Ugh

We had another bad night with Madi.  Well, maybe bad isn't the word.  I think they went to bed around 9 and she was up at 4:30.  UP.  Pedro had to go to work so I was stuck with her.  Oh yeah, I said stuck with.

I knew, KNEW, she'd fall asleep around the time that the alarm would go off and she didn't disappoint me there.  She has a behavioral therapy appointment today.  Which is fine but it kind of screws up my day.  I know, I'm a sucky mom.  I don't live for their enjoyment.  Or something.  And I don't know if Melatonin is working so well.  I remember before I had kids, thinking that I'd NEVER pump them full of drugs just to make my life easier.  What drug are we on now?  We're a family and we have to function.  We all need sleep, even little poopie head. 

I want to go back to work.  Yes, I'd like some autonomy or whatever that word means (I've been up since 4:30 ho bags) but I also want to be able to take care of the family in case something happens to Pedro.  And how can two incomes be bad?  I know, I know.  Not if it something or other the family.  Look, Lily is tired of this crap and so am I.  It's like we're stuck in a rut.  So let's git this wagon down the road. 

I think I start work next week.  Not really sure.  I have been offered a job.  But they are still doing the background check.  weeeee!  Anyway, I could crash and burn or it could work out.  Just don't know.  But I'm tired of not trying things because of all the things that COULD go wrong. 

My other motto this year:  Do your best.  That's all I can do.  (Other motto: Let it go) 

I should write a book or some crap.

Alright, time to get to therapy!

Whoops

So, hunger and caffeine don't go together.  After making oatmeal for the second time (thanks oatmeal volcano in my microwave) I'm calming down a bit. 

I think that having a special needs kid can be stressful.  There are huge degrees of how a child's development can be affected.  And I would never compare them to each other.  Madi has a genetic deletion.  There's no getting around that.  But with therapy and school, she's gaining ground. 

My goal is to live the best life that I can with what I've got.  And what that means to me is, fixing what isn't working and letting the shit go that I can't control.  Neither of which is easy, by the way.

There isn't enough room in the kind sized bed for two kids and an adult anymore.  We need to move on that bunk bed quickly.  And we've been out to look at some but there's never exactly what we want or it's so expensive.  Pedro has things he's concerned about, I have mine.  But if life is going to get better, we need to move on that. 

I'm working on getting Madi that waiver.  I want to get both girls in a daycare.  It's doable, I just need to breathe and take one step at a time.  I think step #1 is nap. 

What?

O.M.G.

Breathe in, breathe out....

Holy smokes.  So Madi's teacher told me about this waiver you can get for your special needs child.  It helps cover expenses for equipment or respite care you may need while caring for them.

FOR THE LOVE OF APPLE PIE COULD THEY MAKE IT ANY HARDER????

Holy crap. 

Anyway, so I have called someone for the THIRD time.  He talks like Alvin the Chipmunk on crack.  After two calls I finally have his name right.  Okay, just the first one, but we're getting there. 

So this whole thing is stressful and makes my tummy feel funny.  I just want the waiver form so I can print it out and start on my quest for obscure doctor's notes and test results.  I don't want to have to read what other stuff you qualify for.  It's hard enough acknowledging the depth of her needs without considering how much worse it could gett.

I'm glad there are procedures in place (however shakily they may be implemented) that help with older caregivers.  Will I be able to handle a Madi tantrum when I'm 60?  I'd better keep on lifting weights.  Where will she live if she can't live with us?

Now, I know I drive myself into a tizzy.  Forest, trees, etc.  She's been talking a lot and I'm hoping it continues.  However, I think it's prudent to consider the what ifs so I'm prepared.  I have this driving concern about money.  It's not going to fix her but having it will go a lot longer to help with her care than having none.  Was that even English?  My stomach is still doing flips from those websites I had to comb through. 

