Time on my hands
My baby flew to DC on Wednesday. I picked her up early from the summer program she's been attending, and drove her to the airport (about two hours away). We were on a pretty tight schedule because I knew I was going to hit traffic. As soon as we got out of the building when I picked her up, she started to complain that she needed to pee, she was thirsty, blah blah blah. I turned to tell her that she should have thought about that before and then I fell down the steps. I am such a graceful lass.
We did hit traffic but we got to the airport on time and even had a little time to spare. So, we hung out at Chili's (in the Southwest terminal) for a bit. Eventually, it was time for me to put her on the plane. A super handsome flight attendant came out to escort her (all the cute ones are gay, right?). He seemed like he could manage to keep an eye on a ten-year-old while serving lukewarm Sprite to the masses. For unaccompanied minors, most airlines require that the person delivering the minor must remain in the gate area until the plane is in the air. So, I settled into a chair where I could watch the plane being prepared for departure. It wasn't until the plane was pushed out onto the runway that I found myself getting teary-eyed. The feeling intensified when the plane sped up and then became airborne. This parenting gig really does attach you to another human being in a very visceral way.
It was a long, quiet drive home. The kid actually landed in DC before I made it back home. My sister
sent a photo of the two of them together. My girl was clutching her lambie (stuffed animal). The next day, I did get a tearful phone call from my daughter. She was homesick. I told her that her dad and I have to work all day and that she may as well have fun. No sense in sitting around with us when she could be doing awesome stuff. I think she was just over-tired and I don't think the time change helped matters much.
Today, the kid is at Busch Gardens Williamsburg with my sister and her family, so I don't think she's feeling too homesick now. I hope she's having the time of her life!
I've been using my extra time wisely. I went to yoga on Thursday (a class that I can't usually attend because my husband works on Thursday evenings). I went straight from work to the gym on Friday since I didn't need to pick anyone up or prepare dinner. Yesterday, I drove to a vegan festival out of town. It was fun. It was probably the most polite festival crowd I've ever seen in my life. They had speakers, vendors, an ask-a-vegan table, and all kinds of other stuff. The organizers brought in a bunch of restaurants for a whole "vegan food court." It was sort of thrilling to be able to order anything I wanted. I saw another attendee who had a slice of deep-dish pizza, so I got in line for that. Of course, by the time I got to the front of the line (which took a long time because the place was packed), they were out of pizza. So, I got a cheese steak sandwich. It was good, though. Mucho hearty.
Normally, I would have taken my sidekick along on an adventure like that, so it was a little bit lonely to go alone. It was fun, though. I stopped to visit a friend on the way home. I just didn't know what to do with all the quiet, though. I'm used to having someone in the backseat demanding to hear Top 40 songs with inappropriate lyrics and then suggesting that I am probably going the wrong way.
I will see her in a few days, though, and she can get me back on track.
We did hit traffic but we got to the airport on time and even had a little time to spare. So, we hung out at Chili's (in the Southwest terminal) for a bit. Eventually, it was time for me to put her on the plane. A super handsome flight attendant came out to escort her (all the cute ones are gay, right?). He seemed like he could manage to keep an eye on a ten-year-old while serving lukewarm Sprite to the masses. For unaccompanied minors, most airlines require that the person delivering the minor must remain in the gate area until the plane is in the air. So, I settled into a chair where I could watch the plane being prepared for departure. It wasn't until the plane was pushed out onto the runway that I found myself getting teary-eyed. The feeling intensified when the plane sped up and then became airborne. This parenting gig really does attach you to another human being in a very visceral way.
It was a long, quiet drive home. The kid actually landed in DC before I made it back home. My sister
Today, the kid is at Busch Gardens Williamsburg with my sister and her family, so I don't think she's feeling too homesick now. I hope she's having the time of her life!
I've been using my extra time wisely. I went to yoga on Thursday (a class that I can't usually attend because my husband works on Thursday evenings). I went straight from work to the gym on Friday since I didn't need to pick anyone up or prepare dinner. Yesterday, I drove to a vegan festival out of town. It was fun. It was probably the most polite festival crowd I've ever seen in my life. They had speakers, vendors, an ask-a-vegan table, and all kinds of other stuff. The organizers brought in a bunch of restaurants for a whole "vegan food court." It was sort of thrilling to be able to order anything I wanted. I saw another attendee who had a slice of deep-dish pizza, so I got in line for that. Of course, by the time I got to the front of the line (which took a long time because the place was packed), they were out of pizza. So, I got a cheese steak sandwich. It was good, though. Mucho hearty.
Normally, I would have taken my sidekick along on an adventure like that, so it was a little bit lonely to go alone. It was fun, though. I stopped to visit a friend on the way home. I just didn't know what to do with all the quiet, though. I'm used to having someone in the backseat demanding to hear Top 40 songs with inappropriate lyrics and then suggesting that I am probably going the wrong way.
I will see her in a few days, though, and she can get me back on track.
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