Ahhh........Autumn

One of my favorite seasons.....the others are winter, spring and summer....although I love the coolness and lack of humidity and the really clear blue skies we've been having.
Terry's away on another gig and as usual, I try to get so much done while he's gone...a big of a competition with myself....I end up starting about 7 projects, and finishing about 3 of them. But something inside me just makes me work harder...tonight, as my niece Mandy says, "I've got nothing". Laid some self-sticking tile in the basement....at least the ones I could do without having to cut. Can't find my knife so I used a pair of special scissors...till my fingers got sore. But I must say it looks good. You don't have to use grout, you just abut each tile to the other. What is it about me that makes me want to improve every space I inhabit? Is it the God-given creativity? Is it just not being satisfied with the normal? Or is it that I just love adding color and shapes? Guess whatever it is, or maybe all of them combined, is what drives me to action.

Just realized I began this over a month ago....so many things compete for my precious time. Looking back over what I wrote, I also know we've come a long way in just a short while. Now the basement is totally finished, painted 3 different colors so you might think you're sitting in Starbucks! I love purple, so the 2 end walls are painted "pinot noir"....a beautiful rich dark purple that we also have in our master bath. The longer side walls are a lovely creamy butter color....same as our upstairs guest suite. (yes, tried to save a bit of money by using "leftover" paint) The little game room is the "acorn squash" copper color we have in our powder room. With the thick frize (sp?) carpet and the furniture, it looks as if it's been there forever. For the first time in years, Terry has a really great office space in one end of the large room, and he's got our upright piano, keyboard, 2 desks, the desktop computer, and tons of bookcase room for his music reference books, etc. I think that makes me the happiest...that my honey has probably the best space in the house for his "man cave".

Thanksgiving weekend is probably a nostalgic weekend for most Americans. It's my favorite holiday because I love the fact that God has created within us a need to be thankful and grateful. With each passing year, kids and grandkids grow older, and many of them become more distant, either geographically or emotionally. We (at least I do) remember years past with even larger tables and more loved ones surrounding us. This year we had Bobby and his wife Mary Lynn and their yorkie named Yogi (Sarasota), and Jimmy and his girlfriend Mira (NYC/London) for a whopping 6 days! Hayley and her husband Jason came for Thursday and spent one night with us.
I love this time of day...early morning in the autumn...bright sunlight through the almost bare trees, birds flocking around my many feeders, Meisha (mini schnauzer) curled up on a fur blanket beside me, and Max (grey tabby) trying to help me on the computer! (so of course everything takes twice as long because she wants to touch each key that I'm touching!) House is still quiet for now, but soon everyone will be up and wandering downstairs for coffee. With the fridge stuffed to the gills, it's hard to believe we ran out of eggs and orange juice, so Terry made a quick drive to pick those up for breakfast. Bobby and ML will be leaving "early" today and we'll take Mira to the airport for her flight back to London. It's Hayley's birthday, so Jimmy, Terry and I will stop by to bring her card and gift and maybe have pizza or something easy because we're all about "turkeyed out"!!! I really hate it when everyone leaves on the same day, so I'm secretly glad that Jimmy couldn't get a flight to NYC till tomorrow! He usually flies standby so of course the Sunday after Thanksgiving is pretty crowded. But it gives me one more day with my firstborn, which I will savor fiercely.

Terry's back and I hear some stirring upstairs...so guess it's time to start the coffee and breakfast. Thank you Lord for children who want to spend time with their mom and stepdad. These days there are many people and activities clamoring for everyone's time, so we are grateful that these kids chose to be with us.

