Loving My Life

You know the sound of cars wooshing past on the freeway? That's kinda what the past month has been like. No joke! I am LOVING my new job at Delta, but man is it a lot of work! I am in class for 8 hours a day, then I come home, throw together something for dinner (the cuisine around here has been nothing if not interesting, but probably less than highly nutritional), then I lock myself in my room and study until my eyelids slam shut and refuse to open. The next day I get up and repeat the process all over again.

But I'm happy!

I can't believe the difference in companies. Delta cares about their employees and works hard to create a great work environment that makes employees want to work harder, set more goals and achieve great things. I am so excited to be part of this team! Of course I know it is going to be difficult, and I know I haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg yet as far as the knowledge I will have to acquire in order to do my job, but I am eager to learn and I look forward to a great future at Delta!

So much has happened while I have been locked away studying.. Hubby took the girls to the Breaking Dawn premiere (because I was working), Ashley came out for a visit, Thanksgiving came and went, and we had one hell of a wind storm that has left me with a new appreciation for the folks who endure tornadoes and hurricanes!

I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog in such a long time. I miss it here, I truly do! I am hoping that life will mellow out a bit in two more weeks when I get through the testing phase of my training. Until then, here's some pictures that have been taken in the last month for you to enjoy!

The girls on Thanksgiving Day

This is what happens when I tell them to *not* smile.  They laughed for at least 5 minutes! 

My lovelies! 

Act Natural!

That's just some of the pictures we took on Thanksgiving day. I will post more when I have some free time. Right now, I really need to go study again!  Are you getting ready for Christmas? I still have so much to do, but first I have two girlies that are going to be NINETEEN in just two weeks! I can hardly believe it!

Oh, Hello! What's New?

I have really enjoyed my time away from Google. Not that Google itself is bad, but the environment that I was stuck in was very, very unhappy (borderline sick and twisted, even!). I heard several more people have quit since I left. Good for them, I say! Onward and upward, right?

In my blissful time off between jobs, I have laughed a lot, rested a lot, and enjoyed cooking... A lot! Hubby has had some fantastic breakfasts and I have whipped up some yummy treats and dinners too.  I have had fun trying new things I have discovered on my new fav website, Pinterest. When I make something that I have saved to my boards, I go back and comment about how we liked it. You can see my Tasty board here: CLICK FOR YUMMY FINDS! I am always scouting new recipes on Pinterest, so this will be an ever-changing link. I'm so excited to try all the tasty new recipes!

There's only so much eating that can be done around here though, so during the rest of my time I am busy studying for my new position at Delta. My head is crammed to the brink of ache with codes, terms, airline names, and other things I never really needed to know before. It feels like I have already learned and memorized tons of new information, but to put it in perspective... If this was a marathon, I just barely tied my shoes.

I'm so grateful to have a loving, supportive family that understands when I shut the bedroom door and study instead of hanging out with them. (Ouchie, though!) I miss hanging out with my besties but I know that this will eventually pay off.

Can you believe it is November already? It snowed here the other day and my sweet girlies got out some puzzles and spent the day laughing and putting it together. I so love my life!

What Language Do You Speak?

I'm in a better place lately. Know how I can tell? I'm writing again. When I came back from Massachusetts, I was bummed... depressed really. And by that I mean, REALLY DEPRESSED.  I have regrets about that trip and I have had to find a way to be able to live with those regrets. There was too much to do and not enough time. But we made the journey and our lives were enriched. Now I just have to start planning better for next time. Less sightseeing, more quality visits. That's the way I like it.

So to pull myself out of the funk, first thing I did was get myself a new job. (Yay!)  I have five days left at Project Google and I am anxious to get out of there. Anxious doesn't even cover it really. I'm wasting away in a horrible work enviornment out there (foul-mouths, sexual harassers, and lazy scumbags are the typical co-worker there.. and the management does nothing about it!). I wish I could run away at top speed! But I'm doing my best to do the right thing.. Stick it out to have the proper two weeks notice complete. After that it's adieu, adios, aloha, arrivederci, auf widersehen, au revior, cheerio, cheers, ciao, farewell, good-bye, shalom, kiss my butt, and SAYONARA!

While I wait for the new jobbie job to start, I moved on to the second step to pulling myself out of the blahs. I want to continue to better myself and learning and growing are part of my core being. So, after some incredible words of advice from my little sis, I picked up the book "The 5 Love Languages" in hopes of getting to a new level of understanding humanity the Hubs. So far, I have not been disappointed. This book isn't just for marriages.. oh no! I have a new understanding of my parents, my children, and other important people in my life as well.  I can't tell you how many shouting matches Hubby and I have had where each of us wants to tear our hair out because the other one just doesn't seem to get the point we're trying to make. I thought he was stubborn, bull-headed, and just plain lame-o for not understanding something so simple. I just want to be loved, okay?

