But I did it anyway - got up in the middle of the night and drove to Philadelphia to pick up my son who had been in the wilderness and incommunicado since early September. I was afraid his flight to Newark overnight wouldn't get here because of the storm and, because of Lee's forecast, I knew that he had a better chance of getting into Philadelphia. So I drove, 4 a.m. south on the Turnpike, in torrential rain, with other drivers going way too fast, with spray everywhere, with visibility sometimes nowhere, and with my hands firmly grasping the wheel.
Who knew I could hold my breath for 2 hours?
And it was all worth it, to see my boy - ha! He's taller than I am - and hug him and try hard not to break down in front of him because I missed him so much. (So not cool for an 18-year-old to have his dad cry picking him up at the airport, right?)
My daughter, away for her fall semester since August, returns early Sunday morning, and then our family will be reunited. And so as I write this, and prep our 11 p.m. newscast, there is indeed much to be thankful for. I'm so lucky - 3 incredible kids, an amazing spouse who keeps me focused and balanced, and a job that astonishes, surprises, challenges and fulfills me every day.
Lucky indeed.
That's my Thanksgiving, 2013.
Our Thanksgiving eve newscast will include the latest on the storm that roared through. Meteorologist Lee Goldberg nailed the forecast again, and has the long holiday weekend AccuWeather forecast. Jim Dolan is outside with the tough-driving roads that will be icing over tonight. And our Michelle Charlesworth is at the balloon inflation for tomorrow's big parade.
We'll have any breaking news of the night, plus Rob Powers with the night's sports. I hope you can join Sade Baderinwa and me, tonight at 11.
One more note: this column will resume on Monday. I'll be working Thursday and Friday - so tune into Ch. 7 if you can.
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