to Minneapolis and then drove the 3 hours back to Fergus Falls. The next week Tim and I both had our annual checkups with Dr. Gus in Walker. I was given a fully clean bill of health, and Tim was good as well with only a minor ailment discovered, for which he has begun treatment. We are both grateful for the drastic improvements in health for both of us! Now we just need to address my fallen transverse arches and Tim’s strained shoulder muscle, and we’ll be better than we’ve been in years!
We were delighted to have sessions with our good friend and Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner Shauni Hekkanen that same week, and also to have dinner with a great friend of mine from high school (Ben Roehl), his significant other (Brandy Vredenburg), and his Mom (Pat Roehl, who was a surrogate Mom to me during high school). It was great to catch up and reconnect, and we feel blessed that they would take time to share a meal with us.
Something big was looming on the horizon for the Doctors Rice during this time, and in the next post I’ll share more details about what we are doing now. In the interim, enjoy a photo from our trip of Tim and me with our good friend Mike Lynch, after enjoying some fish and chips at McDonagh’s, an iconic Galway restaurant!
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