Not Me Monday 2/2/09

This week I don't have a whole lot to "Not Me", but I didn't want to miss a post. MckMama should be back from vacation this week, so check her blog after you read mine! Free therapy, what more could you ask for?

So, I did not squeal with delight while walking to my next plane in Cincinnati when I saw an Outback Steakhouse. I did not proceed to walk inside and get a table. Nor did I proceed to order a bowl of my favorite potato soup(Walkabout Soup). And I also didn't sit there for an hour and a half killing time. Nope, not me!

I did not nearly cry over how gorgeous my new cousin is. He has the most perfect shaped head despite being stuck in mom's pelvis, and he is absolute perfection. I hope to post a picture of him later this week.

I did not jump for joy that my blog friend Wendi finally had her baby Elijah this week. He was much anticipated and yet another gorgeous baby I get to drool over, except I have to do it over the internet instead of in person.

I did not root for the Arizona Cardinals in the Superbowl in the hope that the underdog would win. I didn't even watch the game. I mean, it is about the commercials, right?

Well, hope you all have a good week. Head on over to MckMama's blog for over 400 other participating "Not Me" postings to get your dose of free therapy.

Back in Minnesota

Well, after an exhausting trip, details of which I'll write about later, I am finally back in Minnesota and HOME.
I have doctor appointments tomorrow and return to work on Tuesday if all goes as planned.
I'll also return to blogging. So stay tuned, I have several stories to relate, but I'll probably only post one a day so as not to overwhelm all of you and to space things out a little bit as I never know if I will have something one day or ten things.
I am hoping to get in a "Not Me Monday" post tomorrow as well.

Missed everyone!

Airline Horror Story 12/10/08

The Day………

........started out early, I hadn’t slept the best because I didn’t take a sleeping pill the night before, so I was up early. My dad leaves for work around 5:30 in the morning, and I heard him puttering around in the kitchen, and never really fell back asleep. I got up officially just before 7 and joined my mom for breakfast. After she left for work, I finished packing my bags, I got dressed and ready to go. I cleaned out my purse even.

I left the house around 9, I was driving to my Uncle Clark & Aunt Judy’s house so I could park my car there for the week and they chauffeured me to the airport. Got there around 1 and my flight was scheduled to leave at 3:05.

Well, the earlier flight for that day was still there when I got to the gate, as were two flights to Cleveland. All were having issues with weather, but in other locations and thus the planes weren’t coming to Indianapolis on time. I should have taken that as a sign I guess, but I was pretty confident that with two hours to kill, my plan would be ok. Plus, the counter people assured me, it would be on time.

Little did I know……….

I boarded my plan approximately 30 minutes late due to the three other above mentioned flights using our gate and coming in/out first. Figured 30 minutes was no big deal, right?

We take off and are in the air on our way to Houston, which is my scheduled layover before coming to Sacramento. Just before our arrival in Houston, the captain comes on the overhead speaker system and announces due to weather in Houston, they are placing planes in a holding pattern until it clears a little. Holding pattern means you make big circles in the sky……..along with a bunch of other airplanes. At one point, I counted seven of us circling, and that was just what I could see from my window, I am sure there were more.

So we circle, for about twenty minutes. The captain again comes on the overhead speaker system and announces that he is trying to contact flight control, we need to land now or we have to divert to go get more fuel. Groan!

So we began flying south and eventually landed at Ellington AFB. Now being that this isn’t a normal commercial airport, what do you suppose the fuel charge was there? DORKS! Don’t you think you could plan for this sort of thing?

