Saturday v. Monday

Crazy springtime! Saturday I went for a run in a park. Here are scenes from that afternoon:




And here is this morning:

Would you eat these Springtime Yummies?

We have some friends in the neighborhood who have two birthdays in their family on April 1st. Tuesday's going to be a crazybusy day, so I thought we should take them some treats tonight to celebrate . This had the added bonus of them not spending one second wondering if there was ex-lax or some such nonsense in the treats (being that they were born on April Fools Day and all).

Also a new family moved into the neighborhood this past week, so we thought we'd take some treats to welcome them too. It was so fun to listen to a great talk on CD and decorate these little diddies, that I had to take a picture before we delivered them. Aren't they cute? They were a knock-off of some adorable cakes my friend Jenny made for a shower recently. I just had some fun with them, using what I had on hand. Hope they enjoy them.

Word of advice: it's probably not the best idea to have a "decorate your own cupcake" moment 5 minutes before you want your kids to go to bed. The sugar high is out of this world!

Eyes Wide Shut

They're so adorable!

Bonny Ireland

At last, photos from our trip are available!

We took a red-eye flight to New York, and then, since we had 14 hours till our flight to the Emerald Isle, we decided to jet up to Burlington VT for a few hours so Doc could visit his former colleagues and students.

My darlin' friend C picked us up at the airport, and took us to one of Doc's favorite restaurants on Church Street where we had brunch. Then we dropped him off at UVM where he used to teach medical students, and C and I went shopping for her wedding dress. Glory Hallelujah, she's getting married in 2 months, and I'm excited to be going to the much-anticipated event! More on that in May.

All too soon our time was up. Three hours can really fly...though my kids would disagree with you every Sunday morning from 9-12. We headed back to the airport only to discover that there was a ground-stop in NYC on air traffic due to fog (!) Our flight was now supposed to be delayed for three hours!

This was not good news. If there had been even the slightest hint of that being a possibility, we'd never have flown up to Burlington in the first place. If we missed our flight to Ireland night, it would skew our entire trip (rental car, hostel reservations etc), essentially force us to cancel. I assure you there were some fervent prayers offered up, coupled with a lot of imagining the fog lifting in NYC. Because of this, I almost wasn't surprised when they suddenly announced that we'd been cleared to go. We boarded quickly, and made it onto our connecting flight without problem.

The flight was grand, and we landed in Shannon, Ireland at dawn. It was misty, windy and chilly, but we hit the ground running. No rest for the weary! After renting our cute little car, we set off to see the wild western-Ireland countryside: This trip completely altered our perception of what Ireland must be like. First, I'm here to tell you that the whole shamrock thing is a big crock. Every time we were near a patch of green, I looked for them. I asked people about them. And I searched high and low for them. Not One Single Shamrock was seen the entire time we were there! Now, of course I realize that a shamrock is just what we call clover over here...a common enough occurrence. But I really wanted to find an Irish shamrock to press between the pages of a book. No dice.

On the other hand, there were so many rainbows during our visit that tis nobody's fault but our own that we didn't return home with multiple pots of gold. Gator asked about it, and I had to explain that the Leprechauns are very very crafty about keeping those pots to themselves. Every time we got close to one, BAM! It would simply vanish. On Friday I decided to just count rainbows as we drove along...and I saw eleven of them that afternoon. There were undoubtedly more, but I didn't look out the back window for the ones behind us.We had a whirlwind 3 days during which we visited The Cliffs of Moher (which are featured on my spring blog banner ), The Burren (which is an other-worldly 100 sq. kilometer area of western Ireland that most closely reminded me of the lava fields in Hawaii), Conemara (National Park), the coastline, Galway City, several castles, lots of ruins, countless sheep and lots of cows.

We ate at 2 restaurants during our trip and I have to say, Ireland is ripe for reinvention culinarily-speaking. So if you're the type whose been searching, pondering and meditating on what the next hit reality tv show might be, there's a tip for ya. The rest of the time we consumed the simple food we'd brought with us or the items we picked up at the grocery store. The one exceptional dietary highlight was the nutty, seedy Irish bread we found. Good stuff!

