I've been stiffer and sorer today than I was yesterday. My chest feels tight because of the gas they put in me (so that organs could be visualized easier). My throat is sore from the intubation (apparently standard procedure). And my abdomen hurts because that's where the doc was mucking about. I have two small incision marks - one at my belly button and the other about an inch over the pubic bone. They both have round bruises around them and the lower one seeps a little. The information sheet I was sent home with says a little bleeding can be normal for the first 48-72 hours.
I didn't get to talk to the doctor yesterday after the operation. Because of the anesthesia and pain meds I was on, he just spoke with Nathan. So the second hand news I got about my insides is that the doc didn't find endometriosis. When Nathan told me this in post-op I almost cried from frustration. Sure, endometriosis isn't a fun thing to have and there's not cure, but at least the surgery would have helped the pain. Since the doctor didn't see any endo tissues to excise then I imagine that after I recuperate I'll have the same pelvic discomfort as before. Yes, that really bites.
2009-03-25
2009-03-24
I'm Home Again
Okay. I had a longer note written and then I erased it by accident. So now I'm just going to say that I got home around 3:30 and am doing well. Probably going back to sleep after typing this. Pretty drowsy from the anesthesia and pain meds.
In Twelve Hours I'll be done :-)
I'm supposed to arrive at the surgery center at 7:30 AM and the operation is scheduled for 8:45 AM. Of course, it is a hospital and these things can change if the docs say so. I hope to be home by 2 PM.
In the meantime, I'm not supposed to have anything to eat or drink and I'm thirsty. So I can look forward to having a good glass of water after the surgery.
In the meantime, I'm not supposed to have anything to eat or drink and I'm thirsty. So I can look forward to having a good glass of water after the surgery.
2009-03-22
Attention To Details
Seems like I forgot to tell Nathan what hospital I'm getting the slice and dice done at. As I said to him on Saturday, Orem Community is a great place for having babies but if there's any chance of complications (like with a surgery...) then I'm going to Utah Valley.
And I also arranged for a friend to give me a ride to the hospital when Nathan was fully expecting to take me there. Not sure what I was thinking on that one. Maybe next time I should ask him first?
If I were to analyze it, I'd say that maybe if I don't treat the surgery like a big deal then I won't feel like it's a big deal? So then I don't have to be so anxious? Well, don't have to worry about that idea because I'm good and anxious. Can't wait for Tuesday afternoon so I can focus on recuperating.
And I also arranged for a friend to give me a ride to the hospital when Nathan was fully expecting to take me there. Not sure what I was thinking on that one. Maybe next time I should ask him first?
If I were to analyze it, I'd say that maybe if I don't treat the surgery like a big deal then I won't feel like it's a big deal? So then I don't have to be so anxious? Well, don't have to worry about that idea because I'm good and anxious. Can't wait for Tuesday afternoon so I can focus on recuperating.
For those who don't know but may want to know...
I'm tired and it's late, but I just realized that, apart from my coworkers, I've only told about five people this... Sometime Tuesday morning I'm having laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis. Apparently it's routine for the patient to not know until the night before what time the surgery is going to be. Lame. The surgical center is supposed to call me after 3 PM on Monday (tomorrow) to tell me when to show up.
In this case, the laparoscopy is a minor outpatient procedure that will both confirm the diagnosis of endometriosis and treat it if the doc finds that it's there. Endometriosis is where endometrium tissues that are usually in the uterus are found elsewhere in the abdomen. This causes pain. For me, the point of this surgery is to hopefully reduce the pain. How I understand it is that there'll be an incision near/in? my belly button and another about 4 inches down from that. One hole is used for the viewing instruments and the second is used for the cutting instruments. If the doctor sees endometriosis areas then he will cut or laser them off.
A coworker asked me last week if I was nervous. I told her then that I was trying not to think about it and it would be good to get it over with so that I could have less pain. Really though, I'm nervous. First off, I just plain don't like the idea of some stranger mucking around in my insides. Also, it's my first time going under general anesthesia, being intubated, and getting catheterized. Yuck, yuck, yuck. The surgical center called Friday to get a health history. I was asked if I have any caps or crowns on my teeth. Yeah, that's because if you have dental work on front teeth then sometimes they can get knocked off with the intubation process. Fun.
