EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

I'm so excited I could spit!

We begin our vacation....NOW! I've got about 10 minutes until I have to meet Patrick. And then we're off to New York for the day and night.

Our flight from JFK departs tomorrow night at 6 p.m. Then we fly to Brussels and on to Prague. I love Prague.

We'll spend 4 nights in Prague and then take the train to Krakow. I'm so looking forward to Krakow. I really think that I'm going to enjoy it. They say it's like Prague was 15 years ago. We'll see.

Finally after 4 nights in Krakow, we're on to Rome! Rome! It's horrible, I know, but I just cannot wait to eat and drink in Rome!

I'll be updating with our activities throughout our trip.

Bon voyage!

Toasty

I'm in Maryland for work this week. I went for one appointment yesterday, but everything was running late, so I decided to run to another appointment down the street. Keep in mind that this is new territory for me, so I spend quite a bit of time wondering where I am.

I head down the street and realize that I may be going the wrong direction. And that's when I see it:


What? I love English Muffins! I eat them all the time.

I continue drive (in the right direction) and wondering why I'm smelling baked break. Obviously, someone in Frederick, MD is baking bread this lovely morning. That, of couse, makes me think MORE about English Muffins.

I'm wondering if the guy who invented English Muffins was from Frederick. I'll probably never know.

...until...

I look to my right and see...TA DA...

The Thomas' English Muffin factory! Conveniently located on English Muffin Way.

Glued

Whenever a major disasterous event happens, it's not uncommon for me to become glued to the television, radio and Internet.

I was stuck in NY due to the nor'easter on Monday. We never turned on the television on Monday, we knew the only thing on the news would be weather. Patrick called to check on me on Monday morning and asked if I'd heard what had happened at Va Tech. When I said no, he told me that there had been a student shot on campus. At that time, that was the news, one student shot.

I reflected momentarily and went about my business of playing parcheesi and Scrabble.

Later than night, I checked the Internet to find that 33 were dead.

I pray for peace in the hearts of those impacted by this.

Nana

Nana is my last surviving grandparent. My mom's mother. The Norwegian one. The stoic one. The last one.

We lost my Pop eight years ago this week, and my Uncle, her son, passed three years ago. Children aren't supposed to go before their parents. Nana's been dying of a broken heart for eight years.

She's not doing well. Nana told mom this week that she didn't have any fight left in her and she just wanted to go. She's 86 years old in June. She's had a full life. She's not terminally ill. She has all of the little things that an 86 year old has wrong with them.

Within the past three weeks, she's been diagnosed with diabetes. The docs realized this when she went into a diabetic coma when her sugar was over 800 and she was rushed to the hospital. They're trying to regulate that, but Nana won't eat and won't drink. She's also been fighting a recurring urinary tract infection for two years. The fact that she doesn't drink anything doesn't help. She's contracted septisemia from the UTI. That's cleared up for now, but it sure to come back. The docs had confirmed that this is the beginning of the end.

I'm pretty lucky to have had all four of my grandparents until I was 21, and now at 33 I'm down to my last one. I always thought that at least one grandparent would see me married and to have children. It's clear now that that won't happen. I'm a little sad. Fine, I'm alot sad.

Everything is in order, she's been submitted to a full service nursing home. No extreme methods will be taken to extend her life. Medication is not being forced and hospice care will begin this week.

I'm in Baltimore this week. I'm supposed to drive home to Norfolk tomorrow. Instead I'll be driving to New Jersey to see Nana tonight. I'm leaving for vacation next week and I can't bear the thought of not seeing her while she's here.

Sleepy

I was on a role last night. I was working, working, working and next thing I new it was 2 a.m. I got in bed and rolled around until about 3. I just couldn't sleep. I've been up since 7:30 and I'm so sleepy. It'll be a coffee day for me for sure.

Have a great Tuesday.

Oh, and leave a comment, would ya? I know people are reading my blog, but I'm getting a complex over the lack of comments.

Wow! I had a fabulouso day today! First, I didn't have any flat tires when I was driving to Maryland today, so that was a great start to my day.

I was having a little apprehension about a meeting with a client today. It ended up being a marathon meeting for over three hours and it was one of the most productive meetings I've ever had! She approved all of the new products that were launched in Q1, verbally committed to new items in Q3 and for the holidays and she placed orders for everything. Such a great day! This could have gone the complete other direction, but it didn't. Thanks to positive thinking. I just knew this would go well and it did.

