Thursday, August 30, 2007

Busy week

Well, Isabella and I moved back in with my parents this past weekend. I started training at a new job Monday. So Isabella doesn't have to get up early and to cut down on my commute to Solon, we are staying with them for the 4-6 weeks I will spend at the office in training. Then I will get to work from home processing and billing maintenance on foreclosed properties.

Getting up each morning and going into an office has been a big adjustment for me. Even though I don't have to be at the office until 9 am, it's still hard for me. I still am taking all my medications and added back meds to help with pain. Sitting all day in a bad office chair doesn't make it feel any better. In fact, yesterday I developed a bruise on my back from the added pressure it is dealing with this week. I'm so used to sleeping 10-12 hours a night and having a nap in the afternoon. (I know you are thinking I'm a spoiled brat, but if you knew the list of meds I was taking and the side effects, you'd question how I could function at all.)

Isabella is doing well, playing with the dogs (Bayli, of course, and Kalli and Molly since Kevin is working in Chicago this week) Grandma and Papa (who is off work recovering from surgery). She continues to tell me she doesn't want me to go to work, but she will adjusting well. (Thanks to them so dealing with all this.)

This new job will allow me time to devote to my PR business and provide a steady stream of income to help cover the mounting medical bills that fill our mail box.

I like the people who are training me so it makes the monotonous work worth it. Plus, in less then six weeks, I will be working at home! (A special thanks to Julie for helping me land the gig.)

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Final Vacation Post

If you haven't read any of the previous vacation posts, this is the one read. I hope I portray to you how "CRAZY" this day was for all of us. It's a funny story looking back but we were all very stressed out that day!


We had to rise at 3:55 am. Isabella did not want to get up, of course, who would. I changed her out of her pajamas into a cute St. Augustine outfit. Kevin packed up the Pack 'N Play and grabbed the last of the luggage to put it in the car.


Keith and Tiff were up, too, getting the girls ready to travel. They put the girls to bed in travel clothes so they didn't have to wake them. (Good idea but Isabella pees so much during the night that I didn't want to risk her peeing through one of the days outfits.)


Grandma and Papa even got up to hug everyone good-bye as we left to drive two hours to turn the cars in.


We made descent time driving, not the best time. One the way, we saw deer running in the rode and a car fire. Now when I say car fire, I'm not describing a simple engine fire. I mean entire car engulfed in flames. People were standing watching the car holding one another, crying. Flames shot twenty feet in the air. Very scary! Isabella stayed awake the while ride, watching out the window and talking to us.


Leaving at 4:30 am gave us plenty of time to make our 8 am flight or so we thought. We already had our boarding passes so we didn't need to check in. All we had to do was turn in the cars, jump on the tram and check the bags at the road-side check-in. If it was that easy!


We pulled into Thrifty at exactly 6:15 am after filling up at a gas station right across the street ($4.39 a gallon - Can you believe that????!!!) The line was not long to drop off but there were a lot of people waiting for a tram. Luckily two trams pulled up at the same time and we loaded one with one other family.


The other family exited first and we were excited to see that the gate was empty. We shouldn't have gotten so excited...



At exactly 6:30 am we pulled up to Southwest. What was going on? was the first thought that went through my head. There were hundreds of people standing in line to check their bags. Hundreds!


The guys dumped our luggage off at the front of the line and we girls stayed with the bags and the kids while the guys searched for an answer. Inside, outside, they looked - Is this the line we have to wait in for an 8 am flight? Finally one employee said "You need to arrive 2-3 hours ahead of your scheduled flight to make sure your bags are checked?" What??!!!! Two-three hours! Our flight was in less than 1.5. We never thought we'd make it. Kevin and Keith went to the back of the line as Tiff and I guarded the bags. We waited and waited as one, yes, I typed one, lady checked people in.


At 7:40 am we finally made it to the front of line and had our bags checked - LATE CHECK-IN. Hopefully they all made it on the flight but at this point we didn't care; we wanted to get on the flight - with or without the bags because the next flight was not until 5 pm that evening. We'd be on stand-by and be charged $75 each for a flight change.


Bags checked. Yes!


We all ran to security. Tiff and I pushing the strollers. Kevin and Keith with the carry-ons. Oh crap is all I can say. There was no way we were making this flight now not with the line at security! We got in separate lines hoping one of us would get through fast and make it to the plane to hold it for the other. We told people in front of us to have everything ready to go once it was their turn to be checked - shoes of, kids out of the strollers, money out of pockets. It helped in Keith's line because they made it through in about 5 minutes. We didn't make it that fast. So Keith and Tiff and the girls ran a head and hoped to catch the flight, now at 7:46 am.


