Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Duck, Duck, Goose
I have a great view from my office at work. There is a retention pond across the sidewalk outside my large ceiling to floor window. Planted between my window and the pond are several flowering trees and plants, including two magnolias that are just now starting to burst with their beauty. Then, around the pond are various plants, including roses just like the ones I have planted along one side of my home. It is a lovely view! I sometimes find myself gazing out the window as I try to gather thoughts for a meeting or if I need a brief break from those thoughts to clear my head.
But, the main part of the view is the retention pond and the recent addition of the TWO families that live there! Yes, the retention pond is home to two perfect families…….of geese! Both families consist of a Mommy, a Daddy, and three adorable little fuzzy Babies! I enjoy watching them during my lunch and breaks – it provides a calm to the day and helps relax and refresh me!
They always stay together as distinct family units – each set of 5 – but the two families do tend to never be too far from each other. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one family without the other nearby and absolutely have never seen any of the family members off separate from the rest of their unit. It is such fun to watch them waddle across the yard to the bank of the pond and then scurry down the bank into the water and then play around in the water. The bank is fairly steep, but those little goslings run down it with no fear, whatsoever!
I particularly get a chuckle when the parents want the little ones to walk across the yard faster – maybe because someone is coming up the sidewalk or just because they are starting to dawdle too much…….both parents get behind them and lift up to fly just inches above the ground and flutter quickly after them – the goslings start to run like the dickens!!!! But, when the parents land again, the goslings slow back down and the parents have to get after them again! Another fun interaction between them is when one of the goslings get distracted by something in the grass and lag behind the group. One of the parents will stop and look back at them – I can’t tell if they make a noise to talk to them or if they just give them the evil eye, but the gosling suddenly rushes off to catch up with the others! Hahaha
Funny how all animals exhibit the same or similar tendencies when it comes to family…….
South Pacific at the Temple Theatre
The Temple Theatre is rounding out the 2009-10 season with Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical South Pacific – running from April 29 – May 16. I missed the opening weekend because I was out-of-town, so I decided to go Saturday night. I arrived just after the house doors opened and got an aisle seat in exchange for my last season ticket! As I sat there waiting for the show to start, I was getting a real kick out of watching the rest of the seats fill up! And fill up…….and fill up…….and fill up! By the time they closed the house doors and Kelly Wright came on stage to welcome everyone, there were no more than a handful of empty seats! THE HOUSE WAS FULL!!! YAY!!! (insert excited happy claps and big sh** eating grin here) And it was a great crowd — they really reacted to the show by showing how much they loved it!
The immensely enjoyable show had all the right elements – recognizable classic songs (“There is Nothin’ Like a Dame”, “Bali Ha’i”, “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out-A My Hair”, and “Some Enchanted Evening”, to name a few), fun characters (Bloody Mary was a real hoot), and amazing performances (more on that later). It gave the audience lots to laugh at and have fun with.
Of course, Peggy Taphorn was incredible in the lead role of Ensign Nellie Forbush – a naive Navy nurse a long way from her Little Rock, Arkansas home on an island in the south Pacific. Nellie falls in love with a rich plantation owner – Emile De Becque, portrayed by Ken Griggs – amid racial tensions caused by her discovering he has two bi-racial children from a relationship he had with an island girl who died. Other racial complications are caused when Lt. Joe Cable (Danial S. Hines) falls in love with Bloody Mary’s daughter – Liat (Theya Havranek).
Peggy’s performance was top-notch, but there were several others that stood out, as well. I mentioned Bloody Mary – Lakeisha Askew brings this character to life and makes her a joy to watch! From her deep belly laughs to her incredible singing voice, Lakeisha brought raw emotion to the stage and generated it in every audience member! She, alone, is reason enough to go see this show!!!
Temple’s own Michael Brocki also gives a stellar, stand out performance as Luther Billis – the sailor that is always getting into trouble and getting his way! I always enjoy seeing Michael – he makes every character he portrays a joy to watch. (and by the way — you’re gonna LOVE his banana!!!)
I was also happy to see Ken Griggs return to the Temple Theatre as Emile de Becque – he has become a bit of a regular and brings a lot of dimension to his roles. I hope we continue to see more and more of him!
Fun, love, songs, dance, and even a hilarious surprise performance by some of the sailors (I am NOT going to spoil this) — there is something for everyone! Keep the rest of the shows at sell out levels — go see South Pacific!
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom
Mother’s Day is a very special day! I won’t be spending the actual day with my Mom, but that’s OK – we celebrated early this year. I usually plan a trip up to my home town during May for a couple of reasons: 1) Mother’s Day! No other explanation needed. 2) Memorial Day – I really enjoy helping her put together and set out the urns at the cemetary for our various family members who have left us. I also enjoy helping her start the potted flowers on her patio. But, this year, she was just here and we took a little trip together that took up a large portion of April. So, I won’t be going up now until sometime during the summer – maybe in July to celebrate her birthday!