To hear traditional Irish music, you must go to a pub at 10pm. That's when the music starts. As this was one of the stated goals for our trip, we went to pubs two of the nights. Our second day there was Good Friday, hence there was no liquor being sold in the entire country, and all pubs were closed. Everyone from our flight attendants, to our car rental agent, to our hostel proprietor warned us in advance to "stock up on alcohol" in advance of Good Friday, because it was illegal to sell alcohol that day. It was almost epidemic...like they couldn't make it 24 hours without a being poured a fresh pint of Guinnes. Ahh the Irish! They certainly love to drink. It seemed like the focal point of daily life. And they're especially fond of Guinnes. I've heard that among beers, it's one of the best, so good for them.

I've uploaded the rest of our pictures to my Flickr account for anyone who wants to take a look at them. Click here to see them.

I loved Ireland. I'm glad I've finally gotten there and hope I get to return again someday. My great-great grandparents immigrated from there in the 1800s, and though they hailed from Northern Ireland, I'm proud of my Irish heritage.

Pictures of Nea and the baby kitties

I've been working hard to get things organized and ready to upload. Sorry for those of you who felt like it was taking me too long! You're right, but I've had more than blogging on my plate this week.

So first off, here is a photo of Nea with her 4 baby kittens:
She looks tired, but holy cannoli, she just gave birth to 5 kitties (one stillborn). I only gave birth to one baby, and it had me completely undone. She's a sweet new momma.

Here's one of her awake:
It's snowing today. Who'da guessed? I spent hours during yesterday's lovely weather doing yard work in a tee shirt. Anyway, I was concerned about the babies staying warm enough because they're outdoor cats. You may recall that we're just watching Nea for my brother, who couldn't have a pet at his current residence. We're not in the market for a pet, especially a cat, due to my allergies. And even if I did want to bring her inside during the chilly weather (cause I'm not completely cold-hearted), we don't have a litter box. And I'm averse to cats pooping in my house.

So she's outside, in her nice 48 gallon bin with a doorway cut in it so she can get in and out. But it's not all that warm frankly. Then this morning I remembered that we have an electric heating pad...the kind you put on yer achin' back. So I rigged it up to the extension cord and slid it under the puffy pillow that they're on in the box. I turned the heat on to the low setting, and hopefully this will create a cozy, toasty spot for them to pass the time while they get bigger and stronger.

More pictures of the kitties to follow. We just haven't wanted to handle them yet due to their tiny size and age.

springtime is for babies

In Ireland, there were signs of new life everywhere you looked. Flowers just starting to bloom. Baby lambs and calves shadowing their mommies. Grass just starting to green up after the long winter.

I found out last night that I'm going to be an auntie again this fall. Hooray! My brother and sister-in-law produce the most adorable children...I hope they don't stop till they've hit double digits (and I only wish this on them because if anyone could have a big, successful family, it's these two!)

Today, our pet-on-loan, Nea, gave birth to five kittens, one of which was stillborn. I found them when they were still slightly damp and their fur was just starting to fluff up on parts of them. Nea is a sweet little mommy, and the babies are, of course, absolutely adorable. With their tiny squeaky mewing, and their rooting around for food, they're the top attraction at our house right now. Bunch & Gator know not to touch, and are being vigilant about keeping neighbor friends from doing so. They're also giving her space and trying to keep quiet around her.

We fed her a celebratory can of tuna fish, and took a bunch of photos. I'll post them soon.

Here's to all the babies and especially to my expectant friends! I love the wee ones. ♥

Quote I read today

From this address

It takes courage to write even a bad book, courage and determination and invention. Even writers who aren’t very skilled do something astonishingly revelatory. We can even see the face of God in bad novels.

Thirty-hour Easter Day

We awoke, after four hours of sleep, at 3:30 a.m. in order to get to the airport in Shannon, Ireland to catch our early flight to Dublin. Made it there without problem despite the dark, narrow, rock-wall lined twisty roads and flew to Dublin. Changed planes, and then flew non-stop to San Francisco where we changed planes again, and flew to Salt Lake City. We crossed 8 times zones today...and then drove up to our rock-star brother & sister's house and picked up Bunch & Gator...who were clearly in no hurry for us to return. Gator actually hid from us for a while when we arrived. I'm glad they had such a great time with their cousins.

After driving home, we just got them to bed, and I had to play a few of my favorite Easter songs on the piano, and now am going to head to a comfy night's rest in my own bed.

