Talk about Tuesday

After months of talking about it, we have finally booked our next Adults Only vacation! And while it's not Hawaii, it ain't too shabby!

From May 18th - 25th, 2008, we will be sailing the ocean blue on our 3rd Royal Caribbean cruise. We are sailing out of Los Angeles for a 7 night cruise on the Mexican Riviera. We will be stopping in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

Now, if I can just get through the next two weeks...then I'll be able to switch my focus to beaches. And water. And fruity drinks with umbrellas. And room service.

And of course, buffets!

Thursday Thirteen

Dave and I are still trying to plan a vacation for sometime next year. We were originally thinking about Hawaii...but I don't think that's going to happen. We've decided to take another cruise and are just trying to hammer out a date. I'm getting pretty anxious because, well, I wanna be on vacation. Because vacations are pretty cool. Especially when there are no diapers to change and the only food I'll be cutting is my own.

I've already shared 13 places I would travel to if I had unlimited resources...here are 13 vacations I've actually been on...

Stratford, Canada - This was in my senior year of high school. They play host to the annual Stratford Shakespeare Festival and our drama club took a "field trip" up there. Talk about some good theatre... We saw The Mikado, A Midsummer Night's Dream (in the round... extraordinary), and The Importance of Being Earnest. Those last two shows became and have stayed 2 of my favorite stage shows.

Southern Caribbean Cruise - Our first cruise ever, and we loved it. We took the Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas. We sailed from San Juan, Puerto Rico and our ports of call were Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas...Philipsburg, St. Maarten...St. John's, Antigua...Castries, St. Lucia...and Bridgetown, Barbados. Despite the tropical storm that passed us off the coast of St. Maarten (it was a tad windy that day), we had a great time.

Western Caribbean Cruise - Cruise #2, once again with Royal Caribbean, this time on Explorer of the Seas...which made us realize we could become quite accustomed to this whole cruising thing. This time, we left from Miami, Florida and sailed to Labadee, Haiti...Ocho Rios, Jamaica...George Town, Grand Cayman(we'd go back here in a heartbeat)...and Cozumel, Mexico.

Tokyo & Hiroshima, Japan - Dave was doing so much work over there that when he got word that he might not be going back for a while, we booked me a ticket to go with him. It was unbelievable. I experienced my first earthquake, ate Sweet & Sour Squid, navigated the Tokyo subway system by myself without getting very lost, and saw sights like this in Miyajima.

San Diego, California - This would mark Jake's first...and to date, only...plane trip. Those two facts are not a coincidence. He was 18 months old and...let's just say that neither Dave or I deal well with strssed out, cranky kids. My brother was able to fly down from San Francisco for a few days while we were there, so that definitely made it worthwhile.

Cancun, Mexico - We took an all-inclusive Apple Vacation and have been forever spoiled. There's nothing like swimming in a pool with a drink in your hand. We couldn't get over how blue the water was. It was beautiful.

San Francisco, California - I consider this to be my first "adult" trip. I went out there with a friend from high school and it was just the two of us. We stayed with my brother for a few days and then went on to stay with her aunt for a few days. There's nothing more exhausting than walking across The Golden Gate Bridge only to find out that the only way back across...is to walk. That was fun.

New York City, NY - A weekend full of shows with Dave and 3 of our best "couple friends". Good times were had by all. We saw The Music Man (and I had my picture taken with Robert Sean Leonard), Les Miserables, and Our Sinatra.

Washington, DC - We had an exchange student my senior year of high school, and we wanted her to see the nation's capital so away we went. I remember nothing from this trip, except for a sign by the exit of a Smithsonian cafeteria that read "Do you have: your keys, your wallet, your purse, your kids". I always thought it was kind of funny that they listed kids last.

Mt. Washington, New Hampshire - I went, I climbed, I cried, I ate. Good trip.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - I remember nothing about this trip except for the tacky tourist gift shops and the huge miniature golf courses that seemed to exist on every single corner.