So – since I won’t be there with her this Mother’s Day, here is my gift to her – a tribute to what she means to me now and forever! I wrote another Mother’s Day Tribute in 2008 that pretty much tells our story – click here to read it. This won’t be a repeat of that – so if you really wanna know more – use the link and go read for yourself!
Mom was all we had and always made sure that was enough — meaning, we never felt like we were missing out on anything because there wasn’t a father figure there! She worked hard, sacrificed, and struggled, but still always had fun and made sure we had a great childhood! If I had to summarize my memories with her, it could be covered in one word – FUN! We always had fun and there was a LOT of laughing – gut aching, can’t breathe type of laughing! And we always made do…..it doesn’t matter how much or how little you have of something – make the most of what you do have and live life to the fullest, regardless of everything!
Valuable things she taught me:
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If you’re down, don’t whine about it – pick yourself up and do something about it! No one is going to help you if you don’t help yourself, first – there is no shame if you need help occasionally, but you gotta help yourself first and be an active participant in your own destiny so that the help you get is a “helping hand” not a “hand out”. Make the most of whatever path your life is taking and the cards you are dealt.
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The value of hard work and the money you earn from it – she worked 3 jobs most of our childhood to make ends meet and ensure our needs were met. She made us work for any extras we wanted and if it was something really big, she’d make us a deal that if we could save up 1/2 the cost, she would pay the other 1/2. When she’d get home after a shift as a waitress, she would let us help her count her tips and talk to us about how important it is to do a good job to make more money. And, if you don’t have the money to buy something, you have to save up until you do – don’t rob Peter to pay Paul!
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Take care of family! They took care of you! Mom devoted her life to caring for my grandparents when they needed it. She was determined neither would ever go to a nursing home! Grandma, unfortunately, needed more constant medical care in her last couple of years than Mom could provide in her home, so it ended up being necessary, but she was a constant presence there making sure Grandma was cared for and treated appropriately!
- Have fun!!! You only live once! You gotta find the fun and laugh – sometimes that’s the only way to get through a bad situation – find a way to enjoy the good stuff around you and not focus on the crap!
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How to throw a hell of a party! Everything from our birthday parties and slumber parties to impromptu “everyone meet at Marilyn’s for a pool party after the bars close” parties to all the fun GE parties! Mom was President of the GE Employee’s Association and that year the parties were the best in the history – before and after her reign! She was always ready to whip together a party!
My Mom in pictures:
My Mom with her Mom
Mom with me (age 2) on the day she brought my new brother home – 1958
Mom helping me get ready for my wedding – 1985
One of our several road trips to Atlantic City – Mom is the one with the white wig standing on the right – I am scrunched down in front of her and that’s my brother with the gun to his head! The other lady is a friend of Mom’s that traveled with us and her daughter is scrunched down between my brother and me.
The prettiest Mom – EVER!
Mom – how happy she was with Charlie (my Poppie)
Mom at work at GE
Grandma, Mom, and me – another Mother’s Day – 1989
Me, Mom, and Kevin – summer of 1966
Mom and me dancing at a GE party – 1974
Mom – having fun – as usual!
Mom ALWAYS has a tube of lipstick in her pocket, but this was the only time I saw her use one in a sword fight! hahaha
She didn’t need a clown to make her laugh, but this one sure did!
Dancing…..she’s why I have such a love for music and dancing!
Mom and me in Las Vegas – June 2006
Mom and me with a wax Elvis in Vegas – June 2006
Mom and me on a cruise – April 2010
Mom, Kevin, and me – April 2009
That’s my Mom — I love her more than life itself! I want her HERE with me so we can be together every day more than anything I have ever wanted in my life – I hope some day she will give in and come live with me! Until then, we will take every opportunity to continue making wonderful memories and share great experiences together – like we have all of our lives! I can’t wait to find out what adventure will come our way next!
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom — I love you!
Cruisin’
OK, so it took me longer than planned to do a post with cruise highlights, but here they are – better late than never, right? Yep, I just got back from a cruise and it was GREAT! I went with my Mom and we had a wonderful time just being away together – the other fun stuff was just icing on the already perfect cake!
