Adventuresome Comings & Goings

Last night, I got back from from a tiring, trying, but wonderful trip to Colorado. This evening learned I need to take care of some unexpected family business in Panama City tomorrow afternoon and possibly evening. I will leave here around 6 AM and will spend tomorrow night there. I expect to be back home by Friday late afternoon - early evening.

But getting back to recent traveling adventures, we got up at 3AM Friday so we could catch an early morning flight from Orlando to Memphis. We like Memphis but had no business there, yet North West Airlines routed us up that way so we could experience a new kind of flying adventure.

We found our gate, but wondered where our plane was. In its place, we saw a dwarf plane, long and very narrow, about a third the size of the plane we came to town on. Asking around, we were told that this tiny plane, operated by Masaba Airlines or something like that, was our scheduled transport to Denver. The interior headroom in this plane was 6'1" and Richard is a tall 6'3" so we were not at all surprised when the seats were almost too narrow for him to fit in - and he is not a fat man. For various reasons, we in this aircraft for about three hours. Still stiff and sore from my accident, I could hardly move when we got off.



We picked up our rental car without a hitch and drove straight to our hotel, ready for an hour or so of rest. The hotel had recently been taken over by Red Lion, a chain we are favorably familiar with, so we were somewhat dismayed to find our room faded, dated and not at all up to Red Lion standards. But is was paid for as part of the package deal I bought online over a month ago. Besides, we were there to celebrate and visit and love on our family, so who cares if things aren't quite up to par in the room?

We spent most of Friday afternoon and evening with Crystal and her kids and soon-to-be step kids. Ronnie was in and out, and both were tending to last minute preparation for their Saturday wedding. I went with Crystal to pick up her wedding gown - gorgeous! Later, Jim and June joined us and all the adults went to Golden Corral for dinner. By the time we hit the bed, we didn't give a hoot about our room's dinginess.

Early Saturday morning, Richard took serving tower, dishes and other decor to the Aurora Summit where the reception was to be held. Crystal was going to do this and said Mary told her it would only take about 30 minutes. Knowing Crystal was already pressed for time and wanting her to fully relish her big day, he had taken on the chore. He helped Mary the wedding planner get the place ready and decorated. They worked about two and a half hours, which was about as long Richard had thought it would be all along.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, I was getting me ready for the big event. But there was no hot water! Not even warm water. Nor tepid water. No cool water, either. Only very cold water. I had not showered the night before because I was just exhausted, so there was no choice but to buck up and back in to that frigid flow. It was, by far, the fastest I have ever bathed. In my rush, I lathered up my hair without checking to see that there was no coconut oil in the shampoo. Of course, since I am wildly allergic to coconut anything, my hands and scalp immediately felt as if they were on fire.

The burning was getting more tolerable by the time Richard got there and hot water (which the desk clerk said had been out since 5AM) was being restored. He had a tepid shower complete with a richly lathered shampoo which I tried not to smell. Coconut scent even burns my nose.

We arrived at the church for a pre-wedding practice, but no one was there. After a bit, the Chaplain showed up, than Crystal and her ladies arrived in a limo and we all headed on in. Practice was preempted by the need to decorate the chapel. Somehow, I assumed that would already have been done or at least the decorations would have been prepared to set in place. Mary set me straight in a firm but gentle way and put me to work making bows and draping netting. Poor, misguided lady had no idea what a klutz i am! With the help various onlookers, it all got done.

Mary had gone into a side room to decorate the bride and her attendants. Various female family members wandered in and out of that room offering opinions and practical assistance as the clocked ticked 10 minutes past the scheduled time for the ceremony, then 20 minutes, and 30... I was getting nervous, the guests were becoming restless. Then, with everyone seated, or so we thought, there was a grand, but quiet entrance of a very important party... the mother of the groom along with several family members.

As He so often does, God had it all worked out. Crystal (like me) has a tendency to under estimate time requirements for tasks and projects. Mary is even worse. The bride was late... BUT that was GOOD because Carol and her family were held up at the gate. This wedding was on a military base and they would not let her in. There was a glitch and the prearranged admissions did not all work out. Of course, as soon as Ronnie's family was all there, the bride came out and the ceremony began!

This chaplain, by the way, married Tami and Troy last year, and officiated at the wedding of Kim and Steve the year before! I still have two single daughters and he says he is available for next year. We've got a trend going!

After the reception, I rested a bit then drove to Kim's house where Athena and a friend Yvonne grilled dinner before we headed to the movies to watch Mama Mia. There we were, me, two of my daughters, two of my granddaughters (one a teen and one a baby), Yvonne and her daughter watching one of the best mother-daughter, girlfriend, women's celebratory movies I have ever seen. The music of ABBA and, and, and... we were the dancing queens! Athena brought dark chocolate bars, several of us cried, especially me, all of us felt beautiful... all of us WERE beautiful. You just had to be there!