Thirty minutes later, we are back in the air towards Houston and this time, they promptly allow us to land. Now originally, I had a little less than two hours layover time, by the time we taxied into our gate, I was down to 28 minutes and I had gate checked a bag, so I had to wait for it before I could be off. Mine was fifth off the car, thankfully, so I walked as fast as I could up the ramp and asked the agent what gate my next flight was at. “E23” he says. I was like, okay. Until I went to the main walkway of the airport, which had no walking escalators by the way, and realized I was at B66 and E23 was a long way off! Now I broke my toe two weeks ago and for the most part, it doesn’t bother me except when you try to run. When you run, you use your toes. That wasn’t working so well, so I was doing a half walk, half (barely) jog to try to get to E23 when I realize the terminals aren’t connected and I need to take a Tram over to the main airport. Sigh! Could this day get worse?

So I got on the tram and it is semi-fast, so I was figuring I’d be okay. We went to C terminal, stopped. We were then on our way again to stop at D & E terminals. Yeah, that wasn’t so bad! Only, it’s the entrance to the airport, so it’s just the beginning of these terminals. “Oh Dear Lord, I need to make my plane!” I say.

So, I begin walking as fast as I can across the airport, headed for terminal E. Finally a walking escalator comes into view. I hop on, twice and end up at E12. I was thinking, “Oh my goodness, I still have a long ways to go!” As I rounded the corner, gate E24 comes into view. “YES!” The gates now go backwards and I am only two away. “Thank you Lord Jesus!”

The gals waiting at the check in kiosk see me coming and smile as I come huffing up to the podium. “Just in time,” they say. I told them, “I came from B terminal and could it have been any farther away?”

So I board the plane, thankfully my seat is the first row after first class, so I didn’t have to wiggle through the whole plane. I sit down next to a couple and they notice my breathing. They greet me and congratulate me for making it. I grab a few things from my bag and get settled in. I offer them a peanut butter kiss, which I promptly learn, does not have the same name in every country. In Australia, they are called cyclops cookies because they look like they have an eye, one eye. Cute huh?

A few minutes later, they close the door to the plane and we back away for the gate. This is the beginning of a five hour wait on the tarmac. You see, it was snowing in Houston. One of few days a year this ever happens. Planes need to be de-iced. It was going to be awhile.

So I am sitting in the row directly behind first class, aisle seat. I am sitting next to a real nice American couple who currently live in Australia. They were very nice. It was a good thing we got along; the next nine hours we spent together were long, but amusing.

So after rolling away from the gate, the captain comes on the overhead and says we are going to just wait a little bit on the tarmac as there is a little backup. Little, yeah right! I swear, they load you up on a plane, trapped like sardines in a tin can, to make you sit on the tarmac. Why of why can we not sit in the airport where we have access to food and bathrooms? Seriously!

So we sit. And we sit some more. And we sit some more. Finally, the captain comes on again and says we are moving to the runway. Hurray! Right? Not so much. He comes on and says that we have to wait to be deiced. I am thinking, okay, this is a good thing, the flakes are huge and building up rapidly, I am sure that affects the way the plane flies. Well, little did I know that Houston barely gets any snow, so they only have once de-icer. ONE! At this point, we didn’t know where we were in the line, just that we were in it and waiting our turn. The flight attendants decide to pass out the headsets at this point and not charge the normal $1 fee. Sweet!

An hour later, the captain comes overhead again and says because of the delay, they are going to let us have beverage service while on the ground. Cool, I was getting thirsty. A few minutes after that, he announces we would do food service too. Okay, I think, it will help pass the time. A few minutes after that, he comes on again and retracts both the food and drink. We think, “Sweet, we are out of here!” Uh, not so much!

So five minutes after that, he comes on yet again and says we are pulling ahead a few hundred yards and then they would begin food and beverage service. Turns out, we are now eighth in line and it is taking twenty minutes per plane to be de-iced. This means we have nearly three hours before it is our turn. Great, just great!

So the meal is a chicken enchilada, only it is not like any enchilada I have ever had. It had rice, chicken, cheese, onions, jalapenos, corn and tomatoes. Weird! I ended up dumping everything out and ate just the tortilla which still had the cheese and rice attached. Not too bad. We also had a lettuce salad and a Twix bite-sized bar for dessert.