Here's the full story:
1. Last July I saw my general practice doctor because of some persistent abdominal pain. She sent me for an ultrasound and CT scan. When both tests came back normal, she referred me out to a gynecologist.
2. Due to not liking to try out new doctors, I procastinated and didn't get in to see an OB-GYN until November. The new doctor (well, nurse practicitioner really) listened to my history and immediately said it sounded like endometriosis. She gave a brief explanation of what it is and stated that the best treatment is surgery. Keep in mind that it took me 3 months to go to a specialist in the first place. My distaste at the idea must have shown on my face because when I asked if there were any alternatives she told me about a procedure called HSG that we could try first.
3. I went home and researched endometriosis and the HSG procedure (short for hysterosalpingogram). Turns out the only way to diagnose endometriosis is surgery and HSG just shows that it's not other things but it can't show that it IS endo. Which is probably what I would have heard from the nurse practitioner gyno if I had known what questions to ask and she had known how to say it so I understood.
4. I sucked it up and scheduled a pre-op appointment. That was March 18. I met with the doctor gyno who is doing the operation. I learned something - one doesn't have to be a surgeon to perform surgery. How reassuring. At least the doc seemed self-confident. Good. When he goes out to tell hubby that I'm a vegetable he'll be able to do so with poise.
In this case, the laparoscopy is a minor outpatient procedure that will both confirm the diagnosis of endometriosis and treat it if the doc finds that it's there. Endometriosis is where endometrium tissues that are usually in the uterus are found elsewhere in the abdomen. This causes pain. For me, the point of this surgery is to hopefully reduce the pain. How I understand it is that there'll be an incision near/in? my belly button and another about 4 inches down from that. One hole is used for the viewing instruments and the second is used for the cutting instruments. If the doctor sees endometriosis areas then he will cut or laser them off.
A coworker asked me last week if I was nervous. I told her then that I was trying not to think about it and it would be good to get it over with so that I could have less pain. Really though, I'm nervous. First off, I just plain don't like the idea of some stranger mucking around in my insides. Also, it's my first time going under general anesthesia, being intubated, and getting catheterized. Yuck, yuck, yuck. The surgical center called Friday to get a health history. I was asked if I have any caps or crowns on my teeth. Yeah, that's because if you have dental work on front teeth then sometimes they can get knocked off with the intubation process. Fun.
Here's the full story:
1. Last July I saw my general practice doctor because of some persistent abdominal pain. She sent me for an ultrasound and CT scan. When both tests came back normal, she referred me out to a gynecologist.
2. Due to not liking to try out new doctors, I procastinated and didn't get in to see an OB-GYN until November. The new doctor (well, nurse practicitioner really) listened to my history and immediately said it sounded like endometriosis. She gave a brief explanation of what it is and stated that the best treatment is surgery. Keep in mind that it took me 3 months to go to a specialist in the first place. My distaste at the idea must have shown on my face because when I asked if there were any alternatives she told me about a procedure called HSG that we could try first.
3. I went home and researched endometriosis and the HSG procedure (short for hysterosalpingogram). Turns out the only way to diagnose endometriosis is surgery and HSG just shows that it's not other things but it can't show that it IS endo. Which is probably what I would have heard from the nurse practitioner gyno if I had known what questions to ask and she had known how to say it so I understood.
4. I sucked it up and scheduled a pre-op appointment. That was March 18. I met with the doctor gyno who is doing the operation. I learned something - one doesn't have to be a surgeon to perform surgery. How reassuring. At least the doc seemed self-confident. Good. When he goes out to tell hubby that I'm a vegetable he'll be able to do so with poise.
2009-03-16
False Alarm
Just kidding friends. Looks like I'm not moving into that place I excitedly posted about yesterday.
Turns out the previous tenants were a little misleading about the deposit and pet policy. Instead of a $250 deposit, it's really that much plus first and last month's rent except you have to pay last month's rent when the time comes, so it's really just $850 deposit. And $100 is non refundable for carpet cleaning, which the new tenant arranges for themselves. 1) that's an expensive carpet cleaning, and 2) why isn't this taken care of before the new person moves in?