He loves me. He really does. I know now that we speak different love languages. He has told me before that his way of expressing love is by doing things around the house. He cooks, he cleans, he fixes cars and other random broken stuff. He rushes off to help my siblings whenever he is needed, and he picks the kiddos up from school when I am unavailable. Don't get me wrong.. I have always appreciated these wonderful things about him. I just wanted to hear the words too.. yanno? 

I speak the Love Language of words of affirmation and physical touch. I'm a hugger! I want to hold hands, snuggle up close and hug for every occasion. It's true! Just ask my girlies how often I dish out the love around here. You make me smile and you better believe you're gonna get hugged!  I also believe in outwardly praising people for a job well done, for taking the extra time to go above and beyond, and for practicing kindness in every day living. I can't get enough of the powerful words of praise. If I appreciate something you've done, I WILL tell you, and then I WILL hug you! I will also give you anything I have if you need it more than I do. Those are the things that make my life worth living.

So what was the problem?  Hubby and I weren't speaking the same language. He was frustrated because I was frustrated. He was showing his love in his native language, the same way I was. But our messages were getting lost in translation and we began to feel adrift. Adrift is not a lifestyle I can live with, folks. Consequently, I had a few really rough weeks where I questioned everything, considered major changes, and kept coming back to the same conclusion. He is my best friend. I will fight until there's nothing left to fight for.

Because of this incredible book, our edges have softened. The lightbulbs are on and life is peaceful again.  I appreciate the fact that his Love Language is acts of service and I think he understands my language better now as well. Love is a choice.  I choose every day to work hard for it and to constantly improve myself so that love will be lasting and ever-growing.

Yep, once again I'm a happy, content girl. 

Click here to find out what your Love Language is!

I'm Leaving For The Jet Planes.....

About one year ago this evil witchapalooza, named *DeLunatic Twinks, terminated me from working in hell along side her. I've known some hellish people in my life, but that lady took the cake. When pressed for a reason why she was terminating me, she couldn't think of anything to say. I'm not even kidding.  It may have been because she could use her demon powers to read my mind and she knew that every day I thought she was the most ridiculous waste of breath on the planet. Did you ever see the movie Mean Girls? Yeah, she's like that. She hides behind her MoMo religion, thinking she is all sunshine and halo, but reality is that she is a beast that delighted on being cruel to other people. I wouldn't play her game and for that I was terminated. Hey, works for me.  When I reported it to Workforce Services to collect unemployment, she made up the most laughable lies in an attempt to get my claim denied.  Well, Witchy was the one denied as Workforce Services determined she had no grounds to fire me, even going so far as to tell me she was off her rocker, and I had a nice extended holiday for the next 7 months. You better believe I used every penny of it.  (Thanks for the extended vacay, *DeLunatic Twinks!)

Then one of the airlines was hiring and I applied. I didn't really expect to sail through the hiring process, but I did. I was hired on the spot when I interviewed face-to-face. I should have been thrilled...but I wasn't. I had this dread in the pit of my stomach. I was worried about giving up time with my girlies. I wasn't sure I wanted to work that kind of customer service. I fretted, stressed and even cried a little... ok, more than a little. I knew it was something I had to do, but I felt like it was a prison sentence.  Yeah, I know... and you know what? The Universe decided to teach me a lesson.

Remember that tsunami a while back that did a number on Japan?  Turns out that the airline lost revenue because people suddenly didn't want to travel to an area devastated by Mother Nature. So three days before I was scheduled to start, the airline canceled my position. They said something along the lines of, "We're sorry, you're welcome to apply again in the future."  Crap. I regretted my prison sentence feelings immediately, I honestly did. But the Universe wasn't done with my lesson yet.

Enter Project Google. I applied and was hired immediately. It was another whirlwind of "holy crap, what just happened?!" And I was slapped into a job with a shocking lack of training. But I was working. And I tried to make the best of it. Do you know that the Universe has a sense of humor? I learned quickly that this new company didn't value productivity at all. People all around me asked me to quit working so hard because I was going to get paid the same whether I did my work or not. Yowza! It was not a happy feeling. Before long, I realized that the management was a joke, the big bosses from California were willing to look the other way, and the only thing missing was the shackles. I worked in a pit of despair. But I was happy to be working, and I still worked hard. Too bad I didn't go to under-age drinking parties though, because the people that did go got the promotions. I was biding my time, making my apologies to the Universe, and promising that I would be appreciative of the airline if they'd just open up that position again.