So about two and a half hours later, it is our turn. The captain has to turn off the engine and the overhead air so the stuff doesn’t come in the plane. Well, you can still smell it and it smells like burnt antifreeze. Not the best smell in the world.

We finally get to taxi to the runway and take off. We all clap! Yeah, we are in the air. I finally decide to get some rest, it is now 9pm and I have been up since about 5am. I am ready for a nap. I wake up about two and a half hours later. I decide to break out my book and read for awhile. We still had about an hour or so to our destination. The captain comes on the overhead. Are you kidding me? Folks, we have to make a detour to Las Vegas to refuel. After five hours sitting on the tarmac, they apparently thought we still had enough when we left Houston, but nope! Our captain underestimated fuel due to what he said was tough headwinds. Right…………seriously?

So, we have to land in Vegas. I asked our flight attendant if there was any chance that we’d get to go to the casino. Nope, we didn’t even go to a gate. So about forty-five minutes later we are back in the air headed to Sacramento once again.

We land without difficulty and finally, after nine hours of sitting in a sardine can, we deplane. Mark is waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator and I was never so happy to see my brother in my whole life. It was 3am on Thursday, I had been up almost hours. We head toward the baggage carousels and wait for luggage to start appearing.

Luggage comes after about fifteen minutes. I anxiously await my bag. I had barely made the plane in Houston; I was worried my luggage didn’t. Well, I had reason to worry. I watched everyone else’ back go round and round on the carousel. There were no bags left and I and three others were still standing there. Uh oh! We walk over to the check in counter to check with the Continental staff about my bag. All bags are off the plane, no bags in the back. It did not come on an earlier flight, it was likely on the next flight, which wasn’t due until about 5:30am. We opt not to wait at the airport and fill out a claim tag to have my bag delivered to Mark’s apartment once it gets to Sacramento.

We depart the airport and head for Walmart, it is now nearly 4am and I have no clothes. I had to buy pajamas, a pair of underwear and a shirt. I wanted to be safe as I wasn’t sure when my bag would arrive at Mark’s. Well, good thing I played it safe. My bag did not arrive until later in the day and I left Mark’s around 9am as my Grama and I had 10:30am nail appointments. These things are important you know! My bag did arrive, and that was the important thing, Mark brought it to me later.

So, I barely got any sleep, my body clock said “wakey, wakey!” at 7am, which would be 9am Central time, and I had only slept about two hours. I was tired, but couldn’t sleep. Don’t you just hate that?

Well, that is essentially the 24 hour horror story. I left out the details about keeping in touch with my family, but I was texting and making several phone calls along the way. Good thing nights and weekends are free! HA!

Thanks for reading! Feel free to post your airline horror stories!

California extended

So Tuesday was the day I was packing, doing laundry, getting everything together to go back to the Midwest when my Grama had an idea. She kept wishing I could stay longer and I told her, well, technically, I could stay until Saturday.
She said immediately, "Let's do it."
So off to the computer I went to change my flights and it is a done deal.
I am staying until Saturday, I have to be back in Minnesota for Jessica's graduation party, and I also have an appointment with my doctor on Monday.
So a few more days of California, though its been more like home.
The weather is like Minnesota in December, which is typically occurring in February around here. So I haven't been without the cold and snow, just not AS cold as Rochester, which I am grateful for!
See everyone on Saturday or Sunday!

Finally!

Well, after a VERY long day, I finally made it to Sacramento at 3AM!

You read that right, 3AM.

I was supposed to get in at 8:30PM.

Kind of a big time difference.

Needless to say, there is a big story, but I don't have time to get into that at the moment. I'll try to get online from my Grama's later, after I get some sleep.

Trip to California

Well, my Grama Connie heard I had time off of work and offered to buy me a ticket to California.
Who am I to say no??