Instead of a no cats or dogs policy, the landlord went on to say no snakes, birds, guinea pigs, or fish. More animals may have been mentioned. I'd rather not live there in fear that my pet rats will get me evicted. Holy cow, no fish?! Sounds a little uptight to me.
Oh yeah... Apparently the landlord (an elderly man) and his wife spend several months of every year in St George. What the heck? What if something needs to be taken care of?
I guess it's back to searching Craigslist ads. I'll let you know if things change.
Turns out the previous tenants were a little misleading about the deposit and pet policy. Instead of a $250 deposit, it's really that much plus first and last month's rent except you have to pay last month's rent when the time comes, so it's really just $850 deposit. And $100 is non refundable for carpet cleaning, which the new tenant arranges for themselves. 1) that's an expensive carpet cleaning, and 2) why isn't this taken care of before the new person moves in?
Instead of a no cats or dogs policy, the landlord went on to say no snakes, birds, guinea pigs, or fish. More animals may have been mentioned. I'd rather not live there in fear that my pet rats will get me evicted. Holy cow, no fish?! Sounds a little uptight to me.
Oh yeah... Apparently the landlord (an elderly man) and his wife spend several months of every year in St George. What the heck? What if something needs to be taken care of?
I guess it's back to searching Craigslist ads. I'll let you know if things change.
2009-03-15
Am I Really Doing This To Myself?
Well, Nathan and I have an appointment tomorrow to sign papers for a new apartment. Man I hate moving, but my now apartment is really bugging me and has been for a while. The new place is $600 a month and very close to my work. No more waiting for Nathan to pick me up! And I'm still being responsible with my money and not splurging for a much more expensive place that would leave us financially strapped each month. Which I've been tempted to do.
Cons about my curent place that I hope the new place will fix:
- have to drive over a curb every time I enter or leave the driveway because only about 3 feet of the entrance was smoothed down
- neighbors in the next house over who sit outside in their cars and blast mariachi music so loud that I feel the base while lying in my bed
- radiant heating located in the ceiling. And the heating system downstairs broke so there's a small space heater type thing stuck in the wall instead.
- nosy and noisy school age children that constantly run by my window in good weather. And I live in the back of the building and these children are from several houses down.
- shower has separate knobs for hot and cold water. I spend half of my shower time adjusting the water temperature.
Possible cons about the new place:
- less storage space
- possibly not as much sunlight. Windows are only south and north facing. South facing windows have awning over them.
- only one story. Might feel like less space even though square footage is the same.
Pros about the new place:
- a block away from my work
- kitchen is L shaped and not galley style
- it's an end unit so there is only one shared wall. No neighbors above or below either.
- built in dishwasher
Cons about my curent place that I hope the new place will fix:
- have to drive over a curb every time I enter or leave the driveway because only about 3 feet of the entrance was smoothed down
- neighbors in the next house over who sit outside in their cars and blast mariachi music so loud that I feel the base while lying in my bed
- radiant heating located in the ceiling. And the heating system downstairs broke so there's a small space heater type thing stuck in the wall instead.
- nosy and noisy school age children that constantly run by my window in good weather. And I live in the back of the building and these children are from several houses down.
- shower has separate knobs for hot and cold water. I spend half of my shower time adjusting the water temperature.
Possible cons about the new place:
- less storage space
- possibly not as much sunlight. Windows are only south and north facing. South facing windows have awning over them.
- only one story. Might feel like less space even though square footage is the same.
Pros about the new place:
- a block away from my work
- kitchen is L shaped and not galley style
- it's an end unit so there is only one shared wall. No neighbors above or below either.
- built in dishwasher
2009-02-11
My New Pets
Several people have asked to see pictures of my new pets. The trick has been getting the picture taken fast enough. Turns out that rodents move quickly and my camera isn't as quick as I would like it to be.Also, I can't figure out how to get the pics to post how I want them to. But here they are: Pearl (white and light gray) and Missy (dark gray with white belly). I'll post more later when I have time to struggle with my lame photo software.