Orlando, Florida - I've never been a huge Mickey Mouse fan, but I have enjoyed my trips to Disney World. But did you know that there are other theme parks, there? I thoroughly enjoyed getting my hair singed off on the Jaws ride at Universal Studios.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - This was our honeymoon. Another all-inclusive. It was a new resort just recently cut out of the jungle. Which might explain why I ended up with over 80 mosquito bites the first night and why we both ended up in the doctor's office to get antibiotics just in case the mosquito bites got infected. Not to mention the unbearable humidity. And the bug that Dave got just before we left from getting some of the the local water in his mouth. Fun, fun, fun. It was a wonderful way to start a marriage!!

Visit Thursday Thirteen for other people's lists!

Thursday Thirteen - Traveling

I like to travel. Sadly, my pocketbook does not match my imagination so I am left with just looking at pictures of pretty places on the internet. If I had unlimited resources, here are 13 of the places that I would visit in the world.

Denmark - My dad was born there and moved here when he was 7. He just went back for the first time this summer. I would love to go there and just walk around the streets of the town he lived in.

Portugal - My mom was born in Lisbon and they came over when she was just a baby. They had to live there because of my grandfather's job, so she is not Portuguese. I still think it would be cool, though.

Italy - Dave has been on a tour of Italy and he's always said that if he could go back to any place in Italy, it would be Florence. Who am I to argue??

Ireland - I could listen to an Irish accent all. day. long. And pictures that I have seen of it are just breathtaking.

Australia - Kangaroos, Koalas, Ayers Rock, Anthony Wiggle Field...

Greece - There's just something about those white buildings against the blue sea that makes we want to cry with happiness every time i see a picture.

Banff, Canada - Another place that Dave has visited that he said we would definitely have to go back to.

China - I would love to walk part of the Great Wall. And the temples. And the artwork. And the food. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that actual Chinese food is much different than my local Chinese restaurant.

Africa - As much as I am freaked out by wildlife, I think it would be too cool to go on a Safari. Lions and Tigers and... never mind.

Iceland - I honestly never thought I would have heard myself say that, but the Amazing Race went there one time and it really did look beautiful.

England - Yeah, Dave's been here, too. He's kind of like my own personal tour guide. He goes to all these places for business (or pleasure, before we had met) and then tells me how wonderful they are. I think I'd like to go to the countryside more than the big cities, but I think London would just be awesome.

Prague - I don't know if I would've ever picked this one on my own, but I am going to have a chance to go here in 2009 with...you guessed it...Dave. He's going to have a week long conference there so I'll mainly be on my own during the day, but I figure if I can do Tokyo solo, I can do Prague solo, too. Now if only I can get my mom and dad to stay with the kids for a week...again.

Hawaii - I think I would go just for the waterfalls. Dave and I started planning a trip, but we didn't realize how expensive it would be. I think this is going to have to be a long term planning type of thing...not like any of the other places listed WOULDN'T be, but whatever.

Visit other Thursday Thirteen lists!

Vacation planning

I'm a planner. For as long as I can remember, I've been a planner. I tend to not like surprises and I like to completely control every second of have a say in vacation planning.

Right now, I am planning two trips. One is a mini family reunion. Since I seem to have developed a reputation for having a little bit of knowledge concerning the Internet, I was designated planner. That's cool with me. But I have to tell you, It's very hard to find a date that works for nearly 30 people. I finally picked one today and we'll hope for the best.

Second, I figure it's about time Dave and I take a solo vacation. We try to get away by ourselves every year. We try to alternate every year between having just a weekend away and taking a full week. And it is SO time to take a week.

But Dave has very little time to think about anything other than work, the kids, or sleeping so we've been having some trouble coming up with a location. After we started talking about it last night, we kind of stalled. So I asked him this morning if he could take a little time today during work just to think about it.

And boy did he think about it. You know what he came back with? Hawaii. HELL YA! Now this could all change in a week or month, but as of right now I can say:

I am planning a trip to Hawaii! ADULTS ONLY!!!

Whoo. O.K. I'm felling much better now. Granted, the trip probably won't be until fall of next year, but still. I may be going to HAWAII!!

Holy crap, I think I might pass out.

The Chlorine Fog

Did you miss me horribly over the weekend? I thought you may have so I decided to take a quick second to post tonight despite the fact that I feel like I am going to fall on my face.

Can it really be that we only went out of town for about 36 hours? 36 HOURS??? That's not even two full days. But we are exhausted. Dave hit the nail on the head when he said he was "beach tired". But we weren't at the beach so I am dubbing this feeling "The Chlorine Fog".