Pictures and update on the trip to follow. Happy Easter! ♥

This one's for Zu...

Remember a few months ago I had an exciting trip to DC? Well the reason for that trip is below. Isn't he absolutely adorable?! I told his momma that I think he's one of God's prototypes for the perfect human baby.

When his momma sent me this photo today, it made me laugh with delight. Every time I walk by my computer monitor and see his face, I laugh. So do my kids and Doc. He simply makes me happy and so does his wonderful mom. I love ya Zu! Can't wait to meet the little man some day. Thanks for sharing your life with me!

Luck O the Irish!

My Irish Kidlets before they dashed off to the bus this mornin'. No one pinched these two! My Great Great Grandparents were the ones who left the island and came to America. They lived in Northern Ireland, and we're not going anywhere near there. But it's still exciting to be visiting their homeland.


Slán!

Travel

In 2 more days, Doc and I are going on a little trip to Ireland. Ironically, my cousin is going to be there the day after us, but we're going to be on the west coast in Shannon, and she's going to be on the east coast in Dublin during the time we overlap. She's staying a full 10 days, so she'll get to see a lot more of the Emerald Isle than us, but we're so excited. I got this really great deal on a rental car, and was concerned about the lodging situation till yesterday when we finally secured a place for an amazing deal. So this is going to be a vintage Blue Jeuls deal of a trip.

• Two round trip airfares to Ireland $100 (flight attendant special deal). (Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE my job???)
• 3 day car rental $96
• 3 nights lodging in a private room at this lovely hostel $140
• Spending just $336 (plus food & incidentals) for Irish memories with Doc: Priceless
  

Someday, if everything goes according to plan, I imagine it won't be so important to score such unbelievable deals, but for now I'm really grateful I have that knack. So is Doc. And we're both extremely grateful for N&S, who are the ultimate Rock Stars for being willing to watch BunchN'Gator while we're gone. They're making this whole adventure possible.

Slán!

Kneeling

I'm not a person who ever kneels of my own volition. I have these knobby knees, and it has always been a bit uncomfortable or painful to kneel. According to my mom, I didn't like crawling when I was little. I just kind of skipped over that phase and moved straight to walking. As a child things like the tubes you crawl through at Chuck E Cheese or other play places always bothered me. Even when I was married, and the officiator had me kneel across the altar from my sweet Doc while he performed the ceremony, I was acutely aware of the discomfort I have about kneeling for any amount of time. If I'm kneeling, it's hard to not be preoccupied with thoughts of knee pads. My knees also bother me when I run, hike etc.

But in my faith, we have a tradition of kneeling at certain times. Family and personal prayers being the most common ones. There have been times when I knelt for these kinds of prayers, but if no one else initiated it, I've never felt a need to kneel on my own. I rationalized this as just one of those silly customs that carried little significance.

Today, while we sang the sacrament hymn, the priests in our church prepared the sacrament, like they do every Sunday. And then, when it was time to bless it, the young man offering the prayer knelt down, like they do every week, and in a reverent manner, repeated the familiar words of the sacrament prayer.

I don't know why this struck me today, but I was impressed with a sense of the holy nature of the sacrament, and perhaps a greater sense of the propriety of kneeling, when appropriate, while addressing God. I felt distinctly that I can do better in this area, and that there may be unforeseen benefits to my kneeling while addressing him in my prayers. An increased measure of his spirit, perhaps. Many of my favorite songs mention kneeling..."will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall?". It's not a concept limited to my faith.

I'm grateful for the example of the young priests in our ward. They have no idea how the spirit and dignity with which they prepare and administer the sacrament each week impacts those partaking of it. For years as a young mom wrestling with small children, the sacrament was hard to get through with any measure of peace. Intellectually I know it's the most important thing I can do each week to bring my soul back into alignment with the spirit, and when I've come to it prepared, it's a renewing experience.

As for kneeling, maybe I'll make myself a little "prayer pillow" to kneel on.

Thrift Town

So, as I've previously mentioned, one of my favorite places to shop are the local thrift stores. One chain, Thrift Town, has a mailing list and sends me email from time to time. The message below arrived during my blogging hiatus:That last part there, about Thrift Town Logo Apparel caught my eye. I had to see just what the logo apparel was, so I went to their website and checked it out. Now I'm setting an appointment up with a therapist to cope with my disappointment at these items being excluded from the sale. Life is just not fair sometimes!