St. Brice and Luxeuil

In Paris we joined Terry's band (the River City Jazz Band...well, we really didn't join them to play, just for the rest of the tour) and first went to a hostel in St. Brice, near Domont, France - a very quaint town. Arrived late in the night since we left Paris around 10pm, so all we did was go to sleep. In our room were Deb, Ter, me, and Jojo (Jordan). We want to adopt him! Next morning was a nice breakfast.....this is a great hostel with lots of rooms....our room had its own sink and shower but no toilet. (that seems to be quite normal, even in homes). We decided to walk into the village of Domont....several from the band wanted to go back to Paris, but after 4 days there, we wanted to be in a smaller town. It was further than we thought (isn't that always the case???) We enjoyed the little shops and found a grocery..."Leader-Price" where we bought some lunch, walked back to the hostel (it was a lot longer on the way home, but also uphill, just like the way there....and also must have been over 90 degrees.....that part is true). We had bought a nice sparkling rose, some meats and cheese, so along with the bread we had taken from breakfast, we had a great little picnic. Nice breeze, great company....eventually most of the ones who stayed in town came out to lie on the grass and just enjoy a little respite. Later on the afternoon we decided we needed a nap.....although Deb didn't have enough shopping so she had Christine (manager of the hostel) drive her to LeClerc.....having great sales. It began to thunder and rain but that didn't stop me from dozing off! Deb arrived just in time for dinner, a little wet, but with some cute things.......rain all through the night.....plus crazy guys from our tour who took off their shirts and stood out in the rain. Which was probably good since it was so hot during the day.....we all entered the evening with lots of sweat and fatigue!

A bus drive to Luxeuil during the day with stop in a wayside cafe...good food, then on the road again. We arrived in Luxeuil-Les-Bains (Luxeuil with the hot baths). We arrived mid-afternoon on Saturday and had some time just to stroll the little streets, get something to drink and then back to the beautiful church that would be the concert venue...attached to the Hotel de Ville (city hall). We were given 2 rooms (guys and gals) to unload all our suitcases and change for the evening...we saw a wedding party (I usually discover at least one wedding per international trip!).
The rotarians in the town put out a dinner spread that was amazing and delicious. It consisted of many cold meats, wonderful potato salad, a rice salad with veggies, and of course the best bread in the world. The second course is the cheese course with some local cheeses...one called Munster (Deb's town in Indiana) and was very "stinky"! (ok, I shouldn't have written those two things in the same sentence!) In the summer in France, most people only drink rose or white wines....we had a lovely rose and of course lots of water and coke. For dessert there were wonderful tarts...apple and cheese. During dinner we had a thunderstorm that cooled the air just a bit...every day the temps have been way over 80 degrees...many days without even a slight breeze, and no air conditioning in any of our homes or hostels, so needless to say, we appreciate every little puff of wind. The concert itself was attended by about 400 people and was amazing. The sound was a little different than the first concert because of the tall ceiling of the basilica - the sound got lost in the massive structure but was still great.
After the concert was a small champagne reception for the band and the local officials....the mayor gave a speech (EVERYONE here LOVES to give speeches!!!) and then our family took us home to a beautiful, large home very near to the church. (oh good, we won't be late for the bus!) Upstairs there were 5 bedrooms, each with its own sink, and one hall bath with shower as well. Downstairs was another full bath with shower, master suite, office, huge living/dining area, and kitchen. Bernard and Terese had done major renovations when they bought the home 18 years ago to open it up, and now there are floor to ceiling doors that open into an outdoor dining area. The home is very welcoming, airy and bright, and since no one in Europe has, or even needs, screens, they have brought the outside in (or the inside out....I'm not sure which!).