We left yesterday around 11:30 am and the drive only lasted less than an hour. We got to the lodge around 12:30 and since we knew that we couldn't check-in until 3:30, we decided to have lunch and then just let the kids loose in the attached water park. After all, that was the whole reason we took the trip.

By 1:30, all I wanted to do was take a nap. The place was so warm and the chlorine just hit you in the face. Add to that me having to carry Emma around because she was less than excited about water being randomly dumped on her head, I was exhausted. What can I say? I'm an excitement lightweight.

Dave was in charge of Jacob who was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He was going down slides that I wouldn't have imagined he would. He was dumping water on people. He was getting water dumped on him. Quite surprising for a boy who has to wear goggles in the bath because he can't stand water in his eyes. Oh, how things change once the soap is taken away.

But being the family we are, even in 36 hours we sustained a number of injuries. There were big scrapes on the legs from trying to get out of the metal-framed sofa bed. There were stubbed toes (all on my foot) from slipping on the water slide. There were scratched backs from going down water slides a gabillion times. But the biggest injury of all? Jacob slipped and fell and hurt...take a wild guess. I'll give you a second. You're right! HIS TOOTH! The child is a magnet for tooth injuries. He really is, and I don't know how much more clearer we can be than "Honey, please don't slam your mouth into things". You'd think with 2 emergency dentist visits under his belt, the kid would learn. He is quite stubborn, that one.

But overall, despite the incredibly unhealthy food, lack of naps, chlorine, and injuries, we really did have fun. It was good to get away even if it was only for 36 hours. There was even talk about making it an end of summer tradition. That's cool. That gives me a year to prepare.

ssshhhhh! it's a surprise!

Dave and I just planned a weekend away...with the kids.

We got an ad in the mail for one of those hotels that have an indoor waterpark attached.

Jake and Emma? Yeah. They love water. A lot. As long as it doesn't get in their eyes. Then we could have a problem.

Anyway, for Labor Day Weekend, we are taking the kids away for one last hoorah before school starts. And we aren't going to tell them, because we're sneaky like that. That, and they have no concept of time so I don't want to hear about it for the next two weeks!

And the weird part? I'm actually looking forward to it. Huh. Go figure.

Until next week...

We are leaving tomorrow to go to Dave's parents' house for the weekend. 7 hours in the car with the kids. I'm talking pure bliss, people! And if history is any indication, both kids will fall asleep approximately 20 minutes before we reach our final destination. Fun stuff.

Jake is super excited though, he keeps talking about all the stuff we are going to bring when we go see Grandma and Grandpa. Leapster, books, his teddy bear...he can't wait.

Emma, on the other hand just likes to scream. At just about everything. And pouting, she's good with that, too. I'm actually more concerned about her on the trip than I am with Jacob. Emma is just not easily entertained unless she is literally bouncing off the walls (trust me, she ran into another one last night and just busted out laughing). She's a drama queen, that one.

Honestly, I don't know where she gets it from!

Wordless Wednesday

For more pics, visit WW or 5 Minutes for Mom

Wordless Wednesday

For more pics, visit WW or 5 Minutes for Mom

Vacation recap (long with pictures)

O.K. The bags are unpacked, the laundry's done, the bills are paid, the pictures are downloaded, the husband's in flight on his next business trip, and the kids are in bed. Time to post about our vacation!

Overall, we really did have a great time. There were a few meltdowns that required vacating the premises, but that's to be expected with a 4 year old and 2 year old, even when you are not vacationing, right? Right. And we were even complemented on our parenting skills by another person staying at the hotel because of the way we handled Emma during her daily breakfast fit. That felt pretty good.

Like I said before we left, I tried really hard not to have a set itinerary. We had a list of activities and just kind of let the weather and the kids moods determine what we did each day. And since Emma and Jake still both take naps, we had to be back in the hotel room by 1:00 or 1:30 everyday. So mornings were for excursions and after naps were for relaxing in the room and swimming in the hotel pool. I think if we had stayed in the pool the whole time, Jake would have been very happy. He was learning to doggie paddle and keep his head above water and just having a grand ol' time. And we got a new inflatable floaty thing for Emma so she could join in the fun. We never got a picture of her in the water, but she enjoyed it even in the room.