Our time together started when Mom arrived here over two weeks ago on April 17th and ended this past Tuesday, May 4th. She spent a week here visiting, then we cruised for 5 days, and she was here for another 3 days unwinding after the trip! It was a wonderful two and a half weeks. I was able to work 1/2 days while she was here, so we got to spend a lot of quality time together just hanging out! We checked out the new Steele Pig, had a perfect ribeye at Cafe 121, pedicures and hair at Marcello’s, and watched a lot of Netflix movies. We spent a rather low-key week cause we didn’t want to get all wore out before the cruise! haha
We left for Jacksonville, Fl on Sunday, the 25th and spent the night in a nice hotel right near the port. We, then, took the shuttle to the ship and boarded a little after noon-ish on Monday. Our ship was the Carnival Fascination – a newly refurbished ship that was spacious and beautiful! The first day was filled with a lot of figuring out where things were, getting our luggage delivered and situated, and lunch on the Lido deck right about the time we set sail. We spent some time on the Lido open deck at mid ship while we set sail and watched the festivities begin…….music and line dancing was the entertainment!
Then, later on, we found the open deck at the back-end of the ship on the Lido deck, which ended up being our deck of choice for the rest of the cruise. It was just outside the Coconut Grove restaurant, so we had easy access to drinks and snacks, it was quiet and less crowded, and it didn’t get as much wind as the side open decks did. It was a perfect area to sit, talk, and relax! We spent our first evening our there watching the first of several beautiful sunsets!
Our dinner seating assignment was 8:15, which at first sounded awfully late to me! But ended up being perfect! We could spend the bulk of the evening out on the deck and catch the sunset and then go in and eat dinner! It allowed for nice, enjoyable evenings! The first night we got in to dinner and discovered a surprise! As we started a conversation with the couple that was also assigned to our table, the woman mentioned she was from North Carolina. I grinned and asked where in NC and mentioned that I was also from NC. The conversation went like this: Woman – “Are you from Sanford? Is your name…..Karen or Kathy or….” Me – “YES! I’m Kim and this is my Mom, Marilyn! Are you the other couple from Lisa’s group?” Woman – “I knew it was a ‘K’ name. Yes, we wondered if we’d get to meet up with you!” You see, the original arrangements were through a group thing that Lisa Orlando (Painted Petal) organized as a “Cruising to paint in the Bahamas”! She had something like 12-14 cabins arranged and 1/2 day painting classes on the “at sea” days. It was going to be fun! But, all except me, Mom, and this one other couple canceled. We were able to keep the group rate, but we were sailing solo! We had a lovely dinner and nice conversation. The other couple requested the early seating time when they checked in at boarding and after that first night, they were switched, so we didn’t see them again — I did catch a glimpse of them in the crowd a couple of times, but they were not close enough to connect with again.
Day two was an “at sea” day. We checked out the shore excursion options and the on ship shops, marveled at the amazing center atrium area that spanned multiple decks, and spent some time out on the deck getting some sun and relaxing in the fresh air! That evening, we caught the 7:00 lounge show and dinner was the special “Captain’s Dinner” night! The meal we chose was lobster and grilled shrimp with cherries jubilee for dessert – OMG – YUM! And the waiters all entertained us with a fun performance of Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore”! It was a great day and a wonderful evening!
Day three was in port at Key West! I’ve always wanted to see the Keys and this was the part of the cruise that caught my attention and that I was most looking forward to…..and it didn’t disappoint me at all! We took a trolley ride so that we could get a good view of everything without a lot of effort and time. And, of course, we stopped for lunch and had seafood and an amazing piece of key lime pie!! What a beautiful place Key West is! I can’t wait to plan a short trip to explore it further and visit some of the other Keys – like Key Largo! As I got off the ship, I was immediately curious about a huge RED house that stuck out against the landscape! I discovered it was a museum with lots of really cool and realistic statues of people doing various routine things – snapping photos, sweeping up debris, dancing, painting, gardening, etc. all around the outside of it! We didn’t go inside, but that is on the agenda for my next trip!
The fourth day was in port in Nassau, Bahamas! We decided to stay on ship and enjoy the view from the open decks. The shore excursions were quite a way’s away and didn’t really interest us much and there was nothing really to do right there near the port. But, we weren’t disappointed at all – our goal was spending relaxed time together and seeing some amazing scenery and everything we chose to do fit that bill perfectly! As we sat on the open decks looking out over the beautiful aqua blue Caribbean waters and watching the boats come and go, we were entertained by seagulls and pigeons that were interested in the food another passenger left behind on their table!
The rest of the trip was “at sea” and filled with lounge shows (including a really funny comedian), singing/dancing waiters, breathtaking sunsets, great food, adorable animals made out of towels left on our beds, hours on the open decks feeling the breeze in our hair, and just plain living the good life!!!