Before breakfast this morning we had a lovely little tour of their garden. Bernard and Terese knew the name of every single plant and tree....several specimens from other countries. They had done everything themselves...paths with stepping stones, several little "retreats" around the yard including a darling little corner "maison pour les enfants", complete with little table and chairs! It was under a huge tree and I can just imagine how much fun the grandchildren have playing in there. There were several places around the yard with table, chairs, lounge chairs, hammock, etc. My kinda yard!
After breakfast with our host family, the rotary club in Luxeuil treated us to a tour of the village including a climb up into a tower with a great 360 degree view of the surrounding area. After a delicious lunch @ a local restaurant, we got into a small touring bus to go to a cherry farm where we learned how they make an amazing cherry liqueur and also absinthe, which was made from the wormwood tree - actually originally had a little LSD in it - may be why it had been banned for quite a while!!! This was followed by a visit to an American War Memorial in Epinol France where 5000 US servicemen are buried - very beautiful and quite moving as it was July 4. At 4:30, they lower the flag, then broadcast a 21-gun salute, La Marseillese, (the French national anthem), the Star Spangled Banner and then taps. It was just amazing and thrilling to be there looking out over all the cross headstones in perfect formation on a most beautiful sunny day, hearing patriotic music from both countries - I must say it was quite emotional to reflect back to what actually had happened here in France. Our guide (who was from California) told us about the 45th division that was composed of mostly Native Americans, some Latinos and some drafted Japanese - whose first emblem actually was a swastica, which, we were told, in Native American symbolism stands for the 4 corners of the earth - however that was quickly changed after Hitler decided to use the same symbol. This particular division actually liberated Dachau. After the trip to the memorial we went to visit another distillery with tasting and tour, and in the evening attended a dinner at the local Cherry Festival in Fougerolles - very fun and good food. (also this year's "Miss Cherry Blossom" made an appearance....with her "court"!) They had made paella in huge flat pans, stirring it with large wooden paddles. A sangria made with some quite sour apples and oranges, lots of wine, coke, etc. Our "hostess" for the evening, Silvie, wanted everyone to "intermingle" and was upset when the Americans sat with the Americans, and the French sat with the French. So, she just took matters into her own hands, and told everyone where to sit! Terry and I were seated at a table with all French people, but as I am fairly fluent in French, this was not a problem for us. There was a program with some Hungarian dancers, a band, and then they called the Americans up to the stage and we got to sing our national anthem for them (accompanied by a CD they had procured). They kept us up on the stage to watch some "cowboy" line dancers...(I think EVERYONE in Europe thinks EVERYONE in the US line dances.....) it was a little long, but they had prepared a lot to entertain us. Then the band played again and the dancing began.
Who knew Debbie would be the most popular person asked to dance by every man there! (ok, I think there were a few that didn't ask her...) Bernard had come for the dinner, but Terese was too tired (probably from doing all our laundry which we gave her in the morning). We've been kept up very late every night.....the drinking actually makes everyone get louder....imagine that! So, we had hoped to maybe get in before midnight this evening. Not to be. As we got up and asked Patrick, the rotary president if we could leave, he said "you will enjoy dessert." (listening between the lines was, you WILL stay until I say you can go!) Bernard was tired, we were beat, and even Silvie wanted to go, but we sat down for dessert, some sort of creamy, cherry sweet delectable.
Finally on our way home, Terese called Bernard to find out where we were....guess she didn't expect us to be out that late either.
Didn't sleep well...probably because of all the sugar in the dessert that we "enjoyed"! Had to get up very early to load the bus for the LONG drive to Montreux, Switzerland....stopping along the way at a grocery store (more like Target, a little bit of everything), where people got snacks...Deb and I needed more camera batteries. Then another couple of hours to the border, where the Swiss yawned us through. No boarding the bus, no stamps on passports.....sorry Deb. Quite a bit of light rain during the trip, but when we arrived in Montreux, the sun was out again. The only rain we've had this whole trip has either been at night, or when we are sheltered, and the rest of the time it's been absolutely beautiful.....though HOT.

