Starting To Get Excited

Okay, I'm getting excited! We leave for our cruise in just three days!

Yesterday, I went clothes shopping for my guy. I brought the store home to him, everything was on sale! He was able to try everything on and decide what he wanted to keep and what was going back, all in the comfort of our home. I had a blast shopping for him.

Today was my first day back at work after a long weekend. I worked all day then ran off to a pamper-myself appointment right after work. Now, how often does your hairdresser bring you a glass of wine while you're under the dryer? LOL Mine does! We have a great time.

Afterwards, I went clothes shopping just for me! Like yesterday, I bought quite a bit with the intentions of trying them on at home and returning those items I didn't really want. Fun, fun, fun! Gosh, tonight I spent alot at one store, got home, tried everything on, and decided the whole lot will go back tomorrow! I'm laughing, I feel rich again... All that money spent tonight will be mine again tomorrow! Compulsive or what? LOL

The fog has been hanging around, as thick as pea soup! My son was supposed to fly home from his dad's tonight. But, when he checked in he was told that he would be stuck at his layover in Oakland, CA, due to the fog here in Boise. Well, I couldn't have my little guy staying in Oakland over night, all by himself! I would worry sick about him! So, I called the airlines. They felt the same as me about him staying in Oakland alone and booked him another flight out of Las Vegas, NV, tomorrow in hopes the fog will lift. All at no additional charge!

Not only do we have fog, we have ice! And my guy was sent, long haul driving, to Portland, OR, today. He's supposed to be back tomorrow night. Gosh! Talk about cutting it short! There isn't any time for weather problems. He had better make it back in time for our trip. I worry about him getting over the mountain passes between here and Oregon.

I can't believe I haven't booked our hotel yet! We have changed our minds a couple of different times about what we plan to do with our two days in Los Angeles after our cruise. With all the indecision, I haven't yet booked the room. I found a hotel on the marina in San Pedro, it looks really nice. And there's a Best Western that looks pretty good in Redondo Beach. I have reserved a rental car for after the cruise, so at least we'll be able to throw our luggage in the back and drive around to wherever we end up. I'm really not caring where we go, I just plan to have fun.

Christmas With The Kranks

When my youngest brother and his family were here for Thanksgiving, I told them of my Christmas plans. I would not be home this year. As soon as my 11 year old niece found out I would be going on a cruise for Christmas, she told me I had to see the movie, "Christmas With The Kranks!"

I hadn't seen this movie with Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen before, so I added it to our Netflix account. The movie was here by the following weekend.

We were all there. My guy was home from a week's trucking. My son was home still recovering from his injury and surgery. So we all gathered around the t.v. and watched "Christmas With The Kranks."

As the movie went along, I sank further and further into the couch. See, I had no idea what this movie was about. Tim Allen had been in a couple of cute "Santa Claus" movies before, so I was guessing this would be something similar.

No! It was about a couple (our age) running off on a cruise, skipping Christmas! This is where my guilt really started working on me. I couldn't believe I was sitting there, watching this movie with my son, knowing I was going to be taking off on a cruise at Christmas... without him!

It's been a couple of weeks now since I saw the movie, and I think I'm okay. Last weekend, I started looking at things to do in the Los Angeles area for after the cruise. We have a couple of days there before coming home, and my excitement is building! I found hotels with marina views, an aquarium, the boardwalk, beach paths and ocean sunsets. I can't wait!

But when I look at the calendar and see that next Friday I will be on a plane, heading out of town, to warmer territory for Christmas, I start feeling weird. LOL! (It was just 9 degrees out this morning on my way to work, and just 26 degrees on my way home!) I will be fine, my son will be fine, we'll all be fine! I do plan on having a great time, taking lots of photos to share.

Anxious, Nervous, Excited

Anxious: Just 17 days 'til Christmas!

Nervous: I've never been away from my family at Christmas before.

Excited: A brand new experience, a three night cruise, just me and my guy. We fly out December 23rd, spend two nights in Los Angeles after the cruise, and return home December 28th.

I should add Guilt to my list. The guilt of motherhood. I worry about my son being home alone at Christmas. Though, I did ask him if he'd like to go on this vacation with us, and he wanted to stay home.

There will be lots of family close by, so he won't be totally alone. My 24 year old daughter will be home. She arrives Dec 23rd after we've already left. My parents live just up the road. My brother, his wife and three kids, all from California, will be there at my parents' home. My other brother's 18 year old son will also be at my parents', on holiday leave from Florida where he's stationed in the Navy. And of course, there will be six Yorkies to give him love and kisses.

Speaking of my son... November 18th, he cut his left index finger pretty bad. November 22nd, he had surgery to repair nerve damage. Just this Monday, he had all the stitches removed and started physical therapy. He's doing really good.

Ya know, I've done so well with his injury. I haven't passed out at the sight on my baby boy's blood or the sound of his pain. The night he was brought to the ER, the doc had to put a turnicate on my little guy's finger to stop the bleeding that wouldn't stop on it's own. Blood was EVERYWHERE. Then she irrigated the wound to see, if she could, what the damage was. I stood right there the whole time, watching the entire event without ever getting light headed. I was pretty proud of myself.

But, that first finger curl they made him do Monday, right after they removed his stitches, made me see stars immediately! I was light headed and weak in the knees within a minute. Sounds funny, I'm sure. But I had to sit down before I fell down. lol

Right now, he has four weeks of physical therapy ahead of him. The doctor states it will be a year before he heals, and he may never heal 100%. Last week he had 0% range of motion in his injured finger, today he's at 10%. He's moving in the right direction, getting better and better every day.

'Tis the Season...

Wishing All My Readers

a Very Merry Holiday Season!