Roller Coaster Christmas Vacation

 I’m back from my blogging holiday hiatus! I spent the last 9 days in a cabin in the middle of nowhere recharging my batteries and resetting my stressometer, doing not much more than reading, watching tv, and drinking wine. I had no internet access, limited cell phone coverage, and no responsibilities other than to relax. How can you NOT relax in a place like this?  

 But when you share a cabin that’s just shy of 1,000 square feet with 6 people and 1 bathroom for 9 days, well, it’s inevitable that you leave with some interesting stories.
 It was magical seeing the snow falling when we woke up on our white Christmas morning. It was crazy that we lost power for a good 15 hours when the temperature dropped into the low 20’s. And it was unfortunate that my poor mother-in-law lost a whole day to a nasty stomach virus. But the most interesting story of my Christmas vacation was my disappointing date night.
 Mr. Roller Coaster and I had the rare opportunity to plan not just a date NIGHT, but an entire date day that would trickle into the night and through the next morning. We left our kids at the cabin with their grandparents and made our way into a nearby town.
 We started at a winery, where we ate lunch followed by a wine tasting. Then we checked into our hotel, and since we had a couple of hours to kill, I took advantage of the hotel’s free WiFi, while Mr. Roller Coaster took advantage of a quiet room to nap. I was lost in a week’s worth of unread emails when I heard a strange noise over the music in my headphones. When I looked around, I realized Mr. Roller Coaster was no longer in bed. And I also realized that the strange noise was Mr. Roller Coaster retching in the bathroom. He had caught his mother’s stomach bug.
 Farewell to a night of good food, plentiful alcoholic beverages, and adult conversations. Instead of getting dressed for a night out on the town, I was at the grocery store buying saltines. Instead of sharing a romantic dinner, I was reading a magazine while eating pizza alone. Instead of pouring wine, I was pouring ginger ale. I spent the night trapped in a hotel room with a vomiting husband, staying as far away from him as possible so I wouldn’t breathe in his germs.
 The night wasn’t completely lost though. I played on my laptop until it died (because why would I think to pack my charger on an overnight romantic getaway?). I had a novel to read and blog posts to write. If my date night was ruined, then at least I’d make the best of it.
 It turns out my father-in-law caught the bug that afternoon as well. And my kids had the bug before we got to the cabin. So I am officially the last man standing, the lone survivor. Let’s hope those snotty kindergarteners I teach built up my immune system enough to fend off this virus!  But overall, it was a wonderful Christmas vacation.  To quote Mr. Roller Coaster: “It was a pretty mellow time.  Other than the puking and diarrhea.”
 What’s your most interesting 2010 Christmas story?