2009-01-27
It's A Small World
So. I was blog stalking this evening (my own personal phrase which today means that I was visiting friends' blogs and browsing their links to see if they had links to anybody that I knew too) when on a friend of a friend's site I found a blog that belongs to my cousin. Technically they're my second cousin and we've never met and they wouldn't know who I was unless I introduced myself and said, "Your mom's grandmother is my great-grandmother." But still. Pretty neat connectivity.That is definitely less than six degrees.
Hi Kris, I'm your cousin.
Hi Kris, I'm your cousin.
2009-01-09
Forward #3
1. What is your occupation right now? Medical Assistant at a pediatrician's office
2. What color are your socks right now? Blue, Silver and White Stripes
3. What are you listening to right now? Pandora Radio
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Chocolate chip cookie dough (thanks Jessica)
5. Can you drive a stick shift? No. Have you seen me drive? Do you really want to divide my attention like that?
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My neighbor Jessica. She opened her cell phone to a screaming toddler and me asking "Has your daughter had Tylenol lately?"
7. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Not a big fan of being a spectator.
8. What is your favorite drink? Hot Chocolate
9. Have you ever dyed your hair? Nope
10. Favorite food? Italian! And no, this doesn’t work well with my doctor’s advice of following a low carb diet.
11. What is the last movie you watched? Robinson Family...that 17 month old little girl has a really good attention span when she chooses to.
12. How do you vent anger? To my husband mostly.
13. What was your favorite toy as a child? Books
14. What is your favorite season? Autumn and Spring. I love different things about each of them. The biggest one being that I'm not sweltering or freezing my patootie off. I hate being hot but I also hate having it be dark when I wake up and dark when I get home from work.
15. Cherries or Blueberries? That's an easy one because I don't like cherries.
16. Living arrangements? Okay, if you’re reading this then you should know the answer to that.
17. When was the last time you cried? Quite often since December 10. (you know, the whole dad thing)
18. What is on the floor of your closet? There’s a floor under all those cloths?
19. What did you do last night? Compared reviews for TV converter boxes. Told Nathan where to go to buy the one I decided on.
20. What are you most afraid of? Losing a loved one.
21. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheeseburgers every time! Hold the onions.
22. Favorite dog breed? German Shepherds Are Awesome
23. How many states have you lived in? Only two. Again, if you're reading this then you probably know which two.
24. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls. Nathan’s a lucky man.
25. What is your favorite flower? Really not sure. I often agree with Meg Ryan when she said, "daisies are such happy flowers." Name that movie for a thousand...
2. What color are your socks right now? Blue, Silver and White Stripes
3. What are you listening to right now? Pandora Radio
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Chocolate chip cookie dough (thanks Jessica)
5. Can you drive a stick shift? No. Have you seen me drive? Do you really want to divide my attention like that?
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My neighbor Jessica. She opened her cell phone to a screaming toddler and me asking "Has your daughter had Tylenol lately?"
7. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Not a big fan of being a spectator.
8. What is your favorite drink? Hot Chocolate
9. Have you ever dyed your hair? Nope
10. Favorite food? Italian! And no, this doesn’t work well with my doctor’s advice of following a low carb diet.
11. What is the last movie you watched? Robinson Family...that 17 month old little girl has a really good attention span when she chooses to.
12. How do you vent anger? To my husband mostly.
13. What was your favorite toy as a child? Books
14. What is your favorite season? Autumn and Spring. I love different things about each of them. The biggest one being that I'm not sweltering or freezing my patootie off. I hate being hot but I also hate having it be dark when I wake up and dark when I get home from work.
15. Cherries or Blueberries? That's an easy one because I don't like cherries.
16. Living arrangements? Okay, if you’re reading this then you should know the answer to that.
17. When was the last time you cried? Quite often since December 10. (you know, the whole dad thing)
18. What is on the floor of your closet? There’s a floor under all those cloths?
19. What did you do last night? Compared reviews for TV converter boxes. Told Nathan where to go to buy the one I decided on.
20. What are you most afraid of? Losing a loved one.
21. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheeseburgers every time! Hold the onions.
22. Favorite dog breed? German Shepherds Are Awesome
23. How many states have you lived in? Only two. Again, if you're reading this then you probably know which two.
24. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls. Nathan’s a lucky man.
25. What is your favorite flower? Really not sure. I often agree with Meg Ryan when she said, "daisies are such happy flowers." Name that movie for a thousand...