On our first day there, the kids didn't nap so we ended up going to a children's garden. It only took us about an hour to go through, but the kids really liked it. Jake was especially found of the large model train system that was set up. He kept running around trying to find the trains after they disappeared around a turn or in a tunnel. Emma just ran around the entire place and I had a tough time keeping her from jumping in the frog pond. The girl loves water. And has no fear. Great combination!

The next day we went to a FREE kids festival that was held downtown on the riverfront. We got there about an hour before the festival started, which gave us plenty of time to play on the two huge playgrounds they had there. It was really strange playing on a playground that was situated under a huge bridge crossing the river. I kept looking up and Dave kept laughing at me. I'm not a big fan of bridges when I'm on them, let alone being under one. They also had a beach volleyball area there, but since it was too early for the nets to be up, the place was filled with kids beach toys (buckets, shovels, sieves, etc) for anyone to go play with. So we did that for a while and then walked through the festival which was HUGE and FREE. They even had some free food being passed out by a local grocery store so we ate lunch for next to nothing! Pretty awesome place.

Monday was spent at a place called Parky's Barn. It was a huge farm that had an indoor play structure inside the barn, open grounds for picnics, a playground, animals to pet (Dave even milked a goat), pony rides and wagon rides. We didn't do the pony rides or wagon rides because we ran out of time and I'm not even sure the kids knew they were there. They had so much fun in the barn and looking at all the animals. And they both got a kick out of trying the water pump and then watching the water go down the chute. It was a good reminder that it really is the simple things that keep them entertained.

On Tuesday we went to the Museum of Natural History and Science. It's in this great old train station that houses about 5 museums. The inside and outside of the building are pretty cool. This is the only picture I have of that day because I didn't have an opportunity to take any more. Emma would not. stop. moving. She was everywhere. I remember there was a cave, and a glacier thing, and some stuffed animals (not the cute cuddly kind), and there were people talking and trying to teach Jake things. But besides Emma and being bored out of my gourd, there wasn't much to be said about that day. Everyone else liked it, but that's not really my thing. Except the awesome ice cream creation I had at their ice cream parlor. Vanilla ice cream, caramel, Butterfinger pieces. Yeah. Good.

Wednesday was the day I would like to forget. We went to the zoo but it did not last long. Jake was in a hitting and kicking frenzy so we just left. And after naptime, it continued when we went to Chuck E. Cheese. I eventually had to carry him out kicking and screaming. Not a good day. I took this picture at 8am that day. I maybe should have taken it as a sign that maybe we just needed to have a down day. My bad.

On our last day there, we went to the Newport Aquarium. This was by far my favorite place. I loved it, but again did not get to see much of it because the kids didn't want to look at any of the animals or fish for more than .5 seconds before they were moving on to the rooms with no animals or fish. You know, the rooms with the TV screens and buttons that try to teach you things about the animals and fish you just ran past? The longest place we lingered was the penguin exhibit, but even though the kids had stopped moving, the penguins did not so this is the best picture I have of them.

So for our first trip as a family of four, I think we did O.K. We learned a lot. And we (mostly)had fun, which is what vacation is all about right? And now I have to go start planning for the next family vacation. It's only 2 years away! ACK!

We're Baaaaack!

Hello!

We are finally back from our vacation, and let me tell you, it wasn't that bad! LOL! There were definitely some sticky points, but overall it went really well. I didn't get as many pictures taken as I had hoped, mainly because the kids were never stopped long enough for me to get the camera out. We had several blurry shots, though!

I'll write more a little bit later with some of the highlights and lowlights, but I'll leave you with a picture of one of the highlights. Have a great weekend!!

Vacation Link-o-Rama

Tomorrow is the big day! We leave tomorrow for what will be our first week long vacation as a family of 4. It also marks Emma's first hotel stay and only Jake's 2nd hotel stay.

Um, yeah. I'm a bit nervous.

BUT, we are going with an open mind and as Dave LOVES to say: "We'll play it by ear". I hate that phrase. I am very much a planner, but I'm realy proud of myself this time around. I have a list of possible activites but didn't assign them a day or time like I would've really liked to do. I have a list of restaurants that offer Kids Eat Free days. Whether we'll actually make it there remains to be seen. And being the confident person I am, we chose a city that is only a 2 hour drive from us so if there is a major meltdown (adults OR kids), we can just cut our losses and head on home. How's that for looking on the bright side?