I only got to see my California family three days this year, so an extra six days with them will be much appreciated.

I leave Wednesday the 10th and return Wednesday the 17th.

Wish me safe travels.

Three Day Weekend

Well, I am getting geared up for a three day weekend. I flexed my day today so I could leave work early and get to Eau Claire before Austin goes to bed for the evening. Planning to stay the next two days at my brother Al's home. My parents, my grandparents, and my babies(aka Marissa & Elijah) are coming for the weekend too and will all cram into the same house! The third night will be spent up at Grama Gardners so we can spend time with them before the Wood clan has to head back home.

It'll be a short, very packed weekend, but should also be a good time. We have a regional church meeting this weekend, so we'll get to see lots of other friends and "family" as well.

Am looking forward to all of it.

See ya Monday!

Food on Vacation

Well, this weekend was alot about food!
On my way down to my mom's, I had to hit my favorite places. Only I didn't have time for them all! I did get my Rocky Rococo's pizza however and it was good. My intent was to hit White Castle too, but I was behind as it was, so I skipped it that time.
Thursday and Friday were both big breakfast days!
Thursday was also your average Thanksgiving spread of turkey and all the fixins'! Yum. We also had dreamcake!!
Friday we had DQ and homecookin' at the Overlook restaurant.
Saturday was the reunion and we BBQ'd dogs and burgers and everyone brough a dish to pass. We had pizza on the way home.
Sunday was omelette's for breakfast and tacos for lunch. We also had DQ ice cream cake to celebrate my birthday ten days late. It is the only cake I will take for my birthday!
Monday on the way home I did get my White Castle! Had two sandwiches. First time since surgery. I was a little scared to eat them not knowing how they'd react now that I don't have a stomach, but it was not bad at all. White Castle's are known for being gut bombs, but I didn't really experience anything except the yumminess!! Please refer to THIS post for my explanation on White Castle.
I also had Rocky Rococo's again on the way home.

YUM!! I can't eat nearly as much as I used to, but at least I can get the taste of it and still be satisfied.

Five Day Weekend 08/13-08/18

Well, the five day weekend went by WAY too fast. I totally ruined my sleep hygiene these past few days, so I have to work really hard at getting back into schedule this week. I also am planning to start my five-day-a-week gym routine this week, so that is something else I am working to figure out since each day is a different activity at a different time.

Anyway, back to the trip. I left Wednesday after work, which, I am still on short shifts, so it was noon. I had packed the car up that morning so I could just leave immediately. Well, I didn't quite get out of work at noon and then had to walk six blocks to the car and wait my turn to get out of the ramp, and then I needed lunch, so I grabbed Wendy's on my way to the Interstate, so all said and done, it was about 12:45 by the time I was actually on my way. I was doing really well until I got to Chicago. I knew I was going to hit traffic, but because I hit it at 5 instead of 4, I REALLY hit traffic! Ugh! Two hours to go what would normally take me 45 minutes. I honestly cannot understand why people would purposely do this to themselves twice a day, every day! SERIOUSLY!!!!

So because of the traffic hangup, I didn't have time to stop at my Uncle Bryan's and visit over supper like I planned. I had to be to Indianapolis by 8:45CST, which is 9:45EST, to pick up my brother Mark and his wife Ashly from the airport. So, because of the Chicago hangup, I was late. And their plane got in 30 minutes early. AND their luggage was first off the plane. How the heck does this happen? Planes NEVER get in early and my luggage is almost always last piece off. When I am running late, I expect the airlines to cooperate with me! HELLO!

So, I picked them up about an hour after they had landed and Mark graciously took over driving as I was exhausted. He drove the final 2.5 hours to my moms and we got in just after midnight. Mom and the kids were waiting up for us and my dad actually got off work early that night and was up too. So, we stayed up chatting until after 2AM.