I am happy to report that I gave my two week notice last Wednesday. Buh bye, Google. It was nice knowin ya.. sorta.  I got the call from the airline that I have waited 6 months for and now I am in the right mental state to be happy, excited and appreciative. I'm counting down the days. I won't have to worry about people telling me to quit working hard, the benefits are amazing, and my parents get free flights. It's adorable how excited my Mom is about the free flights! It also makes me feel really good to be able to give something valuable like that to my parents who have always been there for me.

Thank you, Universe, for the valuable lesson. I am ready now. I can do this!

 *Name has been changed because she's that scary. And her whooped man is a lawyer that does whatever she tells him because she stole his pants and she wears them now. He probably doesn't even own pants anymore.

Fall Portraits

Yesterday my girlies held an open photo-shoot at a local park for anyone that wanted their portraits done. My sister wanted to get pictures taken of her little ones at the fall photo-shoot and Carley asked me if I would like to tag along.   Uh.. yes please!

Many years ago, I was a professional studio photographer. We're talking back in the olden days when photographers used film. *gasp*  It's true!  I have maintained my love for photography all these years, and I love any opportunity to dust off my skills.

It was a perfectly beautiful day to take pictures on location. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the autumn colors were all around us and there were a few scattered leaves on the green grass.  We had a blast!

These are just a few of the images I captured of my adorable nieces and nephew yesterday....

 

 

 

 

To Grandma, With Love

Happy Birthday, Grandma. I miss you every day, Beautiful Lady!

I wish you were here to see my girls grow into wonderful young ladies. I know you'd be as proud of them as I am. Each of them have great qualities that remind me of you and we often speak of you when remembering something funny, or when we hear beautiful music.

It's already a beautiful day today, very fitting since this day will always belong to you. We love you with every part of our hearts and souls.

"...once you are real, you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."

Massachusetts, 2011- A Wonderful Vacay That Was Much Too Short!

I've had weeks now to reflect on my (Too short) visit to Massachusetts. I couldn't wait to get there, and I hated to leave! I wish Madi could have been there with us, but at this point in our lives it is difficult to get everyone together at the same time. Next time she will be with us for sure!

Settle in, grab a snack. This is going to be a long post! *This post is also jam-packed with links for you to click on so you can understand even more of our Massachusetts experience. Click the links when you see them,  for more information.** You will also notice a significant difference in the quality of pictures posted here. I apologize in advance for the phone pictures, but I use them to show you moments that were not captured with the expensive cameras.

We planned our trip so that we would take the midnight flight to NY and then connect to Boston after a short layover. Our thinking was that this plan would put us in Massachusetts 6 or 7 hours earlier than the direct flight from SLC. We told ourselves that it wouldn't matter if we were exhausted. It was a good plan.. in theory...

The reality of it was that we were walking zombies on Thursday because we were all sleep deprived. Simple tasks became difficult and tempers were short. We were all irritated, hungry and exhausted by the time we had our rental car. I called Aunt Dottie to let her know we had arrived and would have to have some extended naps before we could function. She was as sweet as ever and I couldn't wait to see her after our beauty rest!

Beautiful photo taken by Carley from a moving vehicle as we made our way through Boston

Chipmunk Face Abby.. this was the official silly face of the trip!

Chipmunk Linzie

Our hotel was very accommodating and the staff was very kind to work with us when we decided we need a quick room switcheroo in order for the girls to have their needs met. After that, it was curtains closed and lights out! I think we slept for 3 hours solid before I pried my eyes open and nudged everyone awake. So much for those extra hours in Boston, it was then the same time of day it would have been if we had just caught the direct flight!

We were all rested and refreshed and properly giddy as we headed over to Aunt Dottie's place. I loved traveling Everett street, to Clapboard tree Street, to Milk street...  *sigh*  I felt like I was returning home! My girls loved walking up to her door, grinning with excitement over the moment that we had been waiting so long for. When I opened the door and saw that beautiful lady, I rushed over and hugged her so tightly! I have missed her so very much! Everyone followed me in and over the next few hours we made first-time introductions, visited, and enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of the perfect lady that I am so proud to know as my Great Aunt.  Looking back now, my only regret for that entire trip (although it is a huge regret) is that I didn't do more for her while I was there.. I should have insisted on doing the dishes instead of giving in to Dottie's own insisting that I leave them where they were..  and the biggest regret of all is that I did not spend more time with her. I started to feel that we were overwhelming as a group and I never, ever want to impose on this lady that I love so much.  Those precious hours we had with Aunt Dottie were perfect and wonderful... I hope to go back before too long and visit with her again.