And that is that! No stress, no phones, no problems, no worries…..just calm, quiet days and entertainment/excitement when we wanted it…..the perfect vacation! I won’t go in to our return trip home – I already did that in a post the night I got back! Suffice it to say that nothing was able to ruin the wonderful time we had and the memories we made together! I will cherish this trip forever! And I’m already wondering what we’ll do and where we’ll go next! hehehe
Southwest
A large portion of my last post focused on the nightmare flight the day we returned from our cruise. When I wrote it, some parts were still unresolved – our luggage was still in limbo. I’ve reflected a lot on the last couple of days and have a lot of thoughts I need to unload – so, here I go!
When I fly, I always choose Southwest (unless they don’t fly into my destination city). Reasons I love Southwest:
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I usually find the best connections, service, and prices over any other airline.
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They don’t tend to have the delays other airlines do – they pretty much stay on schedule.
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If they do get off schedule, for whatever reason, they find a way to get back on track as much as possible.
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I have rarely, if ever, found a rude or un-accommodating Southwest employee.
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They only use full size jets – no puddle jumpers!! Very important, since I don’t like flying on small planes!!
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Most flight crews are very entertaining and make me laugh!!!
I do realize that, for the most part, Saturday’s events were out of Southwest’s control. I was actually impressed by some of their actions and at least understood the rest. I’ve been on canceled or diverted flights on other airlines and found the lack of communication and chaos in trying to get where I was going to be frustrating and unacceptable! Southwest did a very good job with both those concerns!
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They kept us informed. The pilot and crew were honest with us and made sure we knew what was going on. I’m not so sure the honesty was really all that reassuring at that point in time (I would have been just fine not knowing about the low fuel situation), but I do have to say we knew exactly what the situation was and why the pilot was making the decisions he was making!
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Instead of waiting out the storm or heading to a closer airport, the pilot decided to go on to their next scheduled destination, which kept at least part of the passengers on schedule and in their planned destination! Either of the other two options would have put us ALL way off track for both time and destination!
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Within minutes of letting the passengers who were scheduled to be in Columbus off the plane, a Customer Service supervisor was on board making announcements about the arrangements that were being made for us. He knew exactly where everyone’s final destination was and what we needed to do to get there! There were a couple of destinations that they had immediate solutions for (thank goodness our’s was one) and they got us off the plane, rebooked, and on the next plane in what seemed like a flash of time!
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Even though some of the passengers were creating some chaos, if they had just taken a breath and listened (followed) the instructions being given, they would have realized it was actually very organized and professionally handled!
The only part I felt could have been handled better was the luggage situation! I understand that everything in and out of Nashville was delayed, canceled, diverted, or something on Saturday because of the devastating thunderstorms and tornadoes they had. So, that meant a very large number of bags that had to be pulled and rerouted in some way, shape, or form! Our’s were just three out of probably hundreds!!! We were told several things that ended up not being correct – probably because those who were relaying the info were basing it on what their procedures tell them should happen, but because of all the activity, didn’t happen! Here’s what happened:
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The Customer Service supervisor told us that the bags were being pulled and put on the same planes we were being rebooked on, so they would go with us — they didn’t!
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When we arrived and found no bags, the lady in the baggage claim office told us that they were put on the next flight and would arrive at 9:30…which ended up being delayed until 10:00. So, we waited and they didn’t come in on that flight, either!
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She, then, said they went back to Nashville from Columbus and were on the next Nashville flight, but changed that info before we waited too long — she found out they would be on the one coming from Nashville at noon on Sunday, so we gave her the info needed to deliver them to us Sunday afternoon.
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We got a call about 12:30 saying they weren’t on that flight, either, but there were two other flights from Nashville and they would be on one of them – but they finally admitted that they had no idea which one!
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We got a call about 2:00 saying they had arrived and would be delivered later in the day! They were delivered safe and sound about 6:00 or so! YAY!!!
What I found out in all this was that the bar coding process has some kinks in it! Bags are only scanned when they are in the terminal – first when they are put on the originating flight and then when they are unloaded to the baggage claim area in the final destination! They don’t scan them when they transfer them from plane to plane……so, that’s why they sometimes don’t know exactly where misdirected bags are for a while and, in this case in particular, there were so many being rerouted all over the country that it made it even more difficult! But – I do have to say that of all the years I’ve flown on Southwest, I’ve only had my bags misdirected twice and both times they were hand delivered to me the next day and both times I was either home or at Mom’s, so it wasn’t like I was traveling on business with no clean clothes or necessary toiletries to get me by! The first time, my bag was accidentally put on the wrong cart and loaded onto a plane that ended up in Los Angeles (I was going to Buffalo in a snow storm, so I think it was actually the bag that just decided to take the detour) – it was found that same day, rerouted to Buffalo and in my hands the next morning! This time it was because of the weather crisis and among many others – it was found and in my hands the next afternoon! I have heard many horror stories about bags that apparently went by way of the Bermuda Triangle and were never seen again or found days/weeks later!
