Cartilage and Carcasses

This Thanksgiving found us joining the masses of road warriors, traveling from house to house to see all of the family.  I don't think we will typically journey to NG's family for this holiday, since it's about 11 hours from home, but this time we were invited to NG's dad's 70th birthday surprise party and couldn't resist.  In order to miss the bulk of the traffic, we went to my family 3 hours away first, then traveled the rest of the way to NG's family on Thanksgiving day.  It worked out pretty well, aside from the regular crap that comes up when you drive that far........exits with no re-entry, rain, etc.  We were driving a rental Impala (no mileage limit on the insurance rental from my accident, so why not?) and that made it harder.  What car designer makes a car without cup holders in the back seat???  Insanity, especially when a car that big is clearly a family car.  If only that had been the only design flaw.........it POURED rain for the last 5 hours of our trip on Thursday, and the handy-dandy traction control system in the car just about wrecked us several times.  Terrible car.
The trip was fun, though.  The party went off without a hitch, got to spend some time with NG's sister and dad's girlfriend/long-time fiance/acts like a wife, got to see snow, and met lots of people that I've heard lots about.  Apparently TM didn't like going up there and refused to go after TD was about 2, even though they were still married, so NG drove 11 hours ALONE with her for several years.  The trip feels like a piece of cake for him now that I'm here.  His family is very nice to me, very welcoming, and appreciative that I, I don't know, participate in their life?  It seems as though TM opted out, just wouldn't go up, wouldn't interact when they came to visit, and just generally acted poorly.  Its weird to me because they're very nice people!  TD LOVES to go up, her cousins live on a farm and she loves to help with the animals, this trip she got to feed a calf from a bottle which was just the coolest thing.  She cried for 3 hours Monday night when everyone went home. 
NG did quite a bit of hunting while we were there, it was good for him to spend some time with his dad and brother and friends and he really enjoyed himself.  TD and I were just hanging out when they all (all 11 of them) descended upon the house declaring NG's dad got a doe.  My first clue was when NG's dad showed up in the kitchen bloody.  Ew.  It was quite the ritual to watch, I'll have to elaborate another day.  TD watched them gut and skin the doe, much to my surprise, and decided to take a hoof home to show her mom.  That went over about as well as you would think, TM was not amused. 

The cartilage piece is less fun by far.  After my accident my chest was sore.....I knew that it pretty much came with the territory, chest x-ray was normal, life goes on.  Well I clearly didn't give myself enough time to recover before our trip, and found myself picking up kids and hauling around luggage and cases of beer for the party.  When I woke up Sunday morning I could barely move.  I sneezed this morning and it hurt so badly I stood in the bedroom and cried.  Luckily I work with nurses and doctors who were nice enough to make sure I didn't have pneumonia (I have a cough that hurts like hell) and that I hadn't broken a collarbone.  That all checked out fine and the doc helpfully told me I have something really awesome called costochondritis, better known as pissing off your cartilage to the point that it yells at you every time you move.  And holy Lord don't cough or sneeze whatever you do.
The honeymoon is 4 days away.  A hurricane hit there around the first of November, but we've been assured everything's fine.  My luck is not so good these days, so I'm unconvinced but hopeful.  I think 7 days on the beach picking up nothing heavier than my margarita is just what the doctor ordered.