Anyhoo, my damn point is that I want to go back to work.  I'm even willing to go back to school.  I want a good higher paying job that is flexible enough so I can deal with sick kids or staff days or whatever.  The reality is that none of us are getting younger.  I have some physical issues.  Pedro has his.  Madi is getting older and stronger. 

You know what I'm getting at.

Anyway, I think I need some bourbon in my next coffee.  Mercy.  For the longest time, I didn't want to go back to work simply because of trying to deal with all of these issues.  It's so much.  But, Madi is older and hopefully her development continues at a steady pace.  I'm trying to just be positive.  Whew.

I feel like going back to bed. 

The High Road

It sure ain't all it's cracked up to be.  I've worked really hard on making myself a better person.  And I don't mean better outwardly (although, I am cute) but being a happier, mentally healthier person.  So I can enjoy life and my family better.

This, of course, means that I've changed.  I don't think in huge ways, but I'm less likely to tolerate negativity, from myself or others, and therefore some relationships have become strained.  I have tried to make these work but the longer time goes on the worse it gets.

It's hard, isn't it?  Letting go.  But I've battled low self esteem for too long to slide back into unhealthy partnerships.  If I was being completely honest, part of me wants to scream fuck off!  But I'm trying to be mature and end things on a good note.

So far, this doesn't seem to be happening.  And it's funny, that I was talking to the behaviorist and he basically said the Kung Fu Panda thing "one often meets one's destiny on the path they take to avoid it".  (we were discussing something about Madi) No matter how hard I try to avoid this, it's coming.  No matter how hard I try to do the right thing, in my mind, it just is not working. 

Have you ever let yourself be hurt so that you don't hurt others and it just blows up in your face?  I've been like that for about a year.  I must have a masochistic streak that I didn't know about.  Anyway, I'm trying to do one more thing, just one more.  I'm trying to think of a literary equivalent.  The Old Man and the Sea?  (shut up) I will reel that damn fish in.  No.  This is about letting go. 

And I'm not really being hurt by this person because I see the negativity they are coming from.  I'm certainly tired of it.  People grow apart.  Some are willing to let go and move on and others are not. 

And this year has been about letting go....  Peace.

So...

I just had a peanut butter/nutella sandwich.  I think I managed to find the one combination that doesn't go together.  My stomach is making warning sounds.  I guess no gym for me!  Just kidding.  If I have to put up with old people smells, they can handle my rough morning.

What?

Crazy week ahead.  I tried vacuuming Saturday morning and the roller brush wouldn't move.  Every single damn vacuum I have ever had was easy enough to get apart so you could see if the band that turns the brush was broken or what.  Not this vacuum.  We loved it because it was a leaner build and easier to operate with great suction.  The screws were recessed and even when they were all out the damn thing wouldn't open.  I went all Hulk on it and uh, kind of broke it.  I guess it was the kind that you have to send out for servicing.  Well, screw that.

So vacuum shopping.  Fun or what?  Ugh.  PB Nutella burp.  oof

I also need to get something for Lily's class's basket that they auction off at the fall festival.  I have donated chocolate for Madi's class but keep on getting notes that they need more.  Tough crap if they ate it all.

I mean.  Whatever.

So I want to get some fuzzy dice for Lily's class but I just keep on forgetting.  Argh.  I also volunteered to man a both.  Was I high?  Good grief.  Crap.  And I have to help a friend print out some flyers and stuff for her booth since her printer isn't working.  Not that hard just need to remember.

Tomorrow, we see the behavioralist.  Wednesday, I get my next tattoo and it's going to take three hours.  However, it's going to be awesome and I'm very excited.  Thursday, I think I have free, but I'll probably be baking for Saturday's festival.  Friday, I want to go up to Orange with my friend Mandy to talk to a lady that owns her own coffee drive thru.  I think that with all of the demands on my time, having my own business isn't such a bad idea.  But I'm just getting ideas.  I could be open 6 til noon. Come home, grab a nap and be ready for the girls.  Just an idea.  :)

So yeah, I'm trying to chill on my future planning because I am in a tizzy.  I've done some soul searching and decided that I really need and sort of want, to place my family first in my life.  We're going to know each other for a long time, hopefully, so let's make it as good as we can.  :)

GAH!