So — all in all, I think Southwest handled a really horrifying and frustrating situation very well – or as well as they could, in the case of the misdirected luggage! I hope I never have a flight that scary again…….but, if I do, I hope I’m on Southwest!
Are you kidding me????
I’ve been away for the past week – I went on a cruise with my Mom! YAY! But that isn’t the topic of this post – nope, the juicy cruise details will come after I get some much-needed sleep and get settled in – maybe in a day or two! The topic of today’s post is strictly devoted to the events of May 1st…..the day from hell……the nightmare I don’t care to repeat!!!
Our day started at 6:00 AM when the wake up call broke into the approximately two hours of sleep I was able to get last night. We knew we would have to get up early to get breakfast and prepare to debark the ship first thing in the morning…..the end of a relaxing adventure to Key West and Nassau. But, knowing we would have to get up early created some anxiety that wouldn’t allow me to fall asleep. Also, the ship’s crew were busy in the hallway loading up suitcases and squeaking their carts and banging on the walls…….who could sleep? I dozed off a few times, but didn’t really fall asleep until around 4:00 or so and even then, it was broken up by my waking to peek at my watch for the time every 1/2 hour or so!
Here’s how the rest of the day went:
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Our 6:30 AM breakfast was good and the debarkation process went smoothly and quickly once they got to our zone and we were allowed to start making our way off ship at about 10:30. So far, so good!
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The news was reporting severe weather in Nashville – where our connecting flight was – violent thunderstorms and tornado warnings! But, they were supposed to expire before we would get there. So we kept an eye on it, but weren’t getting too excited.
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The Carnival bus took us to the airport and could only make one stop – instead of dropping everyone off in the center somewhere, they dropped us all off at the far end and, of course, the Southwest terminals were at the opposite far end!
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Jacksonville, Fla airport was crazy crowded and the limited lanes through security couldn’t accommodate the mass confusion and congestion – what a zoo!!!
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We finally got to our gate about 12:30. Our flight wasn’t until 2:00, so we had time to grab some lunch. Just up from our gate was a sit down restaurant with some good-looking sandwiches and there were only a couple other tables occupied, so they weren’t busy – we decided it was worth a try! The waitress took a long time to notice we were there. When she came over, she never looked at us – just asked “would you like to order something?” We ordered and she walked away without saying anything else. I realized I forgot to tell her “no cheese” on my sandwich, so I went to the bar and caught her as she was entering the order. She gave me a blank stare, rolled her eyes, and went back to the computer. She brought the drinks and I apologized for the confusion and she didn’t acknowledge I was there, let alone that I actually spoke to her. The food came and to my surprise, it actually was the way I ordered it – no cheese! The food was very good!!! She brought the bill without saying a word – never checked to see if everything was OK or if we wanted more drinks or anything – and never came back for the money! So, I took it to the bar and she cashed me out without so much as a split second of eye contact or speaking to me! We reluctantly left a tip, but if I had it to do over, I wouldn’t have…….
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We got on the plane in Jacksonville to head to Nashville! Everything was showing “on time” and no apparent issues.
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The guys behind us were also on the cruise and had obviously spent the morning on the Lido deck drinking the time away waiting to debark! They proceeded to have two more drinks a piece on the plane! The result was a string of very loud, obnoxious, and……well, let’s just say colorful vocabulary filled conversations that were non-stop from the time we got on until we landed! They also kept kicking or punching the back of our seats and pulling back on the top of them – a couple of times catching my hair and pulling it as they did so! It was all I could do to keep from getting up out of my seat and giving them hell!!!!
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As we got closer to Nashville, the flight got rough! Really rough! Mom doesn’t like to fly, so she was really getting nervous and scared! Frankly, so was I and a little rough weather doesn’t usually get me worked up! The Captain came on and said that there are dangerous storms around Nashville and he was waiting for instructions and would keep us posted.
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Just then —- LIGHTENING HIT THE PLANE!!!! REALLY – IT ACTUALLY HIT THE PLANE!!!! RIGHT BY MOM’S WINDOW!!!! We heard a loud bang and a bright flash of light and knew exactly what it was!!!! Everyone gasped and let out some yells!!! I’ve flown in some pretty nasty weather, but that is the first time that has ever happened! I was in shock and had to force myself to start breathing again!!!!
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The pilot accelerated the plane and came back on to say that he was attempting to fly away from the storm and that he was still waiting for instructions – he said they wanted him to circle for at least 45 minutes to wait out the storm, but that he DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH FUEL FOR THAT, so they were assessing the field again!!!!
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Someone tried to get up to use the restroom and the flight attendant made the announcement that everyone had to remain in their seat because it was too dangerous to be up for any reason! Someone pressed their call button and he said to reset it and only press it again if it was a medical emergency because it was not safe for the attendants to assist anyone for any non-emergency reasons!
