Brownsville-bound... or at least, McAllen

I bought my plane ticket for Christmas this week. Do you have any idea how much it costs to fly into South Texas?? No, Mom, it's not that I live too far away, it's that the Valley has such small, crappy little airports that it's just too much effort to fly in if you're not on Southwest that they charge you and arm and a leg. Either way, for about the same amount that I put a down payment on my car, I get to fly from Raleigh to McAllen. It was way too much money to fly from Charlotte to Harlingen or Brownsville. So, I have to get up way early to make a 6 a.m. flight (that's 5 a.m. to you guys in Texas) on Thursday (Dec. 20) in Raleigh, which is two hours away. Then I land in McAllen at about 10:30 (central time) and drive to Brownsville. Yes, I'll be grumpy that Thursday, forgive me.

Sadly, I fly back on Christmas Day because I have to work early the next morning. So, it's the same trip, just backwards, and maybe not as grumpy.

But I'm looking forward to coming home for the holiday. I haven't spent Christmas in Brownsville in years. Years!! Mexican Christmases are definitely different from Redneck Southern Christmases, to begin with, there won't be sausage gravy on the stove on Christmas morning. Or maybe there will be... it was good! I know it won't be cold, it's South Texas, after all. But maybe I won't have to wear shorts.