I'm so tired but I promised myself that I would write in the blog today.

So, yesterday or today, who knows, Madi was playing with an empty toilet paper roll.  I took it from her and showed her how you could peek through it and look at things.  She got the idea right away and had fun snooping at me.

Later, I try to feed her and pop a Fruit Loop in her mouth.  She takes it out, sees it's a circle and holds it up to her eye.  She can't see through it so I hear, clear as a bell, "bull shit".

If that doesn't prove she's my grandma reincarnated, I don't know what will. 

She's doing well.  Not at her age level, but learning new words and really grasping them.  We got up to 17 today before she cheated.  Counting, I mean.  So there's a slow but progressive development and that's what's most important. 

For me?  Well, I have a busy week.  Work might not start til October, which is fine because now Pedro has some training that goes til 5.  *eyeroll*

Not his fault, just how life is. 

Anyway, I would like a permanent part-time job.  But money is also fun, so we'll see how this job goes and keep on looking for the next.  I'm still in shock over how my life has just taken off.  It's fun.  :)

Peace!

Good grief

How did all that time get away from me?  Oh well.  I do feel bad for poor little Madi (year, right).  I was gone for a week, Lily was gone for almost two and now her daddy is gone for a week.

I'm going to assume that's why she's punching me and pulling my hair in the middle of the night. 

I went to see my doc today and she and I were discussing our special needs kids and the thought dawned on me, maybe Madi is tired of sleeping with us?  I mean, she's pretty attached but I know she punches me when I snore, and gurl, can I snore.

I'll have to think about that some more.

So, sleep still an issue.  Crap, I'm supposed to be emailing Dr Norwood the specialist.  Crap.

So the girls are back in school.  No I didn't take any pictures.  lol  This is what, Madi's third year and Lily's 3rd too, I guess.  Let's just say that Lily's shorts matched her backpack.  And leave it at that.

In other news, I had a cyst on my thumb popped.  I tried to get it but it was too deep.  Dr froze it then lanced it.  I hated it: kept on waiting for it to talk to me.

In other, other news: freaking love having time to myself again!!!!!!  It's been busy and I can't wait to for things to even out but it's still been great.  And Brewster can be let out of his crate to roam around so he's a happy camper too. 

Oh and I was really down about Madi and her slow progress.  But her teachers and therapists are excited.  If only the little pecker would sleep.  Damn.

Back to "normal"

Not to go on and on and on about it but going to Sydney and being spoiled by Liz really did have an effect on me.  I'm wearing jewelry as I lay in bed and type this out.  lol  Okay, what happened was we were at a mall in Bondi Junction and we were kind of wandering around.  Okay, I was wandering.  Liz is shark when it comes to shopping - swoop in to get what she needs and then out.  I think I drove her crazy but she kept it pretty well hidden. 

Anyway, I see this jewelry shop and it's called Pandora.  Also, I see a sale sign.  We go in and I see the design them yourself bracelets.  I keep on going because they aren't really me.  More of those put em together things.  I think, gee this place has a lot of Pandora and then it hits me.  It's a Pandora store.  *eyeroll*  Anyway, I'd never seen their rings before.  Liz and I went a little crazy as they had a massive sale.  She totally stole my ring but we both have the same style.  So it's like we're connect even though we're thousands of miles away... awwwww.  Shut up.  So I'm wearing those rings.  And they had perfume massively discounted at Myers. 

What happened was that Liz wasn't paying enough attention to me (snort) so instead of asking her if I could spray her arm with perfume, I just sprayed her back.  Well, she got a little cranky so I told her that I would just spray the perfume in front of our faces.  Well, once she got her vision back she complained about me macing her.  It has now been renamed "gagaded".  As in Lady Gaga perfume.  "don't Gaga me, dude"

If you will.

