The Pacific Ocean is big. Real big!
13 hours of flying is long. Super long!
After a 19 hour day, I had to laugh at the super duper cool toilet. Wash the front, the back, poke my eyes out – right now, I don’t really care 🙂 The other pic shows where we are – exhausted and poorly lit, but we made it! (Not the final destination though).
We were looking for a palm reader but found this instead 🙂 First part of the trip is over. We thought everything was perfect and wonderful, which surprised the flight attendants. Several grumpy passengers yelled at them (in 1st class, on the way to Hawaii – really??) Okie doke – next time we land, it will be “tomorrow night” over the date line!!
TOAL – trip of a lifetime!
First stop today (usually an end destination) is O’ahu. Mimosa – it’s what’s for breakfast!
This is still our 30th anniversary celebration and the first time we will have had 2 weeks away together since the honeymoon. Reaping the rewards of Pete’s constant business travels!!
Tofu steak, broccolini, quinoa and chili sauce. It must be Cal – yum!
After ice on the roads in Portland and a 3 hour delay of our flight, we finally arrived in SF! Super empty plane. Pete got upgraded to first class so I insisted he take advantage of it. I got all 12 seats of both exit rows in coach to myself. I did some extreme crocheting with new yarn and enjoyed an insanely beautiful sunset. Part one of The Trip of a Lifetime complete. More tomorrow!
Uh – was it something I said?
I wrote last night on Facebook that I am making a greater effort to Be the Love, Feel the Love and to stay out of complete distress over the current politics. (I take solace in the millions of vocal and marching folks who share my concerns). How have I practiced the love today?
Our town car driver to the airport started denigrating Muslim employees who work there. I said, “Liberty and Justice for ALL, right?” and changed the subject. I practiced patience when he talked us to death, especially when describing what his dog is like when she’s in heat. Ewww.
When we were treated quite poorly by the ticket agent in the terminal, I asked to see a manager and told Pete that I needed to speak my truth – which I did. “We are easy going passengers but we don’t expect to be treated so badly, especially when one of us is a Platinum member”. She apologized but Pete will still push for some miles.
The very, grumpy man in the Laurelwood pub wanted to block my getting a table next to him. “Could you move your suitcase please?” He snarled and moved it 2 inches. “Could you move your jacket as well so I can sit down? Thank you”. I tried to imagine he has some huge fear or recent hurt. I was going to wish him a good day when he left but he grumped loudly and careened off many tables on his way out.
More stories but I’m just about all “loved out” for now and in pain. Our flight has been delayed so many times!! Here we sit. 7K mile flight to go and I’m already restless 😬
We’re about to embark upon the Trip of a Lifetime and the roads are icing over. Keeping the faith (and a blow torch handy – not really 🙂 Towncar will get us in a few hours. Let’s do this.
I need to stay away from Facebook and the news. It’s the only way I can cope with the insanity. Let me say right off the bat, I am not against all Republicans. If we had Jeb Bush, Rubio, Romney, McCain – ANY sane person who isn’t a loose cannon as President, I could live with that. Not a clueless, narcissistic, reality show host who needs constant drama and constant attention.
The phrase that has really come to bother me is “people in other countries are jealous of what we have in the US and wish to do us harm”. How pompous. Delusions of grandeur. What made the US the gold standard of how to be? How ethnocentric. Just on infant mortality alone – we stink, and have for quite awhile, so that cannot be politicized.
When we march into another country unprovoked (Iraq), kill their leader, destabilize the region and let them descend into chaos and then BAN them all from coming to the US – pompous! Arrogant! Delusions of grandeur!
But Trump doesn’t ban Saudi Arabia, that actually did do us harm (15 of the 19, 9/11 terrorists were Saudi)? Russia took over Crimea and SHOT DOWN a passenger plane, killing all 298 on board, and Donald is in bed with Vladimir? This makes NO sense – unless it is all about self-enrichment. Follow the money, folks. Follow the money!!
When your minions have to apologize, clarify or brush off your comments on a daily basis – you may be the wrong person for the job. When your admin detains a young Iranian boy at an airport because he might be a threat but you Tweet every f*ing thing that comes to your mind on an **unsecured** phone, you may be the wrong person for the job. Go back to real estate, Donny. The US is NOT a giant Mar a Lago for rich, white people. You are provoking the very people you want to “protect” us from. Why? You need the war machine to be in full gear to enrich yourself and the top brass. More money. More power. Your insecurity is so visible on a daily basis that any would-be attacker only has to praise you to get you in their pocket, and insult you to keep you busy and distracted. Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump tweeted while America disintegrated.
Pete was looking for a lost screw in the house so I suggested he use the metal detector. Besides his finding every wire buried under the floor boards, I found out that the tuning of the detector is a very sharp F#. Good to know 🙂
As hard as it is to go through intense pain, I always think it is harder on those having to watch and who can do nothing to alleviate it. Super kudos to Pete for once again playing nurse, chauffeur, appointment scheduler, meds fetcher etc.
I am SO grateful that, what felt like a herniated disc was “just” a super bad muscle spasm following an injury. You wouldn’t believe how many of those low back muscles are involved in something as simple as putting on your shoes or blowing your nose. I am SO grateful that Pete was in town and I didn’t have to do this alone. And grateful that our trip of a lifetime, starting next Friday, is still a go.
Intermittent, intense pain – such as labor – is one thing. When it just doesn’t let up – ouchies!! I am mostly back to normal – alleluia. Lesson learned that when the inner voice says, “don’t help that person lift that super heavy object” that I should heed it!!!
I learned that hindsight is always super clear. And I learned, again, that there is no such thing as a separate body part or region. When one area is really hurt, all of it is affected.
It’s a famous bluegrass song. Pretty sure I have a herniated disc in my low back. Seeing doc in an hour. OMG on the pain. Off the charts.
mariannedecher 