Paris

What Sunday lacked in just about every area, Monday gave back beaucoups! Left the airport on the Air France bus to travel the peripherique toward Porte Maillot....even at mid-morning, the traffic reminds me of Orlando, LA, Chicago, take your pick. When we arrived at Porte Maillot, we began the walk down Ave. de la Grande Armee toward Charlotte's apartment....past my favorite store, the Peugeot store...I always have to stop and drool at the new ones because if I could, I'd own one. Love that car.
At the corner we turned, went past the Patisserie, smelled all the wonderful breads, then a block to Rue de Bois de Bologne, turned left to #11...pushed the button (release for door) and went in. Spoke with the manager (in French, of course) and got Charlotte's apt. key as well as a package that I recognized was from her mother. Decided after all the walking/running we'd done yesterday that we'd take the lift up to the second etage...the 2 of us could barely fit with our wheeled carry-ons...there's no way to get furniture in the lift, so instead, it must be carried up the winding staircase! No A/C because most of the buildings are so old.
Charlotte's apt. is familiar because Terry and I stayed here last year for about 4 days for our 10th anniversary while Charlotte was traveling.
Having dropped everything on the bed and surrounding floor, we decided the first order of business was to eat something substantial...after the horrid meal (a first, I'll admit, for Air France) on the plane. Changed out of our jeans into something cooler and didn't want to go very far since it was already about 1:30, so we just walked to Le Touring Cafe, on the corner across from the Patisserie. Sat outside, ordered one salad and 2 chicken plates and some San Pellegrino.....ahh....one gets so parched from plane travel. Rested our weary bones and then went back to the apartment to get walking shoes.
Walked to the Arc de Triomphe and climbed the 274 (yes, we counted) steps to the top where we had an incredible view of all of Paris...and of course the 10 streets coming out like spokes...remembered when Terry and I got married 11 years ago and he had to drive around the Arc...as Charlotte's mom Elke said "you just have to go! Do not wait because that will cause a crash. It's better to keep going fast!" Thought my new hubby was going to have a heart attack, but as you can tell, we're both still here. Great driving and very good advice. It's when one pauses at a right-of-way that one is most likely to cause an accident.
Took tons of pictures and I pointed out all the landmarks of the city.....walked down again and by this time it was almost 7pm so we just decided to come back home. At least we didn't waste away our first day with naps! (which, by the way, would have been the worst thing we could do.....Terry and I always try to stay up the entire first day no matter how tired we are, and it always evens itself out with a great sleep the first night.
Back at the apt., we showered and dressed for dinner...waited for Charlotte to come home and then when she did, we walked to Chez Clement, the wonderful restaurant we'd been to last year...there's only one entree, delicious meat with an incredible sauce and frites (fries)....a light greens salad, and then a choice of desserts. We had a demi of red wine with the meal, and then for dessert, ordered a meringue, ice cream, meringue, ice cream and whip cream covered with chocolate.......and profitrolles. Oh yeah. Now we're talkin' All the dieting I always do before an overseas trip? Wiped away with just the first meal (or better to say the first dessert). Strolled leisurely toward "home".....it's completely safe here even late at night (which it was...about 10:30), sat for just a few minutes and talked before Charlotte sent us to bed......and slept really wonderfully, even with the noise of the people in surrounding apartments. Rain in the night woke us up for a bit...closed the windows that were wide open....so we wouldn't get rained on (no screens...not necessary). I was up around 8, just as Charlotte left for work but "the queen" (don't tell her I said that!) slept in till 10. While I waited for her to wake up, I went to the Patisserie for pain chocolat, came back and made coffee, and I guess that's when I blogged about the airport mishaps.

I just re-read this and realized it's been a LONG time since I've been able to connect. We are now in Montreaux, Switzerland, and boy do I have a lot to write about! For now, adieu and I'll be adding more soon.............

Delta airlines???

