Day to Day

Friday, January 13
Yep I am traveling on Friday the 13th! Susan wanted to buy me a new ticket to travel on a different day and looking back on that day if I knew then what I know now I would have taken her up on it! I woke up in the morning with a terrible sore throat, barely able to speak. Marisa had a cold a couple of weeks back but I didn’t get it so I thought I was scot-free. NOT! I guess it has a pretty long incubation period. Anyways, I get up early enough, run to the grocery store to get some cold remedies, realize that my digital camera is not what I had hoped it would be, spend half an hour on the phone with Erika and buy some disposable cameras, so pictures will have to wait. Kathy gamely battles LA Friday morning traffic through downtown to get me to the airport by 10am for a noon flight (Thank you!) Curbside check in very smooth, security, take off my shoes (I thought ahead and wore slip ons), remove the laptop from the carry on, no ma’am it has to go in its own bin, “sorry to hold up the line everyone”. Go through no beeps, ok off to the terminal. Terminal #66! Yep it’s the Van Houten curse, the farthest terminal possible. I stop at a Jody Maroni's and get some French fries to tide me over. Walking, walking, walking, how big is this damn airport?! Get to the terminal and commence waiting. Pull out my laptop and iPod and realize that not only is neither charged enough for me to use but also I don’t have my headphones. Damn! That’s okay I’m early but not enough that I can’t just read for a while. Announcement “Sorry folks, but due to weather in Chicago we will be delaying our 11:55 flight time to 1:20 with a boarding time of 1pm. Okay now I had a LONG wait. Ok, go find a diet coke and buy some cheapy headphones and find a plug to charge off of. Mission accomplished, sit and wait. Boarding is ok, but due to the delays of all the flights to Chicago there are a lot of standbys and they all fill up our empty seats. We are squished like sardines, I felt sorry for the guy next to me who had another woman on his other side bigger than me. Very turbulent flight, very hard landing in Chicago the winds were gusting up to 40 mph. I have since missed my 6:15 connection to Detroit and got booked onto a 9:20. Lo and behold that one has been delayed to 10pm due to rain and snow in Detroit. Duh! We actually don’t board until 10 and then get off the ground until 1030. Another rocky flight that sets my stomach on edge. I really thought I would use the bag on this one; I have developed a migraine, feel nauseous and just am not a happy traveler at this point. I get to Detroit in one piece and call mom from my cell, she is on her way. Thankfully my luggage made my connection as well and are the first 2 bags off the plane. It is stuffy and crowded inside and I head out the door to wait for mom. Although there were lots of smokers around the door, some very smart designer/architect installed heat lamps around the entrances for waiters. Those came in very handy at 12:30 in the morning while waiting for mom to arrive. Home and bed and call it a day!

Saturday, January 14, 2006
Erika tried real hard to let us sleep in, but who can sleep when there is a sopping wet cute little boy running around the house? Jackson was up and not in too good of a mood. I had a gift that I brought for him and I figured this would be a good time to give it to him. It would distract him from whatever he was cranky about and would break the ice from him and I. Dopey Donkey came out to play; this is a very cute little donkey with a backpack full of books. He enjoyed both and quickly turned back into the happy little boy we all know and love. A nice breakfast made by mom and we were off to run errands. Kmart, Meijers and possibly a payless, little boy willing. Not all occurred but Erika spent the best 99 cents of her life on a pinwheel that kept Jackson occupied and content for quite some time. Home again for a nap. Then spaghetti dinner with Aunt Rita, 1 Jackson meltdown (what would you do with a WHOLE stick of butter?) and a download of Snood to get mom and Jackson hooked. (Thanks Sean!) All in all a good day and night, but my bed is calling my name.

Sunday, January 15, 2006
Up early to go to breakfast at a Coney Island. Why don’t we have any in LA? We used to go to a Coney Island on most corners when we were kids. I can still think of the one on Vernor near Lawndale, off of Ferris. And the one near Holy Redeemer. Yummy! Breakfast was very delicious. Jackson ate so much Erika was very impressed. Of course he was facing mom and I the entire time, so she didn’t see how much was all over his face until the very end. Trick: Try getting jelly off of your top lip using only your bottom lip. Jack figured it out! A quick trip to the Salvation Army and back home we go. Naps all around! Isn’t vacation grand?! Up for an early dinner with Dana, Jeff, Steph and Arn at a great steakhouse and home for some fun games and yummy cake and ice cream (Happy belated Birthday Gretchen!). Steph and Arn brought Scene It. This is a DVD trivia game that Adam has been asking me to buy for a long time. Now that I tried it and know that many of us in the house would play it I will probably buy it very soon. Sorry Adam it took so long! Not so early to bed, we have an early flight in the morning. Ft. Lauderdale here we come!