Apparently, you had to be there.

Anyway, I'm wearing Versace Yellow Diamonds.  Because I'm not pretentious.  While laying in bed, with my rings on, typing stuff up on a laptop.

What?

I haven't even been eating much (you have to really know me to understand what that means).  Food has just lost its flavor.  Liz was a fantastic hostess but I think she ruined me.  On purpose.

I truly am good at blaming other people.  It might be a superpower.

Five?

A selfie on the way to Quay.

Great day, does this trip ever end?  hahahahaah 

That's my awake at 5:45am humor.  Thanks, Madi.  I am extremely glad that I went to bed early last night.

Anyhoo, onto the story...

Darling Harbour. Pretty no?  Where the aquarium is.

So I screwed up and put day 4 and 5 together. I've been travelling over 24 hours now and I'm a little off my game.

Yes, that is a platypus butt.

Friday we had a spa appointment so we just lounged around the house until it was time to go. I'm still sore from that massage but it's a good sore. It was a nice way to work out the kinks from so much traveling. Then Friday night we met up with Rob and Jose again at an Indian restaurant. It was good. I guess really good but I sort of missed the crappy Indian food that Liz and I used to get.



She seriously spoiled me. I chose pasta for dinner on the plane and I thought "could it be more overcooked?" The whole Quay thing just... If I wasn't a fussy pain in the ass before going to Australia....

The dugong did a roll in front of us.  Only four in captivity and two are at the Sydney aquarium. 

We did drink the bottle of red that I brought with me. It was a Barbera Reserve 2006 from Barboursville vineyards. I sat on it a few years (not literally) and it was just lovely.

How cute is that face?

Anyway, Saturday morning, Liz went out and got us some more bread (seriously, she spoiled me) and we had some Nutella and freshly baked spelt bread. It's almost like cake. Healthy, cake. We got to the airport and after waiting with me, we said our goodbyes. *sniffle* She told me to hang onto some AUD because of the shopping at Sydney and I thought, yeah yeah, it's an airport.

It was behind glass and I still almost messed my pants.

Holy shit. It's like a damn mall in the airport. It's phenomenal. I got more perfume and a sheepskin pillow. Totally unrelated purchases. They had sheepskin rugs for cheap but as much as I loved mine growing up, I know it won't survive the girls or Brewster so I erred on the side of caution and just got a pillow cover. It's lovely don't get me wrong.

My new bestie.

OMG Just the stores and wares available. Incredible.



On that note, the sun is going down and I have about an hour til I arrive in Richmond. Yay!

Day 4?

Well, sorry about that.  I was quite jetlagged.  I traveled close to 20,000 miles in a week and it caught up with me.  I've been up since 5:45am.  Anyhoo, onto the story...



View from zoo.

 Well, Wednesday we went to the aquarium. Not sure that I put up pics yet. I'm writing on notepad on my last flight home so that I can write about things before I forget them. And let's be honest, some thing are already lost to the ether.

Frickin' tiger would NOT stop moving.

Liz and I took a bus to downtown Sydney. What a stunning place that downtown Sydney. It's busy and crazy but there's still a sense of decorum. Anyway, we were hungry and hit a food court. I took the wrong escalator up (not hard to do) and we ended up in a department store. Now, Liz had told me that I was crazy for shopping in Sydney because it is freakishly expensive. Anyway, of course, I am there during a crazy two day, inventory sale. Cha-ching!

The giraffes were so cute.  I can't believe they can bend their necks like that without breaking them!

After doing some damage we head to the Sydney Aquarium. omg How much fun was that? Bear in mind that it's summer vacation in North America but it's winter break in Sydney so there were a lot of kids around. (fist shake) First up were the platypi. OMG Liz said she's never seen them so active. We watched one catch a prawn and eat it. Then I don't know, we wandered around. There's a thing called a dugong that's a lot like a manatee. Liz thought we wouldn't see it but of course, it came right up and did a little roll in front of us. Amazing. This is in one of the underwater tube/tank things.