I think we were all still suffering the effects of our midnight flight the night before because when we got back to our hotel rooms, we didn't even say a proper goodnight to each other.. we just stumbled into our beds and went right to sleep. It was seriously awesome sleep too! You know how good you sleep when you're happy and exhausted?  Yeah, it was like that.

The next morning everyone woke up happy and refreshed. My Hubby had done his vacay thing and researched the best breakfast cafe in the area, so we headed off in search of the Brookside Cafe.  We were not disappointed! We laughed as Hubby introduced Emily to coffee. I don't know how I feel about my little girl being a coffee drinker, but I was carried along on the happiness surging through our group, as helpless as a leaf in a stream.
 

 After breakfast, the plan was to head to Duxbury to see John Alden's house. John Alden was my 10th great grandfather and I thought it would be special for the girls to tour the house like I did last fall with my mom and Aunt Dottie. We talked about the landscape as we drove; imagining what it was like 300+ years ago when our ancestors settled in the area. Little did we know, Carley had an eye problem developing that would soon become urgent. (There's always some kind of drama on our trips, dontchaknow?)

When we arrived at Alden House, they weren't open yet. We had a couple of hours to kill, so we decided to head down to Plymouth to see the Mayflower II and check out the shops. I was in charge of navigating, and you would think that would be a simple task with a GPS unit.. but I managed to get us lost anyway! It turned out to be a happy accident though, because we discovered the most beautiful bay and the coolest wooden bridge ever! We had a blast photographing the area!

 It was at the bay that I first discovered Carley's urgent eye issue. She could not see out of her left eye. Her contact had, for reasons unknown, clouded over and she was in terrible pain. It is also very disconcerting to lose one's vision and Carley was in distress. Immediately I began looking for an optometrist nearby and calling Carley's eye doc back home to get some assistance. I desperately hoped for luck to be on our side. The first optometrist we tried was closed, but Abby quickly found another nearby. Carley and I walked into the quaint little office of Francis J. Aprea, and were so grateful to be somewhere that she could get help. By now, Carley was in so much pain that she had to take her contact out entirely. She was so upset as she sat there with her contact drying and curling up on her finger. I put on my best Mom hat and tried to comfort and reassure my girl. Dr. Aprea's kindness was beyond measure as he gave up his lunch hour to check Carley's eye. He seemed equally mystified as to the cause of the problem, but in the end he said it could be that Carley's eye makeup had gotten oil on the lens and she would have to get a new pair of contacts as well as stop wearing makeup for the time being. I thanked him over and over again for helping Carley and saving our vacation. He had been a little stern with us (understandably), but when I complimented his beautiful antiques (original Windsor chair, apothecary desk, and much more!) his demeanor softened and he sent us off with a genuine smile.

We met up with the rest of the family who had been touring the shops, and we put on our tourist caps as we prepared to exercise the plastic. We must have gone in at least ten different shops, but everyone left with special treasures to remember the trip to Plymouth. Carley seemed to be feeling better too, so the mood was great once again.  We had spent more time in Plymouth than we originally intended, but we didn't mind. One of our strengths is being able to adapt to necessary change on our vacations. We just moved things around and made new plans.

That right there is Plymouth Rock.  Do you believe it? The monument was impressive. The rock? Not so much.

We decided it was time to head back to Duxbury to see the Alden House. A guide met us in the gravel parking area and we walked up to the house together. It was a different experience than last year because the house wasn't covered in Halloween decor and we had someone telling us the history as we stepped into each room. I tried to imagine ten people sleeping in one room, smaller than my own master bedroom is now, and I couldn't fathom it! I love the old house and the work that went into it, but I know my family wouldn't fare well in a house with very little private space. I guess it's all what you're used to. I felt a sense of accomplishment as I photographed my daughters, John Alden's 11th generation great-granddaughters, in front of that historical home. We only had that day to tour the home before it closed for the season, and we had met that goal. I hope my girls loved it as much as I do!