Yippee!

I also booked our hotel for Manhattan for Patrick birthday trip in June. We'll be staying at a hotel in Chelsea, which I think Patrick will really like. It's well located, but not under the Vegasy neon lights of Times Square, full of tourists and honking cars. I'm really looking forward to exploring Chelsea. I took my brother's suggestion, he did live and work in NYC for a while, ya know.

I also booked our dinner reservation at Balthazar for our trip next weekend to NYC. Our dinner reservations are at 9 p.m., so we'll have time to explore in the afternoon and head to the hotel to clean up for dinner and a night on the town. Although, it will be a Sunday night, but it's New York for goodness sake, it's not like it'll be shut down for the night.

I'm patiently awaiting all of my little Nalgene travel sized bottles to arrive from the Container Store. I'm in charge of packing all of the little bottles of toiletries.

We're only each taking one small suit case and a backpack for our 2 week vacation of varying temperatures and activities, from a fancy night in NYC to the Vatican to schlepping the street of Krakow and Prague. I can only hope for the best.

This is Getting Serious

I mean reaching critical. I have a sickness. Short-timers disease. I can do nothing but focus on my vacation which is 12 short days away. I can hardly stand it, sit still or think of anything else for more than 3.7 seconds.

I'm dreaming of meals and wine and walks and photo ops.

And, I'll let you in on a little secret, since Patrick doesn't read my blog. Oh, he knows it exists, he just doesn't read it. His birthday is in June and I just booked tickets to take him to NYC for the weekend. I'm thinking I'm going to play it off real smooth like. Maybe even "forget" his birthday and not talk about it in the coming months.

hehe...I'm sneaky

TGIF

I'm really glad it's Friday! Whoo hoo! Two days with Patrick. Although, he's got alot of studying to do. He only has two weeks left of classes.

AND! Biggest WHOO HOO of all! FIFTEEN days until vacation! OMG, I can't wait.

I was moved to a different room last night. This is the Queen Anne room. Isn't it the cutest?
















I did really well driving around Washington DC. I didn't get lost nearly as much as I thought I would. Actually, I hardly got lost at all. And this city really is beautiful. It's such a different city. It's nothing like NYC, or Chicago, or San Francisco. It's a very "young, professional, single" city. I saw families in Whole Foods, but not many other places. Other than, of course, the familes from the mid-west here on an educational vacation, schlepping backpacks and cameras and wearing ball caps from universities in the mid-west.

Here's a photo I took on P Street and about 21st NW. Look at that blue, blue sky. It's cold and crisp yesterday and today.



I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday Thirteen

I haven't done a TT in a while, but here's a go at it:

Thirteen Things That We're Going to do on our Vacation

1. Stay at the Waldolf-Astoria in New York.

2. We'll fly overnight to Prague from JFK via Brussels.

3. I've already been to Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, but I'll do it again. It was beautiful.

4. Take a day trip to Karlovy Vary.

5. Drink lots of Czech beer. Did you know that the original Budweiser is from Czech? Called Budvar.

6. Then we'll take the train from Prague to Krakow, Poland. I'm so excited about Poland. I hear that Krakow is like Prague was 15 years ago...not overwrought with tourists.

7. We'll take a half day and go to Wieliczka, salt mines that have been in operation since the 13th century.

8. We're also going to take a day trip to Auschwitz. I'm a little nervous about it. It's a pretty harrowing thought, to spend a full day there. The guide books and other people I've talked to who have been there recommend not spending too much more than three hours there. I'll be an emotional mess, I know.

9. Patrick's family is Polish, so I'd like to do a little research about where his family is from. I need to talk to his dad and get the scoop.

10. Then we fly to Rome!!! Eeee! I can't wait. I wish we could do our entire vacation in Italy, but maybe next time. I WILL see Venice before I die.

11. We're going to get up at the crack of dawn one day to stand in line at the Vatican. There is a papal audience the day that we arrive, but our flight won't allow us to get to the Vatican in time. Alas, I don't think we'll see the Pope.

12. I'm REALLY hoping that my request for a Scavi Tour will be granted. There are only 200 people a day allowed in.

13. Eating and drinking in Rome. This is probably what I'm looking forward to most. Is that wrong?

I Finally Made It

...to DC...at 6:30 tonight.