Then we hit a small gift shop. The most stoned person in the world works at that gift shop and that's all I'll say. She was very sweet but her short term memory makes me look sharp. I found some great stuff and on we went.

The giraffe swooped down to get her carrot.  That's me laughing because she didn't kill me with a head butt.  The keeper is freaking out next to me.  Ninja.

Are you sensing a theme? So then it was the shark tank thing. I think my feet were hurting by then. So then I think we headed home to get ready for dinner with Jo and Lynn. I'd met Jo a few years ago when she was travelling with Liz down from NYC. She's good people. Lynn is my long lost sister from another mother. We had a lot in common. I knew I struck gold when she refused to eat anything with mushrooms in it. Anyway, we had a fabbie time at a Thai restaurant. If you ever have a chance to have banana blossom salad, have it. It's stunning.

The requisite koala pic.  They don't let you hold them in NSW.

So that was pretty much Wednesday. Let's see Thursday was more shopping, this time at Bondi Junction. Again, I manage to hit it lucky with stores that either have never had sales or haven't had one in years. That's just how I roll. After shopping, we needed to head back to get ready for Roar n Snore at the zoo. You camp in permanent safari tents inside the zoo. Hence roar and snore. Anyway, being winter break it was chock full of people. But I think everyone behaved themselves. Well, everyone but Liz and I. Now, we were supporting Australia's economy but drinking lots of yummy wine so I was concerned when the website stated that minimum drinks would be provided. I needn't have worried. It's not Liz's first time procuring drinks, slyly. I think I had 3 glasses of wine? Anymore and I would've broken my neck wandering around the zoo in the dark.

The highlight of the zoo trip for me:  petting a NZ fur seal.  He was a ham.  No pun intended.

I have to admit that the meet and greet with the snacks and bubbly was lovely. Extremely awesome view of Sydney, eating yummy brie, drinking champagne (sort of) and meeting some animals. It was probably sparkling wine not champagne but it was good. Anyhoo, so the animals were a tortoise, a snake, and two lizards. It was fun. I mean, I can't really convey what it's like to be surrounded by the things that make a nice night out and then have animals coming through that you can pet.

This was our view at breakfast.  Kind of surreal.  :)

Anyway, we walked around the zoo and it was kind of... meh. The animals were in their night dens and I was tired, etc. So we wrapped that up and I had hot cocoa and dessert, then to bed. Not I think it got down to 44F that night. I had an electric blanket and mattress pad. I felt like an egg frying a few times but I was warm. I did spare a thought for Liz sleeping on the floor. On a mattress, of course. Anyway, up for breakfast and then off for our behind the scenes tours.



The first one was giraffes. Which was fun, don't get me wrong. Especially when the huge one almost head butted me. Cat-like reflexes; that's me. We're taken up to the main entrance to meet some more animals. I did the requisite koala picture and met an echidna, whom I fell in love with, and a fruit bat. Who really liked his keeper and I'll leave it at that. Any port in a storm.



I thought that was our second behind the scene but it wasn't. Off we headed to the seal exhibit which is back at the bloody bottom of the hill. Anyway, so we sit every other row around the seal tank. I'm thinking, maybe they'll bring out a baby harbour seal or something. And we all get to say "awww". Instead a big fur seal is brought out. I forget his name but he was full of himself. And he was perfect. He walked (well, how would you describe how a seal moves?) up to everyone in the front row and waited for his scratches and his fish. So then he comes up a few steps to our row. I didn't think he was going to come right in front of us. I kind of freaked out and fell off my seat. What? Anyway, I LOVED that. I've never pet a seal before and he was a ham. Very well loved and taken care of.