Anyway, I'm not sure I will be reading or posting much (although Dave will have his laptop and there is free wireless in the room), so I thought I would leave a list of links that ya'll can peruse in my absence.

And please, try not to cry too hard while I'm gone!

1. Emma is just starting to potty train (God help me) and while it's great she's asking me to go, if she asks me to go one more time, I'm going to FLIP OUT. Head on over to Shannon and Lara for a funnier, less psychotic view on the matter.
2. I have a tendency to stress on vacation, which totally defeats the purpose of a vacation. Luckily, Laura has a reminder for the way life should be.
3. I know she's been on The Today Show, but I just recently found Kathryn, and I couldn't agree more with her take on the Harriet Carter catalog.
4. My friend Christine's son, Colin, is losing teeth left and right, and this picture just cracks me up!
5. Do you like to write? Do you like contests? Do you like moose that poop candy? Then Scribbit's June Write Away Contest is the thing for you!
6. Don't forget to check Tales from the Scales on Thursday for my weekly post!

Have a wonderful week everyone! I'll catch you on the flipside!

6288 feet

When a group of friends approached me to go on a road trip with them, I was all for it. I was looking forward to getting out of town for awhile and also jumped at the opportunity to spend some time with the guy I was interested in (despite the fact that he made it abundantly clear he wasn't interested in me).

They let me know that we would be driving to New Hampshire to camp for a couple of nights, hike up Mt. Washington (the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River) and then reward ourselves with a one or two night stay at a luxury hotel at the foot of the mountain. We would continue on to spend one or two nights on the coast of Maine before heading home. They warned me that the hike would be a strenuous one, but one of my friends had made the trip before so he was comfortable leading us up the mountain. I told them I was in and we started to make preparations for the trip.

Because the hike was strenuous and I had a history of knee problems, I decided (and they insisted) that I do some training. I added the Stair Stepper to my workout, increased the incline on my treadmill routines and did some trail hiking with a loaded backpack to prepare for the trip.

The day had finally come to leave and we were all excited as we piled into the car. I was a little bit nervous, but I knew that I had done everything I could to prepare myself. We arrived in New Hampshire and set up camp. I only have pictures to remind me of what our stay was like at the campsite, no real memories remain. All my thoughts were focused on the mountain.

We woke up early on Hike Day to get in a good breakfast and get all of our gear and food into our backpacks. Our plan was to hike up the west side of the mountain via the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail which connects to the Crawford Path and then head back down the mountain via the Gulfside Trail which connected to the Jewell Trail. The starting and ending points were both within walking distance from where we parked our car.

We got to the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail head (which was at an elevation of 2500 feet) and started our ascent. It started off with a gentle slope and I started to gain some confidence in my ability to climb and was convinced that I had prepared myself enough. We reached a natural pond named Gem Pool and stopped for a break. I joked with my friends that they had all worried about me and my knee for nothing. That's when my friend who was acting as guide told me that so far the hike had been easy and that the worst was yet to come.

100 yards later, I realized that I was in over my head and nothing could have ever prepared me for what I was going through.

The terrain changed drastically and we were now following the water that fed into the Gem Pool which meant slippery rocks. I was suddenly unsure of my footing as we crossed the rocks and I started to panic. But I had nowhere to go, only up. I dug deep and continued the ascent to 5012 feet where the next trail began. There were 2 beautiful lakes there (aptly named Lakes of the Clouds) with a lodging station for those hiking the Appalachian Trail. We rested for a little bit but we knew that time was working against us and that we had to keep moving. Three miles of our hike was behind us with another 1.2 miles (and 1276 feet) to go. I felt like I was going to collapse and I knew I was slowing everyone down, but I couldn't stop. I had to keep going.

The trail from this point was above the tree line and was a clear shot to the summit. My friends did not feel the need to stay within sights since there was only one direction to go, and I quickly lost sight of them as they continued ahead of me. It was then that I realized the whole extent of my situation. I was hiking alone (although I was surrounded by strangers) up a mountain and I didn't know where the end was. I had nothing with me but my own thoughts and my body which was screaming at me with every step that I took. I reached the top in tears, at once proud of myself and in total agony and pain. My friend who had been waiting reached out his hand and walked with me the last few feet, but I felt no joy.