2009-01-08
Thoughts
Sayings such as "it takes a village to raise a child" and "no man is an island"... the continued popularity of Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables... reunion sites like MySpace and Facebook... seem to reinforce a theory of mine.
I believe there is a common need within humans to have a close knit network of loved ones. The traditional community where neighbors stopped by to visit and family went to grandmother's for holidays and you knew whose name to cuss out when you found dog poo on your lawn. That community is becoming history and is being replaced by a society of superficiallness.
Text relationships where a scathing remark is ok because it was followed by LOL. Homes where fathers sit downstairs alone while adolescent children play internet games with people in other countries whom they've never met. Bored youth who rob the local electronics store for entertainment and never have to worry about facing the owner in the street the next day.
Hmmm, that sounds like I'm saying technology is the big bad wolf. It's not. It's the way that our culture is adapting to these inovations that I disaprove of. Not only are we being denied a moral compass, but we're missing a familiar face that recognizes without words that today was not a good day. We're missing the innate sense of knowing that someone out there does care. Artificial replacements have grown up. Activities like playgroup, book club, and 'neighborhood watch'.
Have you had a day lately where you never heard your name spoken out loud? A day where you didn't get hugged, or even feel the touch of another human being? A day where nobody smiled at you? Our souls know that we are loved, even when the words aren't said.
I believe there is a common need within humans to have a close knit network of loved ones. The traditional community where neighbors stopped by to visit and family went to grandmother's for holidays and you knew whose name to cuss out when you found dog poo on your lawn. That community is becoming history and is being replaced by a society of superficiallness.
Text relationships where a scathing remark is ok because it was followed by LOL. Homes where fathers sit downstairs alone while adolescent children play internet games with people in other countries whom they've never met. Bored youth who rob the local electronics store for entertainment and never have to worry about facing the owner in the street the next day.
Hmmm, that sounds like I'm saying technology is the big bad wolf. It's not. It's the way that our culture is adapting to these inovations that I disaprove of. Not only are we being denied a moral compass, but we're missing a familiar face that recognizes without words that today was not a good day. We're missing the innate sense of knowing that someone out there does care. Artificial replacements have grown up. Activities like playgroup, book club, and 'neighborhood watch'.
Have you had a day lately where you never heard your name spoken out loud? A day where you didn't get hugged, or even feel the touch of another human being? A day where nobody smiled at you? Our souls know that we are loved, even when the words aren't said.
2008-11-17
I've Been Doppelganger-ed
Wiki that.
Doppelganger: (noun) 1: a ghostly counterpart of a living person2 a: double 2a b: alter ego b c: a person who has the same name as another
Just when I though you wouldn't hear from me for a long time... I linked to a friend's blog through facebook and found the link to an eerily familiar sounding website - beth.bethandnathan.com Yes, hubby and I seem to have a doppelganger. Now that must be twice as special as an individual doppelganger, wouldn't you think?
Doppelganger: (noun) 1: a ghostly counterpart of a living person2 a: double 2a b: alter ego b c: a person who has the same name as another
Just when I though you wouldn't hear from me for a long time... I linked to a friend's blog through facebook and found the link to an eerily familiar sounding website - beth.bethandnathan.com Yes, hubby and I seem to have a doppelganger. Now that must be twice as special as an individual doppelganger, wouldn't you think?
I'll Be Back
Postings for the near future will be sparser than usual. See, my next door neighbor moved on November 1st. She was letting me mooch off her wireless internet service and I haven't signed up for my own plan yet. I'm trying to hold off until a local provider has a good promotion. In the meantime, it's www withdrawals for me.
2008-10-23
A Little Compassion Please
Okay, so I've started Facebooking. (like how almost anything can be turned into a verb?) and I just want to point out how sad it is when you select someone and the screen reads:
Loozah MacSmith HAS NO FRIENDS.
And now they (you know, the sadistic ones who run Facebook) feel the need to broadcast your pathetic aloneness to all of internetdom. I'm sorry my non-friend. I'm sorry.
Loozah MacSmith HAS NO FRIENDS.
And now they (you know, the sadistic ones who run Facebook) feel the need to broadcast your pathetic aloneness to all of internetdom. I'm sorry my non-friend. I'm sorry.