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LIGHTENING HITTING THE PLANE……NOT ENOUGH FUEL……TOO DANGEROUS…..NOT SAFE……OK – DEFINITELY THE WORST WEATHER SITUATION FLIGHT I’VE EVER BEEN ON!!! And it had to be with Mom, who is a nervous wreck on a normal, calm flight!!!! I pretty much decided that if we landed in Nashville or anywhere close, we wouldn’t get on the connection to RDU with bad weather – I was going to just rent a car and drive here!!!
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Then the decision announcement came — “Ladies and Gentleman, we just don’t have the fuel to do what Nashville wants us to do and the storm is not letting up, so we’re going on to Columbus!” That plane was already scheduled to go to Columbus next, so that part made sense…….but…….they didn’t have enough fuel to hang around Nashville for up to 45 mins, but they had enough to go all the way to Columbus, Ohio??? Really??? My mind started to wander with thoughts of the next announcement being “sorry, folks, we’re not going to make it to Columbus, but there’s a nice looking corn field we’re going to try to land on!”
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The loud, obnoxious drunks behind us were still at it through it all…..now they were making sure the entire plane knew how going to Columbus was ruining their plans to attend a Jimmy Buffett concert in Nashville tonight and that they fully intended to rent a car in Columbus and drive back to the concert! They made the stressful situation worse throughout the bad weather and now the whole way to Columbus!!! UUGGHH!!!!
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My thoughts went to what I could do for Mom — since Columbus is so close to home for her and she was only going to be here for a couple more days, it didn’t make sense for her to go through getting a flight to RDU. So, we talked about getting her a flight to Buffalo or maybe me renting a car and drive her home and then get a flight back here tomorrow or Monday or something……I am still on vacation from work until Weds!!! That could work!!!
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We landed in Columbus and they very quickly got us all rebooked! I asked about a flight to Buffalo for Mom and mentioned the option of renting a car and driving, but they said they couldn’t change our final destination and we’d be in Raleigh tonight and it wasn’t likely they could get us in Buffalo tonight, anyway, and that our bags were already pulled and on their way to our new flight that was boarding NOW!
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So, we were whisked away to another gate and on our way to Baltimore to change planes to head to Raleigh! OK, so it was all working out and it looked like we were only going to be about an hour delayed from our original arrival time in RDU.
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We arrived in Baltimore about 6:30 and our next flight was scheduled to leave at 8:05, so we got a Subway sandwich and made some calls (my brother still doesn’t believe our story)! Both flights were smooth and uneventful and we made it to Raleigh a little after 9:00.
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I went to get the car and bring it around while Mom waited for the bags! As I pulled up to meet her, a porter came out to flag me down and proceeded to tell me that our bags weren’t on the flight and needed my baggage claim tags. Mom and the porter came out a few minutes later (luckily, a very nice security guy let me sit there and wait, so I didn’t have to keep circling around). They said the bags were still on the original flight from Nashville and it was scheduled to arrive at 9:30……then they found out it was delayed until 10:00! So, we waited……and security allowed me to stay parked there, so long as I didn’t go inside and leave it unattended.
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About 10:30, the last of the bags on that flight were done going around the carousel……and our’s weren’t there!!! We weren’t the only ones, though – others that were diverted with us had the same problem – apparently, none of the bags were pulled and loaded on the new flights, as we were told!
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We were first told that they were on the next flight, but then they found out they weren’t, so there was no need for us to wait for it! We gave them all the information about the bags and how to contact us! They “think” they are going to be on the flight that is set to arrive about noon tomorrow……we’ll believe it when we see it!
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Finally home about 11:30 PM….exhausted!!!
After a week on a relaxing cruise, I was rested and totally de-stressed!!! Today totally unraveled all of that!!! And we’ve been around a block or two in the past week…….Starting with Raleigh to Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville on Sunday, out to sea, then Key West, then Nassau, more out to sea, back to Jacksonville on Saturday, almost to Nashville, then Columbus, then Baltimore, and finally back to Raleigh!!!
So – my Saturday was LONG and MISERABLE!!! How was your’s???
What’s New?
What’s new? Lot’s of stuff going on and a couple of bits of news that I haven’t posted about on here, yet – like big news at CIS and a new restaurant in town! My excuse for not posting sooner…….well, that’s news, too! Lot’s of stuff going on and, unfortunately, no time to write about it!!!! So, taking some time this morning to cover a few things:
The Steele Pig is the cool, catchy name of a new restaurant in town! It isn’t really “NEW”, but more like a make-over of an old favorite! Bella Bistro has been a key feature in downtown Sanford for many years. Chad Blackwelder, chef and owner of Bella, decided to reinvent his restaurant and make it more affordable and attractive to a wider customer base. The name was changed to The Steele Pig and the menu was revamped to include a mix of old favorites and new, exciting smoked meats and sandwiches! I took Mom earlier this week and we had a wonderful time chowing down on smoked spareribs that were melt-in-your-mouth delicious!!! Check out the Roving Review I wrote for the SocialSanford blog. Better, yet – go see for yourself – The Steele Pig….dinner….Tues-Sat….133 S. Steele Street…..be there!