So I managed not to be killed by a giraffe and made friends with a seal. Good day.



And then Liz and I had breakfast (and I found the place with my nose, I'm not sure if it's good or bad being a caffeine addict) and we're sitting there eating and talking and just relaxing while a family of elephants was about 60 feet away from us having their breakfast. I mean, it was lovely.



OH and when we woke up, we heard the lion roar. How awesome is that?

Day 3 something

Wow.  Quay.  Words may not even suffice.  It was amazing.  I've been to several fine restaurants in my life but that was like a whole nother level.  Is nother a word?  It looks weird.

They were having chardonnay but I am not a huge chardonnay fan so I asked if the sommelier could recommend wine to accompany each course.  Look lunch was hideously expensive adding another $100 on to get wine help was not exactly going to shift the cheque that much.  Anyway, he was amazing.  Amazing.  We were talking about the food a lot afterwards but honestly, for me, it was about the wine.  I was the only one to have 8 textured chocolate cake for dessert and he paired a red with it.  It was 17% alcohol, a red wine fortified with brandy.  It's called Claude Cortois.  It was extrodinary.  Paired with the cake it was like crossing dimensions. 

When you go for a culinary experience like that... it is about the sensations and not the quantity of food or how many condiments you get.  I can't describe what I mean, actually. But it was fun.

The sommelier ran away when I asked him if he was single. 

No really.

Alright, well let's get to the pictures, shall we? 

My room in chicago.

View from Liz's kitchen.  Note ocean between trees.

This one is for Stacy.  She wanted to see a hot Australian guy.  Cheers

 Picture of Harbour bridge from somewhere.  Some park on the way to Watson's Bay.

City of Sydney with harbour bridge.

Me and Margaret.  :)

Liz's sister, Anne and I.  :)

Day 2 and 5/8

This morning I was awoken by the sound of a monkey raping a parrot.  When I asked Liz what kind of bird it was she said "oh those were the bats."  Okay, then.

What day is it?  I kind of lost Sunday.  So....  I arrived in Sydney at 6am.  I had been awake on the plane for a while as they kept on playing movies all night.  Really??  Anyway, so after I make my way through the initial security screening, I just head straight to baggage services.  I had been told in LA that my luggage was already in Sydney.

Well, the nice chick in Sydney said my luggage was in LAX so I went to customs.  Bad move.  If you go through international customs and don't have check in luggage you will go through secondary.  Not a good thing.  Of course, it was going to happen to me.  After everything else.  And as I wait my turn, I think, "today is the day I'll be cavity searched".

I was interrogated.  Not badly but my bags were empty and searched.  Really.  They were too light because was bringing Liz smart food.  Cheese flavored popcorn.

Really.

So I make it through that without crying.  And Liz was there to greet me.  :)

We go shopping at kmart.  OMG Clothes were so cheap but tic tacs were $3.  WTH???  Anyway, so I get some basics at Liz's behest, in case I never see my luggage again.

At about 9:30, I get a little antsy and ask if I can have some wine.  Which led to us drinking three bottles of champagne.  What?  I had a hard time. We are happily drinking away when her cell rings.  She didn't want to answer it but I asked her to, in case it was the airlines.  Some sweet soul at the airport had PULLED MY BAG OFF OF THE BAGGAGE CAROUSEL.  It was on my flight the whole time.  I have no words.

So as we were drunk, her mom came over and drove us to the airport.  And by drunk, I mean tipsy and by tipsy, I probably mean drunk.  Anyway, I got my bag.  I. GOT. MY. BAG.  And then I got my period.

The End.

Day Two-ish

Day 2ish




So I finally made it to LAX. I guess I thought it would be snazzier. Granted this is just one terminal out of 7. I don't know what the other 6 look like.



This is kind of a side story, I guess. On the way to Richmond Airport there was a bird in the road. Alive, mind you. As I drove up to it, and it was in my lane, I thought, why isn't it flying??? So I hit the brakes but still went over it. Not with my tires but I stunned it. I thought, now there's a bad omen.