Thursday was mostly a lazy day. We got up late and had big breakfast(that's pancakes or french toast with either sausage or bacon for us). We did have some grocery shopping to do because the plan was to have a turkey dinner that evening. My grandparents from WI were arriving about dinner time and we invited the grandparents from KY to join us as well. So aside from dinner prep, we just hung out.

Friday we got up late and had a big breakfast again and then took off to Louisville(you have to say it correctly, Louivul). We started out at the Glassworks Factory. Most of the artists weren't working that day due to some maintenance, so we got to go on a self-guided free tour. This place does all kinds of art from ceiling chain pulls to huge architectural designs on and in buildings. There was alot that was interesting and the process involved sort of makes you appreciate the cost of an item when you see how labor intensive it is.

The next stop was to be the Louisville(say it the right way please!) Slugger factory.

It just so happens it was on the opposite block of the Glassworks place, but we didn't know it until after we left our parking space and drove in circles on the crazy one ways where people apparently think its the Indy 500 or something. Sheesh! So, we walk to the building and there is this HUGE baseball bat on the outside of the building. I couldn't get a shot where it was all included, so thus, two pics. We walk inside and there is a wall that greets you that has all the signatures of every baseball player that signed a contract with Louisville Slugger since its inception. BIG WALL! Got a few shots of famous or not so famous players.

As we continue on, overhead are some flags with famous players, so I decided to snap a few shots of those when we notice an admission sign. They wanted $9 a person to walk through the factory. SERIOUSLY? So we ended up browsing the gift shop and left. Never had to pay to tour a factory before, not starting now! As we were leaving, we started walking past these bronze bats and plates, so I snapped a few shots of those.

So then we were going to go to this Lincoln exhibit, they aren't open on Fridays. SERIOUSLY?

So by now its 4:30 EST and we decide we'll head towards home. On the way, there is a restaurant just off the highway called The Overlook. It overlooks the Ohio River Valley. Very pretty. Decent food. The town it is in, Leavenworth, IN, has touristy stuff, but of course, its nearly 5, everything is closing. So, after dinner, we just headed for home.

Saturday we had to be up early to head up towards Indianapolis for a family reunion. Indy is considered EST, so we had to do everything an hour early to get there on time. We had a good time visiting with family for about five hours. Some we hadn't seen since Great Grandma Gardner passed, so was nice to see people outisde of a funeral home. On the way home, we took the long scenic route so we could go through Washington, IN, which is a hub for the Amish and Mennonite communities. Ashly had never really seen anything relating to the Amish and Mennonites, so it was somewhat education, somewhat fun. They have a restaurant, general store and furniture store all with the "Black Buggy" label. The furniture store was closed, but the others were open. We weren't very hungry and the Black Buggy restaurant is a full service buffet, so we went next door to Bobe's pizza and had a lighter meal. Headed for home after that.

Sunday we were up somewhat early again for church. Dad made us omelettes for breakfast. Church was good, they had a baptismal. My sister was one of the ones getting dunked. The afternoon was short, but we made homemade tacos for dinner and I got a small nap in before the next church service. After that, a bunch of us older "youth" got together at the Dillinger's and had food, camaraderie and games. Was a good time, another late night.

Monday came way too soon and my intent was to be on the road by 9, it was alot closer to 11. I was tired! I stopped in Griffith to deliver a few things to my Grama at my Uncle Bryan's house. I then grabbed lunch, a fuel fill and was back on the road. I was determined to kick the traffic this time and I succeeded!! Got to Beloit and was so sleepy that I pulled off at the rest area and took a 45 minute nap before continuing on. Stopped in Madison for Rocky Rococo's pizza one last time. Got into Rochester around 10 and proceeded to Walmart for a few groceries before heading home. Would you believe it, I was wide awake! AHHHH! I was up for awhile, I think I dozed somewhere around 12:30. Was very tired Tuesday morning!!