Thanks a Million. Or two.

We're big Hoops & YoYo fans around our house. We've loved watching their site grow over the past several years, and enjoy sending their e-cards to our favorite people. These cute critters were the creation of Hallmark.com, and they're really funny.

A few days ago, Gator wanted to see some of their cards, so we went to the site and stared clicking on them. They have a new card for moms in which Hoops & YoYo allegedly thank their mom one million times with the assistance of a counter, because she's one in a million.


Of course my kids wanted to watch the counter go all the way to a million. I assumed at first that it would start off slow, but then get faster and faster, ultimately getting to one million in a few minutes tops.

I was wrong.

For 2 days the kids ran up in the morning, and checked on the progress throughout the day. It was obvious that by the 2nd night, it would cross the million mark while they were in bed. I told them I'd take pictures.


At first I protested the card...after all a million is a lot, and I haven't done anywhere close to a million good "thank you worthy" things in my life. Bunch responded "it's one thank you for every breath you've ever taken". She came up with the number of how many breaths I've had with this tool, and some basic math using the average of 14 breaths a minute.

We left the card running till it passed 2 million thank yous, and that night my computer crashed.

The whole phenomenon reminded me of how, when I was a child my parents got a fancy new clock with little numbers on a dial that would flip over every minute. I loved that clock! I would spend hours lying on their bed looking at the clock and waiting for the numbers to tick over. It was most exciting when the hour changed. Now we're talkin' some quality entertainment! Here are the screen shots I took of them counting their million thanks!

Catching Up...a post that is all over the place

My year-long hiatus from flying is up and last week I hit the skies again, followed by my annual recurrent training. Amazingly, I passed and will live to fly another year. It's funny, everyone who I encountered said the same thing, "So what did you do all year?" I have always flown between 1 and 4 days a month, typically. So having a year off, while lovely in many ways, wasn't all that different in terms of free time. It was definitely less stressful in terms of childcare, and it was a year of wonders for me, personally, but not the biggest lifestyle change.

This summer, when Doc starts his 3rd year rotations, that will be a big change. I'm still operating under the assumption that things will work out however they should for our situation in terms of providing care for Bunch & Gator. With Doc doing overnight stints every few nights in the hospital, I need to figure things out for the kids for when I'm gone. If I can't, then I'll quit flying. That's simply what it comes down to, because they're absolutely the #1 priority in my life. It's hard to imagine it coming to that though...for my few days a month of work, I make a tiny amount of money...enough to cover music lessons, sports, and a few other miscellaneous expenses that add a sense of normalcy to our student-lives. But most important is that we get amazing medical coverage from my company. After my emergency surgery last October, I've come to appreciate just how significant a blessing health insurance is in our lives.

Speaking of medical insurance, tonight Doc wanted to watch the movie Sicko...the pseudo-documentary by Michael Moore. While he made no effort to cover both sides of the issue objectively, it sure was a story with food for thought.

The movie left me with an even greater sense of appreciation for Doc as he prepares to be a physician. I'm continually grateful for him and the fact that he is pursuing this course out of love for the subject, and a life-long passion for learning, and not because he's chasing the almighty dollar. He will be an uncommonly good doctor, and a blessing in countless patient's lives because of his innate love and mastery of the subject, and his compassionate way with people. He genuinely cares about others. When he was a med school teacher it showed in his lectures and time spent with his students. In his work with the children at church, he has this natural ability to teach the small children that is inspiring. As a father he is always gentle, wise and fair. He's not distracted by materialism, which is such a blessing to us, and helps me be at peace with our situation through all these frugal years of schooling.

A funny example of how odd we are in this area was a conversation we had earlier today. He mentioned that he wanted to stop by the thrift store. I said I did too. We continued praising the merits of shopping at thrift stores for a few minutes, commenting that even after he's practicing medicine, he just doesn't ever see himself paying for new shirts when we can just happily find such great deals at thrift stores (pants are a different story for him...his size is nearly impossible to find). I agreed wholeheartedly, since excepting socks and underware, about 95% of everything I wear is from thrift stores (including shoes). People don't realize it, because it's amazing what you can find. I love the stores here, and am so grateful that we're all cool with second-hand clothing. Gator is in dire need of a new wardrobe right now. I am shocked at how he seemingly grew out of his shirts and pants overnight. I looked at him yesterday when he walked in the door after school, and walked him straight over to the full-length mirror.