We made it through security about 5 minutes later. We RAN, and I mean RAN, to the gate tram. We know the exact time we made it to the tram because we were boarding the tram to the gates when the girl beside us, said her flight was taking off. We don't know if she made it or not.


At 7:55 am we made it to the flight 725 gate. No one was in site, not even a gate agent to check people in. Maybe we didn't make it!!! But we poked our heads down the gate and saw someone. "Can we board?" When we heard 'yes' we were thrilled!


Because of a malfunction in the pilot's seat, the flight was delayed 15 minutes. That and only that was the whole reason we made the flight. While we were waiting for the seat to be replaced we heard a disruption a few rows back. A passenger has lost her cell phone and was getting nasty with the flight attendants. She was swearing and at one point yelled to the other passengers that if one of us took it she's give a $50 reward to get it back, no questions asked. She continued to get louder until the flight staff brought on outside help. She quited down after that.


As the flight took off, Miss Bella fell asleep in Kevin's arms. She slept until we touched down in Cleveland. (Kelsey and Kylie kept Keith and Tiff really busy during the flight but we were several rows back so we enjoyed a nice quite flight.)


Well, farewell to St. Augustine!

Vacation Post #7 - Friday

Last real day to spend in Florida so we had to hit the beach and the pool. We hated packing everything up but that's the way it goes with vacations.


We took the girls back to the merry-go-round since it was cooler. We also hit downtown St. Augustine after a nice dinner at a local pizza place (really, really good and it better have been for $85) and enjoyed some ice cream.


We had one tired little girl on our hands once we got back to the condo!









Vacation Post #6 - Thursday

More swimming! What else should you do on vacation...

That afternoon, to much grumbling from the guys who thought it was way too hot (it was only 96 degrees), we loaded the kids up in the cars and headed to the historical merry-go-round. When we got there, we (meaning I) was excited to see that St. Augustine had expanded the merry-go-round to a full park with swigs, slides and jungle-gyms.

The girls had a great time riding the "horseys" and playing in the heat. Once Isabella had sweat running down her face while swinging, we knew it was time to head indoors.












Friday, August 24, 2007

Get well soon, Daddy!

Well wishes to my daddy as he has surgery today to fix his rotater-cuff in his right shoulder. This is the second surgery in this same shoulder and this one is much worse I'm told. Sending him warm thoughts and lots of love today and during his LONG recovery!

Vacation Post #5 - Wednesday

Wednesday was a nice day - hot, but nice. Again, the girls went swimming at the pool and the beach. Grandma and Papa surprised the parents by offering to babysit that evening so we could go out to dinner and hit the town. We were given a strict timeline-6 pm until 10 pm. Four hours by ourselves, what would we do with the time??!!

Keith and Tiff wanted Outback but I wanted to go somewhere off the beaten path so we split for dinner. Kevin and I headed to a nice seafood restaurant called the Sunset Grille. We had wonderful service and a tasty meal complete with banana daiquiris. YUM!

After dinner, we hooked back up with Keith and Tiff and went into historic St. Augustine for a nice walk. By 8:30 pm Keith and Tiff wanted to head home but Kevin and I decided to go to the lighthouse for a walk. NICE! We didn't head back to the condo until 9:30 pm. Such rebels!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Vacation Post #4 - Tuesday

Nothing much but lots of swimming at the pool and in the ocean. The girls got along really well and are really liking to copy each other. Isabella is a water bug and is really adventurous - trying to swim WITHOUT the swimmy and doing quite well.





Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Vacation Post #3- Monday

Monday was a fun day of swimming at the pool and in the ocean. For those of you that know me, I hate the beach. I like to look at the ocean and see the beach - from a distance. I hate sand. It's hot, scratchy and get everywhere. The ocean is full of sand, fish and lots of fish poop. So I rarely go in. But since the water so so warm, I decided it wold be nice for Isabella to experience the waves. I actually took her out in the ocean as deep as my shoulders. She didn't like it either!

That evening we met up with my cousin, Kristy, and her youngest daughter, Mackenzie, at an Applebee's in Ormond Beach. It was so great to see them and for the girls to meet again (They first met at Hopkins when Isabella was just 10 months old.)

After dinner, Kevin, Isabella and I went to the world's largest Harley dealership - boring - and then to the Russell Stover store for chocolate and ice cream.