2008-10-19
Ten NEW Excuses For Not Showing Up To Church
(taken from a greeting card)
- We have a blessing surplus.
- We still haven't applied what we learned last month.
- I've been classified as an overactive member.
- The bishop said to never come to church without your scriptures, and I lost mine.
- I'm waiting for all the stubborn people to die off.
- I decided to endure to the middle.
- If my home is the most sacred next to the temple, why should I ever leave?
- I know I'm supposed to go to the Celestial Kingdom, but I have a fear of heights.
- I'm creating reactivation opportunities.
- The missionaries told me I only had to go three times.
2008-10-18
Stinky Stuff
Wisdom from my coworker Margie (not for the faint of heart)
The Three Worst Smells Of Children:
The Three Worst Smells Of Children:
- Bloody Stool
- E Coli
- Styrofoam that's been a kid's nose for a while
2008-10-15
What did he do to deserve that?
Nathan surprised me with flowers after his class yesterday (for the first time in a long time) and what do I do? I dreamed last night that he was sleeping with my sister. Not nice.
2008-10-12
Holy Canolli, It's Good To Be Home
After a week visiting family, it's nice to be home.
Home... where I can eat my Frosted Mini Wheats for breakfast...where I don't have to climb stairs to use the bathroom if I wake up in the middle of the night...where I don't have to be self-conscious when I walk around in a bathrobe...where my grocery store is open around the clock ...where I know how to get from point A to point B without asking for directions or looking at a map...where I can drive to WalMart or Target or KMart or Lowe's or Home Depot or JoAnn Craft or Hallmark or Kohls or Old Navy or nearly anywhere I'm interested in going in 20 minutes or less...
Yes, it's good to be back.
Home... where I can eat my Frosted Mini Wheats for breakfast...where I don't have to climb stairs to use the bathroom if I wake up in the middle of the night...where I don't have to be self-conscious when I walk around in a bathrobe...where my grocery store is open around the clock ...where I know how to get from point A to point B without asking for directions or looking at a map...where I can drive to WalMart or Target or KMart or Lowe's or Home Depot or JoAnn Craft or Hallmark or Kohls or Old Navy or nearly anywhere I'm interested in going in 20 minutes or less...
Yes, it's good to be back.
How I Spent My Saturday
So, yeah. We took the "scenic" route home. Between Manchester, New Hampshire and Salt Lake City we landed in no less than 4 cities. Why this madness? you might wonder.
Well, it began with a car accident. (Not mine. Not this time anyway) What should have been a leasurely hour-long drive to the airport took nearly twice as long because of a bottleneck at the site of a pileup that involved 4+ cars. That's right. The three of us (my grandpa chauffeured) spend at least half an hour in stop and go traffic on a two-lane highway. Which definitely involved more stopping than going. And which ended with me and Nathan standing in line waiting to go through security as I saw the listing for our plane change from boarding to departed.
Crap.
Well, nowhere to go but forward. After security decided my canned fruit cocktail was contraband and made Nathan mail his metal-credit-card-sized-pocket-tool back to himself, we went to Southwest's terminal and explained our plight. While they didn't bring the plane back for us, we also didn't have to buy new tickets or get evil looks cast our way for being annoying. What did happen is that we flew standby from 11 o'clock Saturday morning (eastern time) to 8 am the next day (central time). We finally flew out from Manchester at 3:30 and got all the way to Chicago. In New Hampshire they had told us that we'd have to camp out in Chicago until 9:30 Sunday morning. Being stuck in an airport for 15 hour without any friends or family nearby did not sound like my idea of fun, so I made friendly with the employee at the Chicago gate and asked if they could do any better for me (us).
And guess what? We got to hang out in Dallas for a few hours with Nathan's favouritest aunt and her boys. In my book that was definitely a positive twist on what had started out as a bad day.
So, we started out in New Hampshire, had a layover in Chicago, took a flight to Dallas (with a 'stop' in St Louis where some passengers got off and some more got on and the two of us stayed put), hung out in Texas for ten hours, and finally got to go on a plane to Utah - but not before another 'stop', this time in Alburquerque. I rather felt like a yo-yo. Up and down, up and down. And I experienced most of the seasons in a 24 hour period. Pleasant autumn weather in New England, a humid summer night in Texas (where it's always summer), topped off by Utah's first snow of the winter. I had good times on my trip back home, but I would have to say that the biggest adventure was coming home.