And let's face it, shit hit the fan, but hard.



So this morning in my lovely La Quinta room outside of Chicago, I found a coin. Now. The bed was made. I had two and only used one, obviously. So this was the untouched bed. And it looked perfect, like it had been made up by the maid. Etc. As I'm picking my bags up off of the bed for some very strange reason I look closer at the circular pattern. I may have thought something like wouldn't it be funny if there was something in the circle.



And there was. A worn coin with a peaceful crane or something on it. I looked it up and it's Hungarian. Well, I took it as a good omen. :) It's beautiful. I'm writing these in notepad to blog with later so I can't put in a picture right now. But I've texted it to some people. It's SO funny. Something like that should've been knocked off of the bed when the maid made it. Right? But it was perfectly in a circle.



Anyway, I'm glad to be on my last, if longest, leg of my journey. Since my friends were going to bed on the East Coast, I've started looking for celebrities. I haven't seen any that I recognize but holy plastic surgery batman. And I'll leave it at that! LOL



I still have 45 minutes before I board. It's been one hell of a trip. Now, don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of families who had their vacation plans disrupted. I'm glad it's just me that was stuck on the tarmac for an hour. It was supposed to be for 2 hours so I'm glad it was just one!



Oh and in Chicago O'Hare a very tall and large man went through security with bright blue nail polish on his toes. Just gave me a giggle.



I do miss the girls and Pedro. Oh it was so funny when I was in line and called him to let him know what was going on with my flights. He said he would come and get me which I stupidly repeated and everyone around me yelled "can he take me too!" I stood in line with those people for almost four hours. Trust me, we were all a little crazy.



Anyway, I can't think of anymore anecdotes. I've tried to find the good amongst the bad. I have a rocking pair of Chicago socks now. I know Pedro will be smug when he finds out that I got blisters when he tells me to wear socks all the time.

Day 1 Travel

Day one.




And hmpf, I have no office programs on the laptop.



So what a disaster. Everything would've been fine if it wasn't for the storms around Richmond, Virginia. Missed my flight in Chicago and therefore missed my flight out of LA to Sydney. Okay, that sucked. But standing in line for four hours to speak to an agent as well as being on the phone for 80 minutes to get help, sucked worse. I finally made it to a hotel just after midnight. omg Did a clean bed ever look so inviting???



I'm jumping ahead. So on the phone, the lady said the flights were booked for today (Saturday) which means, she was telling me to go home and then fly out on Sunday. So I'd get to Sydney on Tuesday. Really??? With like no compensation or anything. Thankfully the guy from Boston behind me in line grabbed me a hotel coupon. It wasn't free but I paid $52 instead of $169. I'm glad for that. So, I had to make a decision and I decided to cancel my trip. WTF Only 3 real days in Sydney? Bearing in mind the first day, I'll be a wreck.



But I still needed to find out about my luggage. This agent seemed to be slightly more competent. Okay a lot more. He said he still had me in the system and that he could get me on a flight today and I'd arrive a day late. Sucky but still not too bad. I was like, but I told the chick to cancel it. So anyway, I got on those flights and found out that my luggage is in LA. wooo! (sarcasm)



Now, I also called Pedro during all of this. I'm trying to break it down so that it makes sense. UA would fly me back to Richmond for free, IF I took the flights on Sunday. Well, I didn't want the flights on Sunday so she said if I cancelled that I had to find my own way back home.



???



So I called Pedro and the one way flights are very expensive so he was going to drive to Chicago to get me. WITH THE GIRLS. Twelve hours or more to get here then 12 hours or more back. With two YOUNG KIDS IN THE CAR. That sounds like worse hell than sitting on the tarmac for an hour. Anyway, so keeping that in mind and the fact that my luggage is on the other side of the continent, I decided that pushing on was in my best interest.