Mini Vacation

Well, I know I just got back to work, but I am off on a mini-vacation for a family reunion. I leave Wednesday after work, which is at noon, and will have Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday with family.
I stop in Indianapolis to pick up my brother Mark and his wife Ashly and bring them the rest of the way with me to my Mom's. Then Thursday night, Grama and Grampa Gardner arrive. Friday we plan to do some sort of field trip and Saturday is the reunion up in Clarksville. Sunday is church and rest and Monday I head home.
It is a short visit, but it will be good to see family again.
Am hoping since Mark is out of a job at the moment that he'll agree to my idea of staying a few extra days and coming up to Wisconsin to visit some other family and friends for a few days. Am tentatively planning on bring Marissa and Elijah home with me for a few weeks as well. I really enjoy having them here with me even though my Mom misses them terribly. Since they homeschool, timing of start does not matter, they can bring it with them and do it here too.

Well, lots to do before then, so I better get to it.

Back from Vacation

Well, I made it back, safe and sound from Sacramento/Portland. I had a good time in both places.

Sacramento/Placerville~
I got in at 11pm, Mark picked me up and took me to his and Ashly's apartment to crash for the night. We stayed up for about an hour chatting and catching up, but both of them had to be up and at 'em, so we kinda kept it short. I was awake bright and early, still being on CST time and all, so was up when they both got up to get ready for the day. Grama & Grampa Booth came to pick me up around 11am. We headed straight to Sunrise Mall from there where JCPenney's was having a fabulous sale! Almost everything in the store was 50% off and I had a $15 off coupon if I spent $75. Well, by the time I had picked out what I wanted, I ended up making two $75 purchases and got to use the coupon twice, so I got 4 pairs of capris, one VERY nice church outfit and a pair of jammies for $120. Not bad if I do say so myself. Being the product of two very awesome Gramas that know how to shop the sales and get the best deals, what would you expect, right? So, now I have some summer clothes that fit and they are cute to boot! After shopping, we headed to the Old Spagetti Factory. YUMMO! Grama got her favorite lasagna, Grampa had spinach ravioli and I had spagetti and a meatball. We all got spumoni for dessert. MMMMMM, I can still taste it! After that, we headed up the hill to Placerville and home. We spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing and hanging out. After supper, I went to visit my Dad & Sandee for awhile, but was wiped by 8:30(10:30 CST), so I headed back to Gram's to crash.
Woke up on Saturday a little later than Friday, but still was up early. Had breakfast and headed back to Dad's. We had planned to go gold panning that afternoon. Bunnie, my dad's rottie(sweetest dog ever), came with us. She is a river dog for sure! That, and she'd follow my Dad to the ends of the earth if he asked her! Anyway, Dad goes goldpanning on a regular basis and when he has a full day, he has this dredger that does alot of the work for you. However, we didn't have all day, so we took the basics and set out to scout a location that would be lucky. Well, the one he wanted had no trespassing signs and barbed wire, I took that as a sign to stay away, so we went where he has gone before and just choose a different part of the creek. If you have never gone gold panning, you wouldn't know you are basically going to end up soaking wet, so I was slightly unprepared, but adapted nonetheless. My tennis shoes were soaked, as were the bottom half of my capris, but in the three hours we were there, we made significant progress on the area we were in and I found the teensiest piece of gold for a souvenir! Dad said if I had another 10,000 of those, we'd have an ounce! HA! It is alot of work, but surprisingly fun. I guess its the prospect of finding something? We ended up bringing home about a third of a five gallon bucket of what my Dad refers to as "concentrates" to pan from home. This was the stuff that was left after picking out all the big rocks and most of the dirt. I went grocery shopping after we got back, I was planning to cook brunch for Mother's Day and I needed supplies! Got back to Gram's and unloaded and took a brief nap before we all left to meet Dad & Sandee at Casa Ramos, a Mexican eatery with nummy food. The rest of the evening was spent with Melannie shopping for Mother's Day presents.
Sunday dawned and again, slept a little later than the previous day. I got up and made myself a smoothie for breakfast, wasn't serving brunch until 11am. After that, I started on my preparations. I had bought fresh fruit - strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, oranges and grapes - so that all had to be washed and sliced. I also had bought ingredients to make belinis, they were virgin(normally made with champagne) and very good. Had cranberry and pomegranate juice with sparkling water and simple syrup and fresh fruit slices for decor. Then Melannie and her husband Angus came to help me with the rest. We made Texas toast french toast, pork and turkey sausage, cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. It was almost as good as going out to eat, just more economical and of course delectable when you know how it was prepared! Melannie's mother and my Aunt Lynn and my Uncle Matt came, as well as Dad & Sandee, so with Gram, Gramps and me, there was nine of us. We had a good time laughing, telling stories and of course EATING! We opened cards and gifts after we cleared the table. I think everyone really enjoyed it.
Spent the afternoon just hanging out some more. The plan was for me, Dad and Sandee to meet Mark & Ashly at BJ's in Folsum for dinner. We were going for Ashly's birthday AND because I am a complete nerd and HAVE TO eat there whenever I am in the area. I love that restaurant! Can you say PAZOOKIE?! They make, to order, the best dessert ever, its super simple, but they make it awesome. Its a fresh baked cookie(your choice) served hot from the oven with a scoop of ice cream on top! HEAVEN!! I had pizza for my dinner and that was awesome too. I REALLY wish they'd come our direction, so far, they are a West Coast thing, I keep begging, maybe someday they'll listen to me. After dinner, we headed back home to wallow in our gluttony. =)
Monday was my last day to spend with Gram & Gramps, so I spent most of it just hanging out with them. Gram and I had pedicures scheduled in the morning, my treat for Mother's Day, so we did that and grabbed Taco Bell taco salads for the three of us on the way home. The afternoon was spent preparing for the BBQ we were having that evening. My sort of goodbye supper. Everyone came over - Matt & Lynn, Mel & Angus, Dad & Sandee AND Mark & Ashly. We had a good time eating and telling stories. The main purpose behind the BBQ was so that Mark & Ashly would have a little extra time with everyone since they live an hour away and are so busy with work and school, they don't get much time in Placerville. They were also my ride back to Sacramento as I was leaving early Tuesday morning to head to Portland. After dinner, we left and went to Mel & Angus' apartment and played a board game for awhile before heading to Sacramento. It was another somewhat late night, but we were all up and moving Tuesday morning and I got to the airport in PLENTY of time to get through the hoops of security and board my plane.