The original plan was to head to Concord next, but due to the emergency earlier, it was quite late in the day by then. Hubby had his heart set on touring the Samuel Adams brewery while we were in Boston and he was pouting a bit over the thought of possibly missing the opportunity on Saturday. Why he didn't tell me all of that before, I will never know. Until that moment, I had no idea that Saturday wouldn't work for touring the brewery, so I thought all was fine. But we did what we do best, made some quick adjustments, and we were headed to Boston instead of Concord. Actually, it made more sense to hit Boston and then do Concord the next day, because Boston was closer at that point.

Touring the brewery was not my favorite event of the trip, it's Hubby's thing after all, but I do admit that it was kind of fun, and I loved how happy it made Hubby. While we were tasting the free brew (and I was dreaming of water.. rum.. anything other than beer!), the girls were nearby at a cafe, playing card games. They tell me they had a good time. I appreciate them being patient while Hubby got to do something of his own! Interesting note: Carley experienced the kindness of a stranger at that cafe. He approached them and asked if anyone was named Carley Penderquist. They were skeptical and probably a little afraid of this man, but Carley told him that was sort of her name. He then handed over her debit card that she had dropped in the parking lot when they exited the car. Thank you, Kind Stranger, for going out of your way to return something so important to my girl.

Knowing that it was unlikely that we would make it back to Boston on that trip, we then decided to hit Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. This was the part that Carley was looking forward to the most, and I know my girlies love to shop, so I resigned myself to hours of intense shopping and just did my best to deal with it. (Around here, it's no secret that I am not a shopper. I would rather do almost anything else.. including touring a brewery!) We grabbed some awesome clam chowder from the Boston Chowda Co. and it was as tasty as I remember it being when I visited there with my mom, my sweet grandma, and my Aunt Dottie more than 5 years previously. I was exhausted from the day, and struggling to choke back the lump in my throat over the very strong memory of my grandma in that very location. I don't think anyone noticed me wiping away the tears... if they did, they didn't say anything to me. Maybe they knew where my heart and mind were at the time.

The shopping at Quincy Market is really only a blur to me now. I remember my feet screaming at me and I was so tired that I actually grabbed a micro-nap while sitting on the edge of a raised flower bed as my family watched some street dancers perform. There was some serious pep-rallies going on in my head by then. I had to encourage and nudge my every step, reminding myself how great it would feel to fall into bed soon. I think my favorite part was discovering an acoustic band, Cahill Music, playing for the crowd at Quincy Market. I am so happy I gave Emily the five dollars to get one of the CDs offered. We love this music! Be sure to click on their name above and then select "stream music" in the bottom right of their web page to listen to the music that now represents Quincy Market to us.

I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time at Quincy Market, but I'm also sure that everyone was exhausted by the time we climbed back into the rental car. We may or may not have been too tired to rid ourselves of the little spider climbing around on the vehicle's ceiling, but we were not too tired to be freaked out about the possibility of that rogue spider landing on our heads at any second. When we reached the hotel, people literally jumped out of the vehicle, so relieved that they would not be the next Little Miss Muffets.


Again, we fell into bed, thoroughly exhausted from our event-packed day!

We woke up on Saturday morning and Hubby had one thing on his mind. The Brookside Cafe. We had another fantastic breakfast, more coffee for the newly-addicted Emily, and then we were off to see Concord and the historic Old North Bridge.

The day was overcast and misty. I can't really say that it was raining because it was more like the misty Hawaii rain... except cold. The girls were enchanted by the scenery, just as I hoped they would be. It was complete photo gluttony as we gave our cameras a serious workout! Easily, my favorite pictures of the entire trip came from the Old North Bridge. I only wish I had my entire family there so I could say we had family pictures done there. Unfortunately, Hubby wasn't enjoying that stop as much as we were because he was busy being breakfast for the mosquitoes that only seemed to want him that day. The rest of us were not bothered by the pests at all.

After touring the Bridge and the Visitor's Center, we headed down the road for what I had been dreaming about for over a year. I was finally taking my Little Women to Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House.  Walking through that house was surreal. A definite dream come true. I was in awe of how pristine the house and it's furnishings are! We walked through each room, visualizing the Alcott family in their everyday lives. It was exactly as I imagined it would be, and I was there with my besties. I could write for the rest of my life and still not be able to convey the honor I felt over being there with my girls. Again, this experience was lacking because Madi was not there with us. We will definitely go again so we can be complete! Visiting Orchard House was my second favorite activity of the entire trip. (Of course the absolute favorite part of the trip was visiting with Aunt Dottie!)