A root canal would be in my best interest in that situation. Holy shit. Not to mention I'd have to find somewhere to hang out for 5 hours.



Anyhoo, so just to be on the safe side, I called UA again this morning. She confirmed that I'm on the two flights today. BUT I mentioned the cancellation thing. She saw the note and removed it. I was like, I don't need to get to Sydney and have no way of getting home.



Right? Shit.



So here I am. About to check out. I did take a little wander out and got some deodorant and toothpaste (thank you!) and a toothbrush and I feel a lot more human. I've also had two showers in the space of nine hours. LOL Hey, no chance of a kid trying to bust down the door or a husband needing his "back scratched". Just saying.



Oh AND La Quinta has a continental breakfast. Shoo. I tore that crap up. Make your own waffles, check. Raisin bread toasted with butter, check. English Muffin with cream cheese and strawberry jam, check check check. Hey, the night before I asked the nice Boston guy (who seriously was very cute) if he'd watch my stuff while I ran and got something to eat. Hadn't eaten since noon and we were beside a pretzel place. Got a pretzel dog. Good thing cuz everything was shut down by the time I was done at the ticketing counter!



I guess having some experience travelling helps. ;)



Anyway, I have a nice long wait at the airport to look forward to. I'll probably get there around 12:30 and my flight leaves at 4:30. woohoo!



Fingers crossed.

Weird

I keep on remembering this one thing.  Of course, now I can't think of what it is.  It's weird how memories from my childhood just float through my mind.  I used to think that I was melancholy for revisiting the past so much but I think it's just my nature.  My mom died when, well, we were both relatively young.  When you don't get a lot of time with someone maybe you're more apt to think about the time you did have. 

I remember lots of things.  My dad teaching me how to drive.  He used to take my out at 6am on Sunday mornings when I was 15.  Just breaking a couple of laws.  I got to drive on the freeway.  :)  We'd practice parking again and again and again.  Which is why this mama is a damn fine parallel parker.  Sometimes Pedro just gets out and lets me park.  ha! 

I remember how my mom was overweight but would have to inspect how much margarine I was using on her grilled cheese sandwich.  Clearly that half a tsp was responsible for her being overweight.  *eye roll*  I remember how she'd make me beat an egg over and over and over again.  Now I realize she was just trying to get me out of her hair.  Hooch.

I'm not sure I really had a point.  Just that I revisit the past a lot.  I cannot believe how fast time has gone since I've had Lily.  It slowed down some when Madi was born.  Just kidding.  That was in reference to lack of sleep.  She has been doing so well.  Not sleeping without her meds, mind you, but she did say "bye" to me at school today.  She's still prone to having tantrums when she wants something and I try really hard to get her to pay attention to me and try to use words to communicate. 

Also, I got her to go on the potty this morning.  I think we did that a few times last week too.  I want to get the morning pee down before we go for more. 

Am I excited that she's talking?  Yes.  But.  I still worry about where she's going to end up.  It's one thing when she's a cute little baby.  Or toddler.  Now some kids and adults are giving her a little side eye, trying to figure out what's different.  Oh and she trashed a friend's playroom.  Kerry blocked off the stairs and Madi laid waste to the other room.  So much so that even with four kids the dad came in and said "what happened?"  ha!  That's my Madi.

Anyway, I haven't been to the gym in weeks.  I have no desire to.  I'm sad looking at my muscles disappearing but I"m taking so many different meds right now I feel so weird.  Well, not weird.  Well, sort of.  Anyway, I watch what I eat.  Saw this great show called "Hungry for Change".  It explained some things that I wasn't sure of or was flat wrong about.  And that's been helping me lose weight.  Thanks to the violent stomach bug I lost 5 pounds and I've just kept it going.  I know that I need to go to the gym, but who wants to do crap when you're light headed???  Not I.

Anyhoodles.  I hope everyone is enjoying May.  And OMG how is this the last month of school.  ACK