Ok, just for future reference, will someone please offer to slap me the next time I want to fly Delta? This LONG saga has tales of delayed flights and [very] RUDE agents. We were at O'Hare with plenty of time for our flight. Not checking bags, because I've already recounted more long tales of lost luggage! After we checked in and got through security relatively hassle free, we should have KNOWN something was wrong....but about 30 minutes before our flight was supposed to board, we saw the board quietly change itself to a departure time that was an hour and a half later! No announcement, not even a "ding" like when they're about to make an boarding call. No explanation. So one or the other of us began to wait in a line to ask an agent......but Sunday must have been the day for every flight in the US to cancel or delay! Really. There was a group trying to get to Laguardia that literally stood (or should I say leaned full force) on the counter for 45 minutes. No exaggeration. There were only another 8-10 of us also wondering about OUR flights, but the gate agent did nothing to help anyone except for the party of 3 people monopolizing her time. Like...the rest of us were paying customers as well, and possibly we were missing potential re-booking because she couldn't just give us equal time. If anyone works for Delta (or knows someone)...I'm sorry for you...this rudeness was rampant all through the entire Delta concourse. Debbie and/or I tried to ask several other agents about our flight... everyone curtly said "you have to ask the agent at your gate!"...which, of course, we did NOT have!
I decided to call Delta and after several attempts got a woman who tried to re-book us. Gave us a flight to Cincy (same connection as our original) and then a connection through O'Hare! and then on to Paris. I'm just thinkin' here, why do I want to fly to Cincinnati, only to turn around to come back to O'Hare for a flight to Paris??? I speak the truth, I had to explain this to her 3 freekin' times. My sister is rolling on the floor beside me in hilarious laughter. I managed to make my "friend" on the phone see the ridiculous-ness of leaving O'Hare only to return several hours later and said "why can't we just stay here and THEN take the flight to Paris? Oh, now there's an idea. What she did not tell me was that we needed to go to the international terminal. She just said she had re-booked us on a Delta flight. Somehow I found one agent in the whole concourse who was nice enough to look up and treat me like a human being...she said, "oh, that's operated by Air France - you need to go to the other terminal!" Well, thanks for your help. Finally someone with solid info. We realized that now we just might have to hurry a bit...went outside security, found the escalator to the trains, which, as the agent standing there told us, come every 4 minutes. Except the one we needed. Seriously? After spending all that time trying to find someone to help us, now we're in danger of actually missing the flight??? Train arrives, we get on and ride FOREVER to the other terminal, where we sprint up the escalator to get in the security line. We now have 25 minutes till the flight. Get up to the security person, who says we have to get new boarding passes...all the ticket counters had been empty when we ran past them. We protested and another agent told us to bypass the line and come straight to him on our way back and he'd "whisk" us through.