Communities in Schools of Lee County announced a couple of weeks ago that we have a new Executive Director! Heather Little begins her journey in her new role at CIS on May 3rd. Laura Biediger tendered her resignation to go back to school in the fall – she’ll be pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at UNC Chapel Hill. We wish Laura well and will miss her! But, we are so very excited to welcome Heather as our new ED. Heather is no stranger to CIS Lee….she is on the Board of Directors and serves as Program Committee Chair. She is also credited with starting and building the BackPack Pals Program for Lee County Schools and bringing it to CIS Lee. We’ll be so lucky to have her!
Personally………the reason I haven’t had a lot of time to catch up on the news is that my Mom is visiting! YAY!!!! We’ve had a great week sharing all kinds of stuff — pedicures at Marcello’s, dinner at The Steele Pig and Cafe 121 (she told me before she got here to not forget to plan time with Chef Hamm and his wonderful ribeye steaks!!!), cooking together, watching lots of NetFlix movies, and just plain sitting around, relaxing, and enjoying each other’s company!!!
Well, that’s all for now…….I’m sure there is more news to catch up on, but no more time this morning!
Sanford Info At Your Fingertips
Wanna know all of Sanford’s best kept secrets and what’s going on? Well, there is a new blog in town – SocialSanford – and it is filled with interesting and useful information. A couple of my blogging friends started the site a month or so ago and it is well worth a spot on your blogroll. It has been on my blogroll since it started, but I realized I didn’t draw attention to it, so that oversight is being remedied right now!
Check it out for yourself — you’ll surely find something that you needed to know about our fair city!
Product Review – Dyson
I have watched with great interest as friends asked for help in finding a vacuum that will do a really good job on pet hair and is easy to handle. I have a similar need and I’ve been through vacuum after vacuum after vacuum……some are easy to handle and some do a really good job…….I have yet to find one that is BOTH!!!! So, when I heard almost everyone who responded to my friend’s pleas for help highly recommend the Dyson Animal vacuums, I decided to get one! I have looked at them before, but stayed away from them because they are bagless – I am not a fan of bagless vacuums! But, decided that if they work as well as I’m hearing they do, I will make do with the bagless feature!
I used it for the first time today. I thought I’d give my opinion, since I know so many people who will likely be interested in hearing what I think about it!
PROS:
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The rumor was correct — it does a GREAT job!!! It sucks pet hair from several inches away and picks up everything it comes into contact with! It is powerful and effective! So — it gets an “A” for productivity!
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It is easy to use — I chose the “ball” version (the dc25) because I heard that the ball makes getting in and around things very easy. I made a good choice! It is easy and, although it isn’t as light weight as others I’ve tried, it is light and does glide around as if it were almost weightless. So — another “A” for ease of use.
CONS:
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The whole bagless issue I mentioned in the beginning of the post is a major con for me! I have asthma, so dumping the cup makes me cough and gives me some minor respiratory distress. I did see on their website, though, that they offer a free asthma/allergy kit, so I will look into that when I get a chance.
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The collection cup isn’t very big (most aren’t). I mentioned that I need it because of the need to control the pet hair in my home. If you’ve read this blog at all or even if you noticed the header photo on the home page, you know I have three dogs – one of which is a golden retriever mix! Every few days, I can sweep up enough hair to cover a fourth dog!!! So, the small cup has to be emptied often, creating more of an issue for my asthma than it might if I could get away with only dumping it once each time I vacuum.
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The “on” button is on the body of the vacuum. A preferred location would be on the handle so you could use the thumb of the hand that is holding it or on the bottom so you could press it with your foot. Because it is so far away from your hand and your foot, you must have your second hand free to turn it on and off when needed. This makes it difficult to multi-task while vacuuming — like picking up things and carrying them with you while you vacuum, holding the coiled cord so it is out of the way, etc. I tried to just let go of the handle to turn it off and let the handle rest against my stomach, but the vacuum is so powerful, it kept going and pulled away from me and fell onto the floor before I could press the button or grab the handle again!
