Hi all. I’ve been absent for almost a month…not good for the old blog stats…LOL I’m still here, though. I’m in Sunny (or rainy as the case may be today) Seal Beach, CA visiting my mother with the little man. It’s been almost 2 years since he’s seen her; shameful, isn’t it?!?!
We left Kalamazoo on the 5th for Chicago to catch a JetBlue flight on the morning of the 6th, managed to miss the flight on the morning of the 6th and get stuck in Chicago for an extra day. This would not have been such a bad thing if it hadn’t been for the MAJOR snowstorm that hit; they actually canceled over 1,000 flights out of O’Hare that afternoon/evening. We were going to take in some of the tourist sights for kids: the Aquarium, the children’s museum, maybe even the Art Museum so I could see a genuine Monet, it was a fun and exciting day that we had planned and then we went outside. We made it about 50 ft. outside the hotel and towards our car, took one look at the roads and the amount of snow already collected on the car, turned around and marched right back inside for a day of ordered in food and old TV (Bewitched, Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies etc.). All in all, not a bad day at all, I must admit. TJ and I got to cuddle while little man pigged out on pizza and “colored” with the Super 8 pens and tiny pads of paper. We also watched The Devil Wears Prada that night, which was a really good movie. I was surprised that TJ enjoyed it, but he did. He does have a feminine side after all, LOL.
So the next morning we get to the airport early enough, they allow TJ to go through security to go to the gate with us b/c of my back problems and the little one and things are good. Except for one thing: the day we were leaving, we realized that my ID had been in my jeans pocket the last time I went to knit night, b/c I didn’t want to carry a purse, and the jeans had been watched, dried and folded. Somehow, the ID went missing during all of this. ARGH!!! Luckily I still had the expired ID from when I renewed, so that gave me a picture ID. We called the airline to make sure it would be okay, which they assured us would be fine. When we got to security, though, it was a different story. I got “chosen” for “selective screening” b/c of my lack of picture ID. They pulled me aside to frisk me from top to bottom and they took my bags (we gave the bag with the knitting stuff to Jacob, b/c we were afraid it wouldn’t make it through the “special” screening) and rubbed a cloth through most of my things to check for explosives etc. Needless to say, there were no explosives in my stuff and, all in all, it was a pretty interesting experience, if a little inconvenient time wise. By the time we got through the check point (did I mention the airport was packed with people trying to make up for missing their flights the day/night before?) the plane was boarding. We had to rush a little, but it was kind of nice not to have to wait for the plane to land, get cleaned etc. We said goodbye to TJ and we boarded. I was a little nervous about Jake flying, especially without his car seat, but he was an absolute angel. JetBlue is a wonderful airline. Love the DirecTv on every seat, the variety of snacks and the entire can of pop (soda, out here) they give you; they even encourage you to ask for seconds if you want them. Jake was an angel on the plane, he didn’t even want to watch TV channels, rather the channel with the picture of the plane and which state it’s currently over. Strange kid. LOL
We landed a half hour early and it was in the mid-70’s here. Big change from Chicago. I was dying in my sweat pants and my sweater while we were waiting for the luggage at Long Beach Airport. It’s a really small airport and we could deplane from both the front and back of the plane and had to wait for our luggage outside.
Jake took an immediate liking to Aunt Marion and hasn’t wanted to be away from her since. He warmed up to his Nana a little slower, but he loves her, too. We’ve done a lot of shopping since I’ve been here: I didn’t bring my laptop b/c of it’s broken all over issues, but Mom bought me this great new one I’m typing this entry on. It’s an HP with Vista instead of HP (and I like it a lot more than I thought I would) and a nice and fast 3 GB RAM with a 250 GB hard drive and lots of other fun features. It’s also a 15.4″ screen instead of the 17″ that my Vaio is and I’m MUCH happier with this one. It also weighs about 7 lbs less. I’m thrilled with it. She got Jacob an awesome portable DVD player for the car trip we’re taking to Arizona later this year; he loves it. We’re actually getting to watch something on the real TV other than Dora or Diego now…YAY!!! Along with the DVD player, she bought him a ton of Disney movies and he’s in heaven. There are also toys for him to play with and cousins his age to play with. He’s having a blast. He does cry at night occasionally, though, that he wants his Daddy, which breaks my heart. I know how he feels, I miss TJ terribly as well. Tried to talk him into flying in for a few days, but I know it’s not practical. UGH!! The trip was originally slated for three weeks (leaving the 27th) with Mom coming back with us. Now, b/c of her cataract surgery and other doctor issues, we’re going to be here until mid to late March before we go back. 6-7 weeks total away from home. That’s a LONG time. I hope Jake, and I, can make it. We are having a good time, though, all in all. It’s great to spend time with my mother and she’s in absolute heaven having Jacob right here all the time. It’s going to break her heart when it’s time for her to leave Kazoo and fly back here after her visit with us.
Gotta run, but I’ll post more later about the trip and what we’ve done and where we’ve gone. Hope everyone is happy, healthy and staying warm in Michigan and the other cold states. Love to all!!!
Keep your fingers crossed for me.