Running back to the Air France counter, where there were now 2 agents, there was a lovely woman who listened to our explanation and immediately called the plane to hold it. Ah...of course...Air France is operated by courteous people!!! What a concept. Being that it's the "Paige girls" (as we are referred to) the boarding pass machine is out of paper. I do not kid about this. The agent is very nice, but has trouble loading the cards into the machine. Now, we know they're holding the plane and all, but still, how long will their patience hold out? She hands us the passes, asks if we have any serious emotional connection to our previous boarding passes (also a sense of humor? almost too much to handle in one day...) which we do not. We take off running again (needless to say, this is seriously aggravating my plantar fasciitis) and find the agent who told us to come to him for immediate help. You may not believe this, but when we got there, he said, "just let me check these children through, they're going to Poland" (yes, we have Polish ancestry...however in this particular situation, we failed to see how that was more important than our flight leaving in 8 minutes) We waited for a minute or two, but even as we stood there, more children got into the line! We lost count at about 30. Debbie, who isn't particularly known for her assertiveness, says to me, "we're not doin' this" and promptly cut across 2 lines to - yes - "jump" the line to be first. You go girl! Now we've got to take off shoes, take out computers and liquids...and...I wish I were joking, but just ahead of us there were 3 20-something gals who practically unpacked their entire suitcases and then had about 3 jackets each to remove...we considered crashing the metal detectors but then realized the consequences of that would truly make us miss our flight. I get through first, begin putting on my shoes, and hear my name "would the Jill Winch party please proceed immediately to your gate?" Oh, ok. We were thinking of getting coffee first! Like..... we had just made a career of running through airports!!! We get to the gate and onto the plane. Took our first real breath since we started this whole process...found our seats and they were the last 2 in the section, against the bulkhead. (as in, they will not lean back for sleeping?????) This is one of those, "am I here?" moments. Before sitting down, I asked the attendant if there were any other seats available that would lean back...she, of course, told me we had to get in the air first, but she'd check.
We were in the middle of the row so each of us had to step over someone. (would this story be any good without that little tidbit?) The asian lady on my side wasn't too happy and made it difficult for me to get into my seat. Which, as you may surmise, made it more difficult to get out again when the attendant came back a little later to tell us there were 2 other available seats.
We moved, thinking these people will never see us again anyway, which probably made all parties very happy. Looked at each other and said "we're on our way to Paris!"
Flight so uneventful we were a bit bored after our day's experiences...(NOT!) Good dinner, not a great selection of movies...less than desirable amount of sleep. I always think that the other people who seem to be sleeping must be pretending just to make me jealous!
Sometime during the night as I woke up to go get a drink of water, I saw some pink light and realized, if it's a Monday morning sunrise, we must be in Paris! (isn't there a song something like that?) Cabin lights were turned on and breakfast began to be served. Ok, maybe it was only something LIKE breakfast. I've had some great meals on Air France flights. This was not one of them. Not even in my imagination (which is quite fertile sometimes). Their coffee is traditionally terrible, and the sour yogurt and hard roll seemed more like prison rations than food. (cutbacks everywhere I guess).
Once on the ground, we walked...s l o w l y....toward the passport control. Thank the Lord we had not checked any bags because at this point, there's no telling where they might have been. For now, we had all the time in the world and didn't intend to hurry for at least the next couple of days. Had a long wait...who cares?...some fun conversation with a young single mechanical engineer whose company was sending him here for 3 months to work (he thought he could get the work done in one and then travel around the country for the next 2...smart guy...cute too...where is my niece Mandy when we need her?) Once Deb got her first ever passport stamp, we were officially in France! Bienvenue at Paris.

