Nieces and niceties

Sunday, we were going to attempt a do-over Christmas with Dad’s parents. Once again, weather didn’t permit. Sigh. This week, I did get to visit my nieces and Kelly, my college roomie. Monday afternoon I went to visit the girls, bearing presents from my Mom and Aunt Sandy, including kids music and a string of Disney Princess lights.

I was amazed to find that, after all this time, Brooke’s favorite thing to do is STILL to play Peter Pan. The average visit requires at least 8 rounds of Peter Pan. Brooke tries to run the show, so I would occasionally stop to ask what Courtney wanted to do. Brooke would say, “You have to go back to the ship!” “I don’t have to,” I would reply. She would grin, good-naturedly, and I would see the gears turn in Brooke’s head. “You don’t have to, but you could. It would be fun.” Hee.

J.B. came home for supper, and as usual, I enjoyed Erika’s cooking. I meant to get the recipe for the cheesy chicken with flakey pastry(along with her goulash recipe), but I forgot. I stayed until bedtime, when I helped read the girls their stories. I explained to Brooke that the last time I went away, it was for four months, and it would probably be four months until I saw her again. She sighed dramatically and flopped back on her pillows: “I’ll never see you again!” Heh. Courtney not only knows who I am, she was actually clamoring for me to come and read to her. Every time I see them, they’re so much bigger and more mature.

Tuesday, after a day of packing, I drove to Grimes to visit Kelly. Kelly made pizza, and I tried to just have a tiny bit. You see, Mom knows I love her split pea soup, and it was one of the few signature soups she hadn’t made during my visit. She started it that morning , not knowing I was going to see Kelly. Well, I ended up eating several pieces of pizza. It was nice to chat with Kelly, and when I got home, I still managed to find room for soup. That night, I gave my parents hugs goodbye.

The next day, I managed to gather all my belongings together and made my way to the airport, where I took a bump! Yes, I agreed to take a later flight in exchange for $200 off my next Delta flight. The nice fellow at the counter even figured out a flight that would get me home sooner than I was originally getting in. Magic!

The flight into Norfolk was rough. I was actually scared as we landed. I’m a good flyer, but the turbulence was nauseating. I was getting scary plane crash images in my head, but I closed my eyes and prayed. Once we were safely on the ground, I thought perhaps I had been overreacting. However, there were several Air Force pilots on the flight, and they went up to the pilot to shake his hand, compliment him, and thank him for getting us down safely. Eep! I think I should have been MORE scared! That said, I made it home safely, and when I got to the apartment, I hadn’t been burglarized. Who can ask for anything more?