"See your shirt and pants honey", I said to him. "This is the last time that you're going to be able to wear them."

'But they're my favorites" he protested!

I can't believe I never noticed his sleeves creeping halfway up from his wrists to his elbows. Time for him to move up a size.

Lately I've been so happy in so many areas of my life. In terms of the kids, Doc refers to this stage as the "golden era". The years from 8-11 are so sweet. We notice development in the kids on a regular basis, and they catch me off guard with the things they're thinking about and the ways they're growing.

Bunch especially has adult-esque insights and comments on a nearly daily basis. She chimes in on the email dialogue that flies back and forth amongst the grandparents, cousins, aunties and uncles, and some of what she says is so mature I have to double-check who's message it is!

On Tuesday I had one of those amazing mommy moments. Bunch is in 5th grade, and her school has an orchestra that she's part of. She'd originally hoped to be a violinist, but since we have no real income, she was eligible for a free instrument, and all they had left to issue her was a viola. I know nothing about string instruments, so I've been a complete wasteland when it comes to being able to support her. She has a talent for music though, and has done really well on her own. She just started taking piano lessons a year and a half ago, but has already surpassed me in her reading abilities. The viola uses the alto clef, which I don't know anything about even though I sang alto in chorus growing up. (I don't even know if these two "altos" are related!)

Anyway, Bunch has a knack for playing by ear, and while I was playing Cannon in D by Johann Pachelbel on the downstairs piano, which I always just improvise and make up as I go, she amazed me by joining in on her viola. There we were, mom and daughter, having our first jam session together!

Doc came in and watched me play with tears streaming down my cheeks. It was one of those moments in life when my heart just takes a picture. I know that the next 7 years are going to whiz by faster than I can imagine, and that Bunch will be a full-on grown up, out on her own in no time. I'm going to miss being a mom to young people, but I suspect she'll be a delight to parent all her days. She's one of my favorite people in the world. Here's a picture of her at the holiday concert at her school:In other news, my airline announced it's first code-share with another airline, and to celebrate, they're offering a mind-blowing deal of $50.00 RT through the end of May for crewmembers and their families to Ireland. Doc surprised me by saying "let's go!" He's on spring break next week, so he and I are taking off for a little get-away for a few days. The kids are going to hang out with their cousins, which is their favorite place in the world besides home. They absolutely LOVE being with cousins. So it's a win-win for everyone. Doc and I are flying to Shannon, and will drive around the beautiful west coast of Ireland where we hope to do some hiking, see a castle, beautiful vistas, and find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. I can't wait!

The week before I started flying again, one of my dearest friends made my year by coming out for a visit. Her visit deserves a post of it's own, and I'll give it due dilligence later, but I just had to mention it now because I'm so grateful for my friends. I'm getting over my amazement that I have such great people in my life...but I'll never stop being filled with gratitude for them. Colleen, you're better than chocolate! And that's saying a lot, especially when I'm PMS! ;-)

BOOK UPDATE: It's taken a few turns in the past month. I'm going in a completely different direction that originally planned, and today I made the firm commitment to finish it by my 1/2 birthday in June. I really feel good about this. For various reasons, I have decided to write it under a pen name, which means that I won't be announcing it and publicizing it, but the experience of writing it is the reason I'm doing it. If I actually produce a good book, great, and if it does for anyone else what Jeanette Walls book The Glass Castle did for me, even better. But my goal in finishing it is just to tell my story.

So this all means I won't be publishing bits on here either, nor discussing it when it's done. Doc pointed out that being anonymous means not telling the maybe 300 people that I would have told about my book, who might have gotten the "snowball rolling", but we both agree that the most important thing is to just write it because it's haunting my dreams and begging me to tell it. It's been such a cathartic experience for me to go through the process of making peace with my early life. I'm so grateful that I listened to that feeling I had that I needed to do this. I couldn't have predicted how freeing it would be, nor how it would help me grow. I have yet to tell my agent about the change. I hope they're cool with this. No book tours or anything, could mean they're not happy. But for this book, this is what I need to do.