At the summit, my friends barely spoke to me and I realized what had happened. They were disappointed. Because of my inexperience and physical condition, I had slowed them down so much that they were now forced to change plans; there would be no hiking descent that day, we had run out of daylight. The hike that was supposed to have taken 7 hours round trip had taken me 6 hours to go one way. There was a small cog railway that ran down the mountain. This became our only option to get back to where we had started. We boarded the train in silence and didn't speak a word for the rest of the day. Their disappointment was obvious, as was my guilt.

I may have reached the top of a mountain, but I fell to a new low that day. When I think back to that trip, the memories are bittersweet. I am so proud of the accomplishment I made that day. But I will never forget the physical and mental pain that got me there.

This post is an entry into Scribbit's monthly Write-Away Contest. This month's theme was travel.

Wonder of wonders!!!

Honestly, in the 8 years that I have known Dave, I don't know if this has ever happened before.

Dave is coming home EARLY!!! Granted, only 2 hours early, but that's still amazing. He didn't have one single flight delay today and when he got to Chicago, he was able to catch an earlier flight by putting his name on standby. SERIOUSLY!!

Hours of travel from home to Canberra, Australia: 58 hours
Hours of travel from Canberra, Australia to home: 36 hours

A definite improvement, I would say!!

Wordless Wednesday

Miyajima, Japan

Check out WW for others pics!

Dave Update

Sorry for the rant yesterday. I just get so frustrated with airlines. But as my wise father says "Really, what are you gonna do?"

Anyway, after 58 hours of travel, Dave has reached his final destination of Canberra, Australia. His bags, however, did not. The good news is, though, that they are at least on the same continent. Woohoo!! Hopefully he should get them before tomorrow morning. If not, he'll have to go out and buy some clothes. He did pack one extra outfit in his carryon, but not 3, and in his own words: "I stink."

There was a quote in an e-mail I received tonight, and really, it could not fit Dave's experience better...

Dave, here's a quote for you:

'Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. Begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with old nonsense.'--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Airlines, how do they do it?? (Very long)

One unfortunate part of Dave's job is travel. When we first met and started dating, he took 1 (at most 2) trips a year and at the time, he said that was a lot. 7 years later, he travels at least 4 or 5 times a year and it's usually international. This month is no different.

He had a 2 day stint in Washington, DC on Monday and Tuesday. Since he was only gone overnight, he did not check any of his luggage. It was a small plane, and on the way home his bag would not fit in the overhead bin. He gave it to the attendant at the door at the plane and was assured it would be there when he got off (kind of like you do with a stroller when you are flying). Well, it wasn't. He landed at home on Tuesday and the unchecked bag didn't. All of his toiletries and prescriptions were in the bag, along with his tennis shoes and other necessities. He was told that his bag was still in DC and that it go out on the next flight and we would have it "first thing in the morning". He then needed to go to the pharmacy to get an emergency refill on his prescription since he needed it that night and would need it to pack for Australia (whose flight left on Thursday).

What we consider to be "first thing in the morning" came and went on Wednesday and we made another call to Delta's baggage claim center at about 11am. The bag was, in fact, still in DC and would not arrive here until at least 1:30pm, after having made a trip through Atlanta, first, of course. I mean, really, isn't it obvious that an overnight bag would have to travel an extra 300 miles in the opposite direction before reaching home?

We make one last call to the baggage claim center around 2:30pm to make sure the luggage was at least in the right state. We were told that it was out for delivery, to which Dave asked "When can I expect to see it? What's your delivery window?" Evidently that's not a straight forward question, because they put him on hold. When they come back, they now said it was scheduled to go out for delivery by 3:00pm and that there is a TWELVE HOUR WINDOW! Seriously? 12 hours? How many bags do they lose that it takes them 12 hours to deliver them all???

Fed up, Dave decides to go out and buy new toiletries just to be on the safe side (just in case 12 hours wasn't enough time to bring 1 overnight bag). While he was gone, the bag showed up. So that drama ended. Finally.