We reluctantly left Orchard House, new treasures in hand, and headed to Concord's main street so I could take my family to Mainstreets Market & Cafe, easily my favorite place to get delicious clam chowder and sit a spell.  The cafe did not disappoint! We had the best chowder of the entire trip in that cozy little cafe. I love it so much that I could live there. Do you think they'd mind?  More shopping followed, although we couldn't really afford much in those high end shops. I did get to visit my favorite bird sculpture in a seriously cool shop called Perceptions.  My bird was still there, still beckoning for me to buy him and take him home. For some reason, I couldn't get my mind control working on Hubby so he'd want to buy it for me.  *pout*  But I did get to hold this beautiful bird (he was so heavy!) and I did fantasize about owning him (again).  Maybe someday, Mr. Bird, some day.

Would you believe our day was once again disappearing on us? The mist was still falling, feet were sore, and we were all tired. Hubby had another quest to conquer though... Lobster! He was determined to eat fresh lobster while we were in New England. He chose a place near the shore, I can't honestly remember where now, but we piled in the vehicle and set off on a drive for the coast. Somewhere along the way, we decided to pull up Salem on Google Maps and we realized we were only two exits away. Salem. On October first. Uh.. Yes, please!  I will be the first to tell you that Salem was nothing like I had pictured in my head. I guess I had quaint village with giant pumpkins in my mind. No way, no how! Salem is a fishing town that is now overrun with tarot card shops, pentagrams, and the most bizarre people I have ever seen! We had about 2.5 seconds in the visitor center before it closed (bummer), so we shuffled outside and followed the stream of weirdos down the street to ... can you guess?  Another shopping district. We picked up a few more items, including my new favorite hoodie, and called it good. I like the idea of Salem, but the people were a little over the top for me. One guy had the entire top of his head tattooed and some horn implants on his forehead. He must have been sorely disappointed when he wasn't born a goat, and now he is trying to make up for it. I say a goat, because that's mostly what he looked like, even though I suspect he was shooting for something sinister.  Whatevs.

By that time, our little detour had cost Hubby his coast town lobster dinner so he had to look for something local in Salem because it was getting late. He used his handy dandy smart phone and found The Black Lobster nearby. Big mistake. Huge! If I could only turn back the clock and refuse to walk in the place, I would. We were worried when the general manager told us he doesn't like seafood.. it still wasn't too late to walk out. But we stayed. Ugh and double ugh! If you're thinking of trying The Black Lobster for yourself, call me first so I can talk some sense into you. If that doesn't work, come over.. I will lock you in the closet until the urge passes. You don't want to visit this place. Capice? The food was cooked terribly, the kids didn't even like the pasta, and I ended up horribly sick all night. I felt like I was cursed, in Salem. But at least I have a snoogly hoodie!

On the way to Salem. Methinks some kiddos were tuckered out!

While we were waiting for a table in the most horrible restaurant ever, I checked our flight home the following day. I had scheduled it for the evening flight so I could spend time with Aunt Dottie before we left. As soon as I saw the listings, I knew we were in trouble. There was no way we would make it on that flight. I started looking for alternatives. The only choice we had was super early in the morning, with a layover in Atlanta, and even then it would be difficult to get us all on one flight. I knew we had a marathon day ahead of us, and because it was very late by then, and we had to be up by 5AM, I didn't even get to call Aunt Dottie to apologize for what must have seemed like we skipped out on her. My heart was broken.

Back at the hotel that night, we carefully packed and prepared for our early departure. I had the blues. Seriously. Stop laughing. I was bummed big time! I didn't want to leave, but I especially didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to Dottie. There are not enough words in the world to describe how wonderful she is. I left my heart in Massachusetts. I really did.

Our marathon day was insane. We all managed to get on the plane out of Boston (to the stunned looks on the other passenger's faces as our big group was called up in front of everyone else that was waiting and we boarded before they did), but getting out of Atlanta was another story! We didn't make the first flight, only Carley made the second flight, then Abby and Linz made the third flight, and finally... Hubs, myself, and Emily made it on the last flight home. My mom was kind enough to pick Abby and Linzie up from the SLC airport (Love you, Mom! Thanks for taking care of my little girls), and we were all home and snug in our own beds by 2AM, twenty three hours after we began our exodus home.

The hotel elevator had mirrors on the ceiling. So we did what we do best... goofed off!

 It wasn't the same magical trip that I had with Mom and Aunt Dottie last fall. On that trip we had the luxury of time and we spent so much of it with Dottie. This time it was a whirlwind trip and there was too much to do for such a short period of time. I loved the trip, but it left me wanting more..... I will just have to plan another trip as soon as I can afford it!