Oh, and our luggage made it home before we did :)
Well, it began with a car accident. (Not mine. Not this time anyway) What should have been a leasurely hour-long drive to the airport took nearly twice as long because of a bottleneck at the site of a pileup that involved 4+ cars. That's right. The three of us (my grandpa chauffeured) spend at least half an hour in stop and go traffic on a two-lane highway. Which definitely involved more stopping than going. And which ended with me and Nathan standing in line waiting to go through security as I saw the listing for our plane change from boarding to departed.
Crap.
Well, nowhere to go but forward. After security decided my canned fruit cocktail was contraband and made Nathan mail his metal-credit-card-sized-pocket-tool back to himself, we went to Southwest's terminal and explained our plight. While they didn't bring the plane back for us, we also didn't have to buy new tickets or get evil looks cast our way for being annoying. What did happen is that we flew standby from 11 o'clock Saturday morning (eastern time) to 8 am the next day (central time). We finally flew out from Manchester at 3:30 and got all the way to Chicago. In New Hampshire they had told us that we'd have to camp out in Chicago until 9:30 Sunday morning. Being stuck in an airport for 15 hour without any friends or family nearby did not sound like my idea of fun, so I made friendly with the employee at the Chicago gate and asked if they could do any better for me (us).
And guess what? We got to hang out in Dallas for a few hours with Nathan's favouritest aunt and her boys. In my book that was definitely a positive twist on what had started out as a bad day.
So, we started out in New Hampshire, had a layover in Chicago, took a flight to Dallas (with a 'stop' in St Louis where some passengers got off and some more got on and the two of us stayed put), hung out in Texas for ten hours, and finally got to go on a plane to Utah - but not before another 'stop', this time in Alburquerque. I rather felt like a yo-yo. Up and down, up and down. And I experienced most of the seasons in a 24 hour period. Pleasant autumn weather in New England, a humid summer night in Texas (where it's always summer), topped off by Utah's first snow of the winter. I had good times on my trip back home, but I would have to say that the biggest adventure was coming home.
Oh, and our luggage made it home before we did :)
2008-10-05
A Moment of Panic
My trip got off to a good start. Nathan and I got to the airport early, didn't have any problems with security, and were able to sit next to each other on the plane. After a short layover in Baltimore, we landed safely in Providence, RI (Southwest doesn't have flights to Boston). And just FYI, that airport smelled funky. I hope the odor was temporary or else I'm never going there again.
Then I got to spend the night with my favoritest aunt! She and her husband picked us up from the airport and let us crash at their place. Of course, Nathan didn't get any sleep until he got his dose of the sci-fi channel. And I got to play with the puppies. Aunt Debbie treated us to some cheesecake and canollis for dessert. OMG! In Massachusetts you can buy canollis at the grocery store! To top off the good-food experience, Sunday morning we ate out at a local diner and I had my first ever eggs benedict. And I suprised myself by liking it :)
Oh, and the moment of panic mentioned above? At 11:30 Saturday night, we had just barely got in from the airport when I got a call on my cell phone (which I seldom have on and only had turned it on for the trip). It was my grandfather calling from an 801 area code. Yes, the grandfather who I planned on staying with for the rest of our time out here.
Our phone call went a little like this:
Me: Hello?
Me: Hello?
Him: Hi
Me: Who's this?
Him: It's Grandpa.
Me: Where are you?
Him: Just up the street.
Me: (pause) Are you in Utah?
Him: Yep, I came out to help Uncle Geeb on the house.
Me: Umm, did you remember I was coming out to visit?
Him: Sure, isn't that on the fourth? Deb (his wife) has it in an email.
Me: Uh, yeah...Today is the fourth...we're in Massachusetts now. (by now I'm thinking if there's other family I can stay with or if I should start calling hotels)
Him: Oh. Ok. Well, Deb's expecting you.
It doesn't seem nearly as stressful in writing. But I spent at least another minute making sure I had somewhere to stay for the rest of the week.
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