Category Archives: Travel

7 Quick Takes — On the Road Again

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

–1–

This is our first serious “travel” time since my sister-in-law’s wedding in April. We had a church thing in Lebec and my father-in-law’s 60th birthday celebration is this Saturday. This means… ROAD TRIP!

–2–

We had an uneventful drive down to Lebec. It’s south of Bakersfield on I-5 and about 5 hours from where we live in northern California. I got two books read: All the Pretty Little Hearses by Mary Daheim and Stealing Lumby by Gail Fraser. I find that having reading material (if I’m not driving) makes the trip go faster (a good thing because I hate road trips).

–3–

Our hotel room in Lebec was awesome. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express and had a beautiful and spacious room with a decently-sized bathroom. Considering that Daniel and I spent most of our time in there, this was definitely a good thing. Daniel loved all the drawers and having a mini-fridge to play with. He also had long corridors where he could crawl or practice walking.

–4–

Three hours of NCIS on Tuesday night = a happy Jen. Finding a marathon of NCIS on USA yesterday = ecstasy. It’s probably good that we don’t have cable at home — I think I’d be permanently attached to the recliner.

–5–

Daniel will soon have an REI wishlist for climbing things. We found out that he could climb out of his crib twice last night — once onto the desk where he was trying to have a conversation with the front desk (or ordering room service on the phone) and then onto the TV table where he was blocking the TV. His crib got moved in such a way that there was no surfaces for 5 feet in any direction.

–6–

We had an easy time driving down to Claremont. It’s strange coming back down here after living down here for a year and then moving. it’s surreal. Thankfully, we avoided rush hour getting there. I made it through most of a book and am wondering how it ends.

–7–

I’m hoping for a good party on Sunday. I’ve offered my services to my mother-in-law to take her to Trader Joe’s. My father-in-law was doing OK when we got there today and got to hang with Daniel. It should be a great gathering on Saturday though it’s going to be a long drive back that night. I need to invest in a flashlight or something so I can read on the way back.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 29, 2011

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 29, 2011

Outside my window… dark — it’s almost 2200. It’s nice and cool outside — it would be nice if that was the daytime temperature.

I am thinking… that there is going to be a cat-shaped dent in the wall if Mr. Fluffybutt goes after my M&M’s.

I am thankful… to have laundry done even this late.

In the kitchen… packing up food for tomorrow’s drive.

I am wearing… light grey shirt and blue running shorts.

I am creating… possibly an entry for Project 2996.

I am going… to be gone for 5 days.

I am wondering… how quickly I can pack the car tomorrow.

I am reading… All the Pretty Little Hearses by Mary Daheim.

I am hoping… the motel in Lebec has laundry facilities.

I am looking forward to… seeing family down south.

I am hearing… the A/C and the 10:00 news.

Around the house… cleaning binge tomorrow morning…

One of my favorite things… kalmata olives and feta cheese.

A few plans for the rest of the week… church conference in Frazier Park, time with in-laws, and my father-in-law’s 60th birthday party.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Compassion Still Exists

Posted on by

The Blaze: Compassionate Pilot Delays Flight For Grieving Grandfather

I’ve been wanting to weigh in on this for awhile. The pilot’s decision to wait brings me to tears. I’m sure it probably inconvenienced a bunch of people on the plane (though I think once they knew what was up, they would understand) and yet this pilot made the decision to delay the flight and even met the grieving grandfather on the jetway to let him know that he’d get the guy to Denver and that he was sorry for his loss.

The travel blog Elliot.Org weighed in on it and called the pilot’s words “the quote of the year”.

Thank God for people like this pilot. In a world where time is money, they bring some sanity.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 18, 2010

Posted on by

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY… October 18,2010

Outside my window… planes are taking off and landing.

I am thinking… that I hope Daniel sleeps A LOT on the plane.

I am thankful for… getting to head to Washington for the weekend.

From the kitchen… there will probably be some stroganoff from Trader Joe’s.

I am wearing… jeans and a sweatshirt.

I am creating… a blog entry.

I am going… home.

I am reading… Bootlegger’s Daughter by Margaret Maron.

I am hoping… I make it through this week.

I am hearing… people talking and planes taking off.

Around the house… there will be much to do when I get home.

One of my favorite things… family gatherings.

A few plans for the rest of the week: PT/OT appointments and Daniel’s speech therapy eval.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing… Edda and I for Halloween 2008

Edda and I for Halloween

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Sanity… So Highly Overrated

Posted on by

An update on the events of the last few days…

[+] On my way back to the Snuggery yesterday, someone was turning into traffic and hit me. The main damage is my wheel well and the car body surrounding it — I managed to get the car home… and then found out that it was not driveable. Thank God for insurance companies and rental cars. Hopefully insurance will fix the damage.

[+] Jon has two funerals next week — one of which came up right after he found out about the car. It will take care of half of our deductible…

[+] Still job-hunting and hoping something comes of it. It’s seriously wrecking my self-esteem that I can’t find a job.

[+] I saw all the stuff on the news about the “touchdown Jesus” statue getting hit by lightning and burning. An even more irritating thought: THEY’RE REBUILDING IT!!!!!! That money could seriously be better used for something like feeding the hungry, helping disaster victims in third world countries, or well… pretty much ANYTHING else in Acts 2.

[+] For the most part, Lakers’ fans actually managed to behave themselves on Thursday when the Lakers won the NBA title. It’s unfortunate that a few fans decided to light things on fire but they were thankfully the minority. All the LA news stations were showing live pics of the area surrounding Staples Center and the LAPD was out in riot gear in anticipation of looting and arson and such.

[+] Tomorrow, I’ll be in San Diego with Jon where he’ll be supply-preaching. It’s kind of cool because I’ll almost be able to claim that I’ve driven every mile of I-15 between Mexico and the Canadian border.

Dispatches from the [Undisclosed Location]

Posted on by

I’ve been in my undisclosed location since Monday night (can we just say desperate need of R&R that I haven’t been able to have since before Daniel was born?) and it’s been good. I was able to have coffee with Abra (who is also Daniel’s godmother)and today, I was able to sit at Posh Bagel and have lunch while reading and people-watching. I’ve been able to go for walks, something that I can’t do in Montana because of the current weather as well as the lack of sidewalks and such and I’ve been able to enjoy being around my family — it’s the first time I’ve been “home” in 3 years.

This is all good stuff because after some respite, Jon and I will probably be filling out call papers to head wherever God wants us to go next. Meanwhile, we’re moving to southern California to be close to family, friends, and just in a civilized environment with things like specialists in fields that apply to us (i.e. psychiatry, rheumatology for me, and possibly perinatalogy). As much as I dislike southern California, it’s offering us things that we don’t have in Montana or even up north with my parents: childcare options that do not involve daycare (*insert explanation of preemies and daycare risks), friends OUR AGE with whom we can go do stuff, family… We’ll assess our needs for the next parish and I think it will be a better time for us if we can take this time out and be normal people for awhile instead of the strange category that we fall under as clergy and clergy spouse.