I actually exercised four times during the week I was gone...but have been so sedentary since returning. I tried out an eliptical trainer in my hotel weight room and really liked it. I'm so averse to going outside and walking around, and running just destroys my knees, so it was really fun to have the gym during my layovers. I need to make myself just get back at it again. I know we all have our various struggles, but I sure wish exercise was one I could finally supersede once and for all!

And finally, tonight cute Gator wrote a speech all on his own which he is giving tomorrow in class. His topic: "My paper airplane collection". I thought it was very well done, and am looking forward to seeing him present it to his class. We had lunch with Bunch today, and will have lunch with Gator tomorrow at their school. It's so fun to see them during the day, made all the better by Doc being on break right now. Having him home during the day is spoiling me! These days are so sweet, and they're so numbered! Only 3 months till Step 1 of the Medical Board exams, and then rotations start. Next year is going to be tough. But we'll get through it. Every doctor does. ♥

Austin

Last summer, a family moved into the neighborhood with 3 small boys. The oldest child, Austin, was in first grade, and his younger brothers weren't in school yet.

They were a kind of rough family from the looks of things on their property and the stories I heard. I never met his parents, though though I saw them outside a couple of times. The three year old was reportedly very crazy, and he just ran wild...hitting, kicking, biting etc. He once wielded a knife on Gator and another neighbor boy (who were 5 years his senior). The children were largely unsupervised at home, living a kind of lawless life. The three year old would just walk into houses of neighbors at times, even if they weren't home. He let the neighbor's gerbil out of it's cage during one such visit.

Regardless of the trajectory his younger brother seemed to be on in life, Austin was a remarkably good boy, all things considered. He rode the school bus with Bunch & Gator. Many mornings, including several when it was below freezing and snowing like crazy, he would be out at the bus stop 30 - 45 minutes early. When they first moved in, before a picture of his homelife had started to emerge, Austin would routinely stop at our house at that hour. I deeply regret that, instead of inviting him in (for a couple of reasons, including the fact that I hadn't met his parents and I wouldn't let my own children go into homes of people I don't know, and wasn't sure how they'd feel about him being inside my home), I told him that the kids are practicing their lessons and such at that time of day, and they'd be out when it was time to leave.

After a few months, I started to get a sense of what kind of environment Austin must be living in from the stories the kids brought home about playing with him and being on the bus together. I tried to help Bunch & Gator treat him with an extra measure of compassion and sensitivity. It's hard to be friends with someone like Austin at first. He doesn't necessarily come with the set of social skills and acoutrements that most kids want in a friend. But he was a sweet boy, and I grew increasingly fond of him. I wanted him to feel welcome, and that ours was a home that he could count on if he ever needed a soft spot to land. I know how important that can be for a kid like Austin...he's a lot like I was at his age.

For the past month or two, Austin has been afraid to walk home alone from the bus. He's only 4 houses away from us, but he took to asking my kids if they'd walk him there. His reason, he claimed, was fear of "getting run over by a truck." We essentially live on a cul-de-sac with very little traffic.

One day a couple months ago, when it was snowing like crazy, he showed up at the bus wearing dark sunglasses. It wasn't bright out, and I really wanted to figure out if he was wearing them for a reason or just for fun. He said he had a headache, so I asked him if I could see his cool glasses. He took them off and let me look at them, and I gratefully noticed that his face was fine underneath them. But he said his head hurt, and that he'd hit it on something. He was out in the snow without gloves, so I ran home and gave him a spare pair to wear. Then I zipped his coat up and helped him don the gloves. He always seemed very grateful for any kindness shown him.

I suggested to Gator one lazy afternoon a month or so ago that he see if Austin could come over to play. Gator was afraid to ask, but finally got the courage up to go over. Austin's mother came to the door and told Gator that Austin wasn't allowed to play on school days.

Last week, Austin got off the bus one day and his coat was soaked through and filthy. He was dragging it along, and at first, before I realized that it was already wet and dirty, I called out to him to pick it up so it wouldn't get wet. When I saw it's condition, I wasn't sure if he'd catch it for getting his coat so wet and dirty, so I asked if he had a washing machine at home. "My mom's kind of sick" was his reply. So I asked if I could wash it and send it over later. He readily agreed to this, and then when Bunch took it over later no one answered the door. We gave it to him the next morning before he got on the bus. I hoped that didn't cause him any problems at home.