Fast forward to Thursday. The first leg of Dave's flight to Canberra, Australia is scheduled to leave at 1:30pm. We decide to drop Jake off at preschool, drop Emma off at the sitter's and go have breakfast together. Amazingly, that all went as planned. We picked the kids up at 11:30 and then went straight to the airport to drop Dave off. That's never an easy thing to explain to the kids that they won't get to see Daddy for a week. This time as we drove away from the airport, Jake's response was "Mommy, I want to see Daddy! He's sooooo cute!" I agreed that he was, in fact, very cute but that we still wouldn't be able to see him for a week. He sighed and then didn't talk the rest of the car ride home. Emma just kept saying "Where's Daddy?"

Once I get home, I get a call from Dave that his flight has been delayed by an hour. Not a surprise, I can't remember the last time one of his flights WASN'T delayed. So I told him to keep me updated. He finally gets to Chicago O'Hare and finds out that his 5:30pm flight to Los Angeles is delayed. And keeps getting delayed. Later. And later. Until it is so late that there is no possible way for him to make his connecting flight out of LA. And, oh yeah, there's not flights out of LA to Sydney, Australia until 10:30pm on Friday. Awesome. So finally, at 10:30pm Thursday night, his 5:30pm flight is "rescheduled" for 8am on Friday morning out of Chicago to O'Hare. At least he got a hotel voucher.

The reason for the delay? They couldn't find the plane. Then once they found the plane, it was dirty so they had to clean it. By the time it was found and cleaned, the crew was gone. So they had to find a new crew that wasn't exhausted. Apparently, that never happened.

During all this, he kept trying to call the American Airlines customer service number to see if he could get information on different flights (the attendants at the gate were giving less than NO information). At one point, the lady on the phone told him to double check his flight number because the flight that he was referring to already left Chicago at 6:20pm. He assured her that they had not left and that he had 400 people sitting around him to back up his story just in case she still doubted him. She didn't.

Once he found out that he was not going to make his LA to Sydney flight, I had to call the hotel in Canberra, Australia to let them know that while he was going to be late, he was still coming so please don't give his room away. Three international phone calls and 5 people later, I was assured that there will be a place for him on Sunday, but since he cancelled so late, he would still have to pay for Saturday night. Great. Thanks for understanding.

So as I write this at 11:44am on Friday morning, my husband is somewhere between Chicago and LA, his original flight delayed 14.5 hours. Hopefully he won't have any more delays after this - he still has 2 more legs (LA to Sydney and then Sydney to Canberra) before he reaches his final destination. His delay in Chicago was longer than the entire flight from LA to Sydney. He is going to Australia for a 3 day conference. On one of those days, he has to give a presentation. How long of a presentation, you ask? 17 minutes. He has gone through all of this to talk for 17 minutes.

I don't even want to think about where his luggage might be...

Home Sweet Home

So after a much needed break, we are home from the wild blue yonder. Well, actually, it was quite green there because it RAINED THE WHOLE WEEKEND!! But that didn't stop us from getting out there and hiking for 6 hours on Saturday. We had a marvelous time and I even finished a book. I can't tell you the last time I read a book so quickly. Not only did I finish one book but I started a second. Unheard of. Anyway, onto the pictures...

This was actually one of the last places we visited, but I just love the shot. This is the place where it rained on us the hardest, but much rain means beautiful falls.

Dave has always been intrigued with the plantlife whenver we go on vacation, and this time was no different. This is a shot of this weird mushroom stuff growing up the side of a tree. I must admit it was pretty cool.

I didn't even realize until I got home that this was almost the exact picture I used as a teaser on my last post to show where we would be going this weekend. I guess I like this shot.

Besides making the falls beautiful, the rain really brought out the green in the moss. It was shocking how green it was against the color of the fallen leaves and rocks.

And yet another waterfall shot. This particular area of the state is crawling with them because of all the rock formations.

This was another of Dave's favorite spots. I'm not sure if you can tell from the shot, but the roots of this tree are exposed and growing over the rock trying to get down to the ground. The picture doesn't do this tree justice!

So that's just a few of my favorite shots from this weekend. We had a blast and we were a little sad to come home. But this is definitely one of our favorite places to go and we can't wait until the kids are able to handle the trails by themselves so that we can all go together.