A full NINE hours after I left house in Norfolk. I got a total of 19 miles away. I was driving along on the highway when the man in the car next to me started waving and gesturing. I tried ignoring him, as not to encourage his lewd behavior. I'd slow down, he'd slow down. I'd speed up, he'd speed up.

Finally, I looked at him and he was gesturing and mouthing, "You're tire is flat!" Great! Now I get it. Sure enough I pull over and my back driver side tire is COMPLETELY flat, and as I walk around the car I see that th front passender tire is half flat.

Now here's the good part. I just had four new tires put on my car on Monday. As in, THIS Monday, April 2. As in, TWO days ago.

And look at this...



FLA --- AT!

So after a tow, courtesy of AAA and a long wait at the tire place, I have four working, inflated tires and I've been informed that I had two "leaky valve stumps." Thanks fella, keep that in your pants, I don't need to know about your issues.

I arrived here to the cutest B&B ever. Check it out. This B&B used to be Jeanne Dixon's private residence. Remember Jeanne Dixon? She was an astrologer. I think maybe she did work with Nancy Reagan.



I feel like I'm on vacation at a cute little pension in Europe somewhere. This hotel actually reminds be of when I took a vacation to Amsterdam and stayed at the Prinsenhof Hotel.

Here's my little room. It's so tiny. Probably only six feet across and 12 feet long. Perfect for one person. Tomorrow I get moved to a king room. I'm on the third floor and I share a bathroom with the other three rooms on this floor. All of the other rooms have their own bathrooms. I don't mind sharing at all.



I can't tell you how much I'm spending on this little find. If I did, I'd have to kill you. But, let's just say it's the DEAL of the CENTURY! I'm staying in Dupont Circle for two nights for less than one night at any of the major chain hotels, i.e., Hampton Inn, Days Inn, etc. It's a screaming deal! SCREAMIN'!

Never mind that I'm here for work. That's not exciting!

And I'm Off

I'm leaving for DC this morning. I'm very excited. I haven't spent any significant time in DC for 10 years. Exactly 10 years, actually. I spent a week in DC for Easter 1997. Wow, that was ages ago. My how time flies.

I have a tight budget to work with as far as my lodging expenses for work. I had to ask for a little increase when I'm staying in DC. I'm staying here for the next two nights. Imagine, this was Jeanne Dixon's house. Kinda cool, huh?

Tonight I'm meeting up with my friend Larry. Larry is from Louisiana too, but he's lived in DC for about 15 years, I think. Larry got married about five years ago. I haven't met his wife yet, so tonight will be the first time. I'm looking forward to getting to see them on a regular basis when I'm in the city.

I'm off to DC where there is a 70% chance of rain. Great, I get to navigate a city I don't know in the rain. I'm looking forward to that. Oh well! I'll make the best of it.

I Got Nothin'

It's Tuesday, nothing to report.

Here are a couple of things that aren't so interesting:

*I have a conference call at 9
*I'm taking a spin class at 10:45 this morning
*Pretty sure we'll be having leftovers for dinner tonight
*I need to fold laundry
*I need to book a hotel for my trip to Baltimore next week

Really, that's as exciting as it gets.

Gaurd Your Underthings

Man accused of stealing 93 pounds of undies
24-year-old charged with taking 1,500 undergarments from laundry rooms

AP Associated Press
Updated: 7:48 a.m. ET March 27, 2007

PULLMAN, Wash. - A man was charged with theft and burglary after police said they found 93 pounds of women’s panties, brassieres and other underwear at his home.

Investigators believe Garth M. Flaherty, 24, took as many as 1,500 undergarments from apartment complex laundry rooms before he was caught, police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said.

A man was seen taking underwear from two laundry rooms Saturday, a witness recorded his license number, and Flaherty was identified from photographs, Tennant said.

Police found enough underwear in his bedroom to fill five garbage bags, Tennant said.

“He said he had a problem,” Tennant said.

Flaherty has been jailed on 12 counts of second-degree burglary and one of first-degree theft.

Police had previously received 12 reports of underwear thefts in the northeast part of town, where Washington State University is located.

“We were kind of concerned about how to match up bras and panties with victims,” Tennant said. “Based on the unique descriptions from a couple of women, we can tie him to those thefts.”

The underwear will be held as evidence until the case is resolved, after which their disposition is uncertain, Tennant said.

“Would you really want them back?” he asked. “I would say not.”

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.