Portland/Beaverton~
I flew into Portland, but mostly was in Beaverton, which is a suburb. Portland is so beautiful in the spring. Everything is so green and fragrant. The trees in the west are SO different from what we have back home, they are tall and majestic somehow. Anyway, I got to the airport where I was met by Mom & Marissa, and Marsha, a very nice lady from the church who was our chaffeur. The purpose of going to Portland was for their annual convention, its four days of praise & worship and teaching the Word. It was an awesome meeting. It is sad that some of our elders are passing on, but awesome to see the younger generation taking the lead and pressing on. Grama and Grampa Wood were there as well, they traveled with Mom & Marissa. I worked in the kitchen two of the days of the meeting. At these meetings, its typical to feed the people twice a day, breakfast and dinner. So I helped with the preperation of the meals and the serving. We cooked for 500 most every day. I love to cook and since I don't get to do too much of it just for myself, I was having a good time cooking that much food. Its amazing the operation they have set up. Their scullery(their term for dish room) is bigger than Mt. Carmel's kitchen! It was alot of fun meeting new people and helping feed God's people. Marissa worked in the dining room those days and she enjoys that alot. The church in Beaverton, Cornerstone Gospel Assembly, is a huge campus consisting of a large sanctuary and an equally large dining room/gymnasium/school. They also own property bordering the church consisting of apartments and dorms, as well as many of the church members living on or right next door to the property. They call it a campus because it really is set up like one. I am in awe of their hospitality and the amount of work that went into preparing and pulling this convention off. Thank you to everyone!
The convention ended Friday afternoon, but one of their regular church services is Friday night, so we had church that evening as well.
Saturday was the day I was to return home, I slept in that morning before having breakfast and packing my things. Mom and the others were scheduled to leave Sunday morning to head back to Indiana/Kentucky.