Tami cooked Sunday breakfast at her house. Of course Athena helped. Troy walked us through the landscaping plans. Miriah was arranging housing for college and Kyle was rebuilding and recrashing his cool, plastic airplane. It sort of reminded me of the one we had flown in on. Athena and I uploaded my pics and Athena's. Good thing, because the wedding photographer didn't show up! Hint: If you view the pictures in a slide show, click on the first picture to come up and the title and notes will appear on all the pictures in the show. Very neat!

Later, we spent time with Tami and Athena at Black Hawk. I played a penny machine and won $1160. Then, just a few minutes later, Richard won $940. These were the super, mega jackpots for these machines. We gathered our money and left. Our trip has now been paid for! Plus we have enough to give extra to the church!! God is so cool.

We were wiped out when we finally fell into bed. Like zombies we slept until about 4AM when alarms brought us up like the living dead in some horror flick. Addled and half asleep, we struggled to figure out an appropriate response to the strident howlings in the hallway. No answer at the front desk. At last, we got into our clothes. Fire trucks were gathered in front of the building. Richard hurried to pull open the door and we were met with... silence.

We called the hotel clerk again and she answered. False alarm. Go back to sleep. Right!

An hour later, we at last slid smoothly into the Land of Nod, deeply asleep and needing to stay that way. Not to be! Conditioned by our previous experience, we were jolted immediately awake, alert and in a state of extreme, adrenaline stoked readiness as the alarms alarmed us louder and more brashly than ever. We looked out the window, checked the hall, called downstairs. Another false alarm. But it's still screaming, blaring mercilessly until our nerves are raw. On and on it blasts for almost 20 minutes. When it stops at last, we are in no condition for sleep.

Monday morning we have some important business to tend to. I have a folder with several deeds inside. I am waiting on a bench in front of the hotel for Richard to pick me up. here he comes. We have lots to do and I am in a hurry. I slide in the car seat... leaving my folder lying on the bench. I don't notice it's missing until much later and have no idea where it could be. I assume it is in our room.

We drove to Eaton to see sam. A business and personal visit... mostly because we love him so much. I use Sam's computer to try check in to our flight for the next day. North west's site says I am to go to Mid West Airlines site. Our flight is now on that airline. I am getting nervous. After an hour or more and several calls, I am told I have no place on an NW flight and my place on Mid West is not paid for. I can't check in online. Oh boy. Lots of prayer needed here.

We later visit Irene, Richard's sister-in-law. Her daughter Christine and family come over. Time flies and we are amazed. We decide to do our business when we return home, so we head on over to a birthday dinner held for me at the Rock Bottom Pub. I'm not into beer, but the food was fantastic as it often is in some of the finer gastro-pubs. The best part of the evening was the people. Steve was back from his travels, so we got to see all our Denver area family except bethany who was working when ever we were getting together.

It was late when we arrived at Crystal and Ronnie's, so we only stayed a short while. We just wanted to leave them something and hug them all again.

We arrived back at our hotel full of food and sentimentality, sweetness and light... but the hotel stood in darkness! The only lights were from emergency, battery operated units. No one knew when the power would be restored. They had had a major melt down. Apparently those alarms we endured the previous night were in earnest after all. Tired and needing to sleep, we took the proffered glow sticks from an apologetic manager and hiked up seven floors to our room. It was slow going for me with my right knee still gimped out from my accident.

We left early Tuesday morning and everything went smooth as glass;. Our tickets were waiting for us, paid for a month ago, and the plane ride was pleasant as were all the people. They even served warn chocolate chip cookies. We flew to Milwaukee where my iPhone died, stayed a while, then got on another cookie serving Mid West flight. 16 hours after we arrived at the Denver Airport, we crawled into our own comfy bed, desperately tired, amazingly grateful.... but I could not sleep!

If God has not eased me into needed sleep, He must have something else in mind, so I got up and prayed. I prayed for people, situations, nations... and mu iPhone. Then I went back to bed and fell immediately off the firm ground of reality into soft and nebulous clouds of nothingness.

This morning, I was up early. I erased and restored my iPhone and gathered the folders I would need for today's business. Someone had turned in the deeds folder to the hotel desk, and we had to register the replacement car. We also needed to be at Bible Class and clean the children's are. There was needed trip to the safe deposit box, a notary, our broker... Busy, busy day.

I leave at ^ in the morning for another busy day... God doesn't usually let folks sit rocking on the porch for long. they get lazy and bored that way.

As for the auto accident, I am healing pretty well. The knee will take some time, but praise God, I HAVE time! We got a replacement for the Mercury, I now drive a cute little PT Cruiser with TinkerBell on the back window and my children are definitely considering committing me to a custodial care facility, LOL