While I was flying this past week, Austin's family suddenly moved away. I had no idea this was happening till tonight, and they're gone now. Austin told Bunch & Gator on Thursday that they were moving, and he would be at a different school. Sure enough, they did the skeedaddle that day.

Over the past few months, I've grown increasingly fond of Austin, and hoped that he'd be around for a long time, so that we could be a bright spot in his life. If he were available, I'd have adopted him in a heartbeat and made him part of our family. I have no idea where he is now, or what kind of life he's going to end up having. I hope he knows that he's cared for. I hope that he always gravitates to those people in his path who have his best interests at heart, and that those moments will be enough to carry him through the challenges of a difficult childhood. I hope I see him again some day. I hope he's safe. My heart's a little bit broken tonight over him. Him and all the other Austins of the world. ♥

The sun isn't up yet...

...But I still am.

Hello from the lovely city of Boston Mass!

I should mention here that I am a flight attendant. I've been off for a year on a sabbatical that my company offered to some of the crewmembers. I began this blog whilst off, and can't remember if I've ever mentioned this fact before.

Anyway, I just flew all night. My trip started in Boston at 2:40 in the afternoon, and we went to San Jose CA and then back to Boston. It's 5:30 a.m. and I'm in my hotel room waiting for them to start serving breakfast in half an hour before going to bed for a few hours. Later this afternoon after I wake up, we fly to Florida.

During the flight to CA, and again on the return flight, we encountered the most turbulence I've flown in for many years. Just hours of sustained moderate chop, with moments of groovy bumping around. It doesn't phase me to fly through turbulence, I don't mind it in and of itself. It gets a little annoying to try and serve drinks etc., and I feel bad for the customers who are freaked out of their gord. But I figure it adds an element of spirituality to the flight...more people praying to their various gods than usual. So that's all good.

Being that this is my first trip back in the skies after a 12-month hiatus, it's almost like the first flights when I became a flight attendant back in 2000. There have been a number of changes in how we do things during the past year. Because of this, I intentionally bid for to be the #2 flight attendant for this trip, so that someone else would be in charge. I'm grateful I thought to do that. My crew consists of myself and two lovely women, and they've been really great about updating me on all the changes.

Last night we stayed in downtown Boston, at the historic Park Plaza Hotel. It's only a block from Boston Common, which is an amazing park. There is a grand piano in the lobby, and when we checked in at 1:00 a.m., someone was playing it. The woman at the desk told me that it was one of their security guards, and that sometimes late at night he played. I asked if anyone was allowed to play it, and she said yes. So I changed out of my uniform, and took my journal down and sat in a corner to listen. He was really good, but after a bit, his radio squawked, and he had to go do something for his work. So it was my turn! :-)

It was about 2:00 a.m., and pretty deserted. This is a good thing, because I love to play, but it's primarily just an outlet for personal rejuvenation. I don't really know how it works, but I just get something from playing that I've never gotten from anything else. I've never studied piano, and I lack the technical skills of the kind of musician you'd customarily hear performing. But I do a fair job on a few songs. Enough to pass muster at 2a.m. in a deserted hotel lobby at least.

Before I knew it, the security guard's task was completed, and he returned to find someone sitting on his bench! But he wasn't upset, rather, he asked if I'd mind playing the number I was making up when he came back, while he played around with it on the upper keys. I warned him that it wouldn't be the same, because I was just making it up as I went along, but he didn't care. So we ended up just jammin' on the piano in the lobby for over an hour, messing around with different melodies and improvising on themes. He was a far superior musician, but it was still a lot of fun. I could have played for a long time, but at last I had to catch a few winks. I don't know his name, but to all the piano men out there, thanks for the music!

And to my darling bunch, who will be awake in the next couple hours and who will get online like she does every morning and who will read this post: HI! I love you! I Hope your catapult project turned out great, and I can't wait to see the finished project. Have a great day, and give Daddy & Gator a hug from me. Keep one for yourself, too. I miss you sweetheart!

Time for breakfast!