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The foot lever that lets the handle lay down at an angle to vacuum is easy to use, but putting it back into the upright/locked position is not easy! The stabilizing wheels fold up when it is angled to vacuum, which makes the ball easier to steer (one of the PROS mentioned earlier). When you lift the handle up to lock it, you have to lift up on it and snap it in place so that the stabilizing wheels come back down. It makes a very loud clanging sound – like it cracked or broke! And, it takes two hands to get it to lock — it could be because I have arthritis in my hands and don’t have the gripping strength someone without arthritis has…..but, I am not the only person in the world with this problem, so I can’t be the only one who finds it not so easy to do. I’m wondering, though, if it will get easier once it gets broken in more. For now, though, every time it clangs, the dogs jump and run cause it scares them!!! They have never been afraid of the vacuum, but they are now!
So — I do like it — it does the trick, for sure! But I do have some issues I need to either get used to or find a way to work around……the CONS are not minor little things to me! We’ll see if, in the long run, it survives or if I go looking for another one!!!
UPDATE:
The PROS are absolutely out weighing and over coming the CONS — I LOVE this vacuum!!!! Again, it glides around and maneuvers beautifully and the power is incredible!!! I’ve gotten the hang of putting it back in the upright position, so that “con” is gone! Even the girls are getting used to that clanging “con” and don’t seem to care anymore! As for the frequency I have to dump the cup and the dust it causes, I started getting a trash bag out when I start and putting the cup down in it and covering it with the sides of the bag when I dump it……so, not as much of a problem for my asthma! This vacuum is WONDERFUL!!!!
Movie Review – Date Night
A friend called yesterday and asked if I wanted a girl’s night out to go see “Date Night” at the theater tonight……..hello, when am I NOT ready to go see a movie? Like, did she really need to ask? DUH!!! But, “Date Night”? I saw the trailers and it did look like it might be very funny and I do like Tina Fey a lot! The part that caused me to pause for a half a second or so before I responded was Steve Carell……not really a Steve Carell fan! But, hey – it was a movie in the middle of the week – comedy on hump day eve – how bad could Steve Carell be opposite Tina Fey, anyway? Making it to the 5:20 showing was a tight squeeze after work and I had a ton of other things I should have been doing, instead. But, it has been a hectic week (I had to rearrange several other things throughout the week to accommodate crazy stuff that came up) and it was the only night I didn’t have to be somewhere else or do something that couldn’t wait until later in the evening or tomorrow! AND – more importantly – it has been a couple weeks since I’ve been out to a movie! So, I agreed to go! (you know it didn’t take much thought or convincing)
First off, let’s address the Steve Carell concern……he was actually funny and not at all his usual irritating self! Refreshing! He was really quite good in the part of tax accountant Phil Foster. There, that is out-of-the-way – on with the review!
The story is this: Carell and Fey play Phil and Claire Foster, an average suburban couple with two kids and good, but unexciting careers. After hearing the news that their friends are getting divorced, they start to wonder if they are in the same, familiar, boring rut as their friends are – even their typical date night routine feels forced and less than special. So, in an effort to spice up date night, Claire goes out of her way to look especially pretty and Phil decides to take his beautiful wife into the city for dinner at a very expensive and exclusive restaurant. They show up at the restaurant with no reservation and are met by an extremely rude, obnoxious maitre d’ who sarcastically tells them they can wait at the bar to see if something opens up. After a while, Phil hears another couple’s name called several times and, assuming they are a no-show, gets the idea to claim they are that couple and take their reservation! They are seated and begin to enjoy an amazing dinner! A couple of men come to their table and the way they start asking them questions and addressing them by the other couple’s name, they naturally assume their deceit was discovered. They follow the men out into the alley and soon discover that the couple who’s reservation they took stole something from the head of an organized crime ring and they are in serious trouble! From that point on, they get themselves in deeper and deeper and in more and more trouble! Hilarius scene after hilarious scene of wild chases, car crashes, and narrow escapes take them through the process of figuring out what is going on while staying one step ahead of the thugs and the cops!
Best parts: 1) I – laughed – so – hard!!! I laughed out loud so hard I had tears pouring down my cheeks!!! 2) (well, actually, my VERY favorite part) Mark Walberg!!! In multiple scenes, Walberg is called upon to help them out and in every one of the scenes he is conveniently (and much to my personal pleasure) without a shirt! WOW – definitely worth the price of admission!
Besides Mark Walberg, Ray Liotta also has a supporting role as the crime boss at the center of the Foster’s troubles. I like Ray Liotta a lot and, although he has a small role and isn’t seen much, he is true to form and very enjoyable to watch. Tina Fey is charming as Claire Foster, as well.
I liked this movie — it was fun, it was entertaining, it was funny, it was a perfect mid-week pick-me-up, and it made for a very enjoyable girl’s night out event! I rate this one an A and will likely take Steve Carell off the “avoid at all cost” list!
By the way — they also have out takes at the end that are as fun as the rest of the movie!
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