made it to Chicago

Well, after 4 days in steamy TN (stayed in Franklin with good friends the Madge clan....loved every minute of it, as usual), I am in Chicago. Saturday was the biggest launch of a new product that I've ever been involved with...morning at a health fair at the Galleria Mall...handing out the MAX N-fuze vitamin drink & talking to people about the new ATP energy drink! I, for one, am thrilled about N-fuze because now it's much easier to take on a flight....used to be packets of a gel drink, great tasting but difficult to have to add to that ever shrinking quart zip-loc bag one needs in one's carry-on. Well, especially if you're me, who has had the doubtful "luck" of having luggage lost for many days....several different times! One time in Romania my daughter and I were without our bags for 6 days. I know THEY say to put an extra change of clothing in your carry-on. Who has room for this? Fortunately we were staying in the apt. of a dear lady who would have loaned me some clothing, but she was much shorter than I....each evening we washed our outfit, hung it outside on a line, then put it on again in the morning. In case you're thinking we enjoyed this, you're dead wrong. When the bags finally came, what we were the most excited about was the big bag of M&Ms!
3 years ago on our way to Greece, Terry & I were delayed on a flight out from Philly....causing us to miss our flight in Rome...forcing us to spend the whole day wandering around Rome (an extra little side "excursion" we had because the rest of the tour went straight from Philly to Athens).....we, of course, "made lemonade" and enjoyed every minute of it! .....the next flight to Athens was 8 hours later and I'll spare y'all the ridiculous-ness of our asking about our luggage at every stop, and having agents tell us they "were sure" our luggage would be there too....I'm sure many of you have "been there, done that". We both had our instruments, so it was necessary to check our suitcases. Flight left Rome a couple hours late (for no apparent reason) and when we finally arrived in Athens, it was after midnight, and of course the airport was for all purposes, shut down. Tracked down someone to ask about the bags and after going through that stupid useless exercise of checking which picture your bag resembles (where DO they get those pictures anyway? No bags look like that!), he gave us a phone number to call....ah, how very reassuring. With nothing else to do, we took a taxi to our hotel, the Hotel Stanley (seriously?) and checked in. Asked the guy behind the desk if there was someplace we could get something cold to drink (as it must have been about 150 degrees, although it was 1am) and he directed us to a roof restaurant (8th floor). We stepped off the elevator, bleary-eyed, willed our feet to take us to a table, looked up and saw the most glorious view of the Parthenon all lit up! We each instinctively rubbed our eyes and looked again, thinking this could have been some sort of Disney-esque mural. Nope, there it was, making us forget the almost 36 hours it had been since we left home. Since we were on a tour with the Nashville Praise Symphony, we had coordinated clothing to wear at each concert....well, that is, everyone but me and Terry. Fortunately there were enough people close to each of our sizes that we were able to borrow some things to wear...every morning, afternoon and evening making an attempt to call the number the baggage agent had given us, with never an answer! (gee, what a surprise) 6 days we checked with the front desk personnel to see if anyone had delivered our bags. We were only there for 2 more days as it was....I was upset because I had made some great sale purchases of some of the shirt colors we had been required to buy, and though the monetary value of all the clothes wasn't very high, the deliberate attempt to be as thrifty as I could seemed wasted because all (it appeared) would be lost when we left for home 2 days later. Each day the temperature was over 100 degrees....and the A/C units in each room didn't seem to work very well. (rendering it impossible to wash out clothing and have it dry to any degree by next am) We ended up changing rooms for a couple of degrees' difference. On our return after playing in the Plaka the 6th night, we walked into our room and nearly stumbled over our 2 bags! I did tell everyone the next morning that for that day and the next (our last) I was going to change clothes 4 times a day just to let everyone know what I would have worn! So, unless I need to use my violin as one of my carry-on bags, I usually try never to check bags.....Terry and I have gone all over the world with just carry-ons.....but it's pretty impossible to do if you have to take an instrument.
But, as THEY say, I digress....Southwest had a nice new (or refurbished and painted) 737 last evening for the flight to Chicago, which arrived about 30 minutes late. Just as we were to touch down, the pilot quickly pulled back and accelerated...one of those queasy stomach feelings...for another go-around. I was not near a window so it was difficult to see, but later found out there was a plane on our intended runway! So where in the world were the Chicago traffic controllers??? (hmmm, could they have been out getting energy drinks full of chemicals and caffeine??? perish the thought! Come to me for some all-natural, good-for-you, world's first and only "on-demand" energy drink...MAX-ATP.....minor commercial for a great company) Happy to be on the ground, carrying all my belongings in 2 bags, (at only about a zillion pounds each!) I got picked up promptly by Ken and driven the 30 miles to my sister's house! Yay! Stayed up way too late but didn't feel tired, (fueled by the ATP I had at the Madge's in the afternoon) we caught up, checked in, discussed final additions or subtractions to our bags, and finally hit the sack around 2-ish, I think, although Deb's light was on much longer.
Who knew I'd wake up knowing I couldn't go back to sleep at 4:30? Since Jacob (my nephew) had to leave for work at 5:45, I thought I'd come out, hug him goodbye, make coffee and write. The cup is 3/4 full, sunlight is coming through the haze and the trees, and the birds are already serenading me. My sis and I are great animal lovers, so I love to watch all the "critters" she entices to her yard with bird feeders, dishes for the squirrels and rabbits, and birdbaths everywhere.
I sure do wish I had gotten more sleep.