It was a short visit to both towns, but all in all, good to see my family and friends. The weather was nice in both places, although Portland got steamy for two days, very strange for them at any time, let alone in May.
No more real vacation for me until Christmas, when again, we'll gather for the holidays and our own youth convention.

Less than two hours............

I should be cleaning the mongo pile on my desk, but here I am, in blogger land!
So excited to be going away, but the pressure is mounting! I "think" I got everything dealt with at home and didn't forget anything. Work has been more of a challenge as I have been training all week and it just wasn't the best week to be doing that, but oh well.
I get off work in less than two hours, then I'll walk over to the Kahler to pick up my shuttle to go to MSP. My flight is at 9:11pm tonight. I get into Sacramento at 11pm PST, 1am my time. Hoping to have my own row on the plane, looks that way as of now. If so, then I'll stretch out and crash. For some reason, I sleep pretty decently on a plane. You wouldn't think so since the seats aren't terribly comfortable, but, I manage.

A former colleague of mine who is pursuing an open adoption got her baby last night. He is gorgeous and they couldn't be any happier! Many years of infertility and this blessing literally landed in their laps. All things in His time! Hard to wait some days, but the payoff is so worth it. Congrats Wendi and JB on your gorgeous Isaac!

Anyway, no blog entries from me until I get back(5/19).
Later!

Vacation is coming!

WAHOO!!!!

Next Thursday, the 8th, I depart for my vacation. I will be flying to Sacramento to spend four days with my brother(Mark), my Dad & Sandee and my grandparents. I haven't seen most of them since September when my cousin got married and they haven't seen me since my surgery. Mark is picking me up that night and I'll crash at his apartment the first night. Grama and Gramps are picking me up Friday morning and we are going SHOPPING! Grama Booth said she'd help me with getting some of my new wardrobe. I am not quite to my goal, but, everything I currently own is pretty baggy or falling off of me. I'll need a few interim clothes and other things, I think I'll buy a little on the tight side and "grow" out/into them. Monday, Grama and I will do pedicures and manicures. The rest of the weekend is pretty unplanned, but will be spent spending time with my grandparents, my Dad and Sandee, and hopefully some time with my Aunt Lynn & Uncle Matt, as well as cousin Mel & her new husband Angus. Mark & Ashly have a church meeting most of the weekend, but hoping to see them some Friday night and then Monday night we'll have dinner at Grams and they'll take me back to their place as I have an early Tuesday AM flight to Portland.

On the 13th, I am taking a puddle jump up to Portland, OR, to go to a church meeting with my Mom and my sister. Mark will join us for a few days as well. I'll be there until the 17th, so about five days of time there and while the meeting takes up a good portion, we'll have time to explore and check out Portland too. I was there about ten years ago and absolutely enjoyed the area, so am looking forward to all that has changed since I visited last. Also looking forward to seeing some friends from the Sacramento area, as well as other churches. These meetings tend to be the way most get to see each other since we are all quite spread out.

Mostly, I am just looking forward to time away from Minnesota. Spring is having a hard time making up its mind whether or not it wants to stay. It is SO annoying. We had snow last week and there is a chance of it AGAIN in the forecast. SERIOUSLY, its May!!!! I know winter isn't officially over til July 4th, but we had such a long winter, we really need SPRING!!

Anyway, I'll be around for another week, but then I'll drop off for awhile. I promise to post about my adventures.
Have a good weekend!