oh yeah

For those of you who read my blogs from Romania, you probably remember the big deal I made about my potted plants, and how stressed Terry was to not let any of them die! Of course, he did a perfect job, and all the plants not only survived, but thrived beautifully....we've already eaten beans, lettuce and tomatoes, and of course lots of fresh basil, rosemary, parsley and cilantro!
Suddenly it dawned on me last week that with both of us gone.....I'll be in Nashville for the first part of Terry's international travel, and then after we both return to the states, I'm staying in Chicago for 4 days while he has another gig in Nashville.....so it's over 2 weeks that we're both gone from the mountain.
Problem solved!!! We have a lovely neighbor Deborah, who will be watching the house and watering the plants while we're gone. She enjoys working in her own garden so she joyfully agreed to help with ours! I appreciate her cheerful attitude and friendliness, because, to tell you the truth, the rest of the people in this mountain community haven't been the least bit outgoing. I'm a people person and I love to connect, not just communicate, so you'll always see me smiling and waving if I pass you in the car. Down at the mailbox when we get out of the car.....no one even looks us in the eye! No kidding. We always say hi, and sometimes someone will respond in kind, but still continue looking down or at the mail in their hands. I think both Ter and I have been taken aback a bit by this "closed" behavior because both of us love to be friendly....whatever.
I've been in Franklin since yesterday....drove Terry to the Nashville airport and then came back to Franklin to stay at our good friends Troy and Rhonda Madge's home. They're coming back from Salt Lake City tonight.....so I've been here with the kids. What fun I'm having! Today, after doing a few necessary errands, I came home to just Rachel and her friend Grayson....they wanted to put on a play for me about Tinkerbell and asked me to record it. It was hilarious! They each had to be at least 2 characters, and at one point, dear, sweet Star (the family's rescued husky) had to endure wearing the fairy wings because the girls needed 3 "people" in one of the scenes! I hope the camera didn't shake too much as I was laughing. Star is purely a lover, not an actress! But she walked around the "stage" (prompted by treats) to suit the girls' vision for the scene.
I do miss those days with my own kids. My favorite time of year was June thru August, and I was the one crying when school started up again. This family has truly "adopted" both me and Terry and always makes us feel SO welcome when we stay. I walked in with a couple bags, and after Taylor hugged me, she asked if I had any more bags in the car to be carried in! She is so full of the beauty of Christ and it's very evident in her actions.
I haven't heard from Terry yet, but I'm sure he's arrived in Paris. They were to be picked up by bus and taken to the UK, so I'm certain there aren't a lot of "internet" stops along the way. Unless someone has an air card.....
Each day it seems my sister has another question....it's so fun to be planning this trip together and I think I've said it before, but I will probably enjoy seeing everything through Debbie's eyes even more than my own experiences! She and I always do a LOT of giggling.....it's pretty contagious, and wherever we are, people usually end up laughing with us (or is that AT us? Oh well, as long as they're laughing.....)
But, it's time for me to crash. I'm always amazed that even with only the one hour difference, I'm very ready for bed around 8:30-9pm here in Tennessee....so, off to dreamland, one day closer to the trip.

traveling again?

Was it just a couple weeks ago that I was unpacking??? and now, packing once again??? Think I mentioned once that Terry's been invited to play with a band that he used to play with when we lived in Wisconsin.....they were invited to play in the Montreaux Jazz Festival....Switzerland, on July 6! All expenses paid! YES! He flies into Paris tomorrow and then there will be some touring and playing in the UK and France....so he wanted me to join him. (Well, of course!) Since we were married in the Loire Valley and spent our honeymoon there and in Paris, we both always jump at the chance to go back. We also have some of our dearest friends in France...Charlotte, our French daughter, lives 2 blocks off the Champs-Elysses.....and her parents, Jean and Elke, live in Cotignac, in the south of France. We've visited them many times, and will see Charlotte again this time. My sister Debbie will come with me and we'll arrive in Paris on June 28......staying about 2 days in Charlotte's apartment, and doing a little sightseeing on our own. Deb has never even been overseas and I'm so excited that her first trip will be to Paris! We'll join the band when they arrive in Paris sometime on the 30th and then go with them to the rest of their gigs....culminating in Switzerland at one of the 2 leading jazz festivals in the world! Excited???? Just a little......don't know how much internet access there will be since much of our time will be spent in homes with families, but we'll try to blog if/when possible. Pray for safety and good health, and of course fun!