I don't know where to begin.
It's after 10pm and I'm in Florida. It's been a long two days and I haven't had enough sleep. I apologize in advance if I ramble, repeat or cyber-stutter.
I guess I should start by keeping my word and complaining about the weather.
IT'S HOT DOWN HERE!!!
In New York we've had a heat spell. I'm sure those of you from the North are aware that it has been opressingly hot and humid lately. We had almost an entire week where it was too gross to walk to the pool unless you intended to move there.
I've been laying off the pool lately anyway though, and my head has nearly dried out. For a few days I could hear clearly and everything. The hacking cough hasn't quite finished, but it was on its way out. Was. Remember that for later.
R has been attached to my hip when home. She has been asking me to come pick out clothes with her in the mornings, which is huge because she never wants anyone offering any opinions on what she wears ever. Yet I have been invited to offer fashion advice.
On her third to last day, she woke up on the wrong side of the bed -- Nay, the wrong side of the state, and she refused to go to day camp. She missed her bus but then that morning T and I had errands to run with the baby so T worked in a drive to R's camp and drove her out there.
I ran my errands around town with the baby in the stroller and then took him to the park that's halfway between our house and town. And got some insight into the rest of Great Neck.
The blend of ethnicities at the Cutter Mill Park is refreshing. I was able to chat with several babysitters and moms who aren't all the same religion and culture. The park is on sand and all the moms had taken their shoes off and were getting good and dirty with the kids. One half of the park is awesome water features that spray and rain and sprinkle and blast. Baby I played on the slide for about five minutes before he stripped and streaked clear across the playground to get to the water.
He's such a great baby.
J continues to eat for me. When I was preparing to leave I asked him if he would eat while I was gone and the answer was a resounding yes. I also promised stickers to both kids if I got a good report about their behavior when I got home. My aim is to have them excited enough about my homecoming to remember that they have to LISTEN to me. We'll see.
I left Friday morning for Florida.
I got the snobby experience and I loved every minute of it.
I called a car service the night before and made the arrangements. Friday morning I ate breakfast with the kids and said goodbye to them and sent them off to camp. T ran to the grocery store to stock up on garbage that she can get the kids to eat without any help.
When she returned home I was packed, the kitchen was clean and we hung out and chatted with the baby for a while. The cab pulled in at exactly 11 o'clock, came to the door and took my bag for me.
I sipped my home-brewed decaf-lactose free latte and gabbed with the driver while perched on the freshly polished leather seat in the shiny black Lincoln. At the airport he carried my bag to the curb and I summoned an airport employee to move it to the kiosk for me and do all the work printing my boarding pass. It's hard to get out of snob mode, but I'm not rude about it and I'm a good tipper.
Checked in two hours early I went to find my gate and sit around.
My plane was late to board, late to take off and late to land in Philadelphia.
I continued to act rich and spoiled in Au Bon Pain where I (without meaning to, really!) cut the entire line and dictated my order to the boy behind the counter. He looked confused, then nodded and set about making my veggie burger. That's when I noticed everyone else in line who had written their orders on the provided menus slips and were waiting patiently for their food. Oops.
I got my food first and then went to eat at a table.
Then I went to find my next gate for the last leg of my trip. On the way there I spotted the most beautiful store in all the world and they were having a clearance sale. I walked in and promised myself I wouldn't buy anything. I started to pet sparkly things and pretty things with feathers and buckles and right as I began trying on a pair of shoes my phone rang. I answered my mother's call and ran out of the store while I was distracted enough to not cry about the shoes that could have been.
I found my gate and a man I could eye-flirt with.
My plane was late to board and late to take off. Five minutes after boarding time the poor man working at the counter informed us that the flight was overbooked and asked if anyone would like to stay overnight and fly out in the morning. After they worked that out it took another twenty minutes to talk about it. When they finally started boarding they realized that we didn't have enough carry-on space left. They started making people hand over bags to be checked for free since they don't know how to properly fill a plane or abide by carry-on regulations.
All you rude people who pack actual suitcases as carry-ons should have to pay extra fees and sit directly outside the bathroom. Knock it off, you're ruining planes for everybody.
I finally got into my seat and the captain informed us that we would be taking off in five minutes. Then he took it back.
Twenty minutes later he said we'd go and moved the plane onto the tarmac. And then faked us out again.
Twenty minutes later we were eighth in line for take off.
Fortunately, by then I was deep in conversation with the lady next to me.
She was an incredibly intelligent woman from State College, PA. We talked for the entire flight from before take off until landing. Nonstop talking. We talked about homeschooling and child-rearing and math and science and psychology and family and arts and Pennsylvania. It was so nice.
After the first two hours the man sitting on her other side chimed in and we carried on like old friends.
Half an hour before landing I found out that the man was a Christian and we were able to talk and inadvertently witness to the lady between us. It was the friendliest, most pleasant and easygoing conversation I have ever had about God and religion and Truth.
It was an incredible flight.
When we landed, for some reason, we couldn't get off the plane for a while. We kept talking while we waited and I was able to call my mom, who was driving around and around waiting for me and let her know we had arrived. The West Palm Beach airport won't let cars stop and wait for arrivals. So she circled.
At baggage claim I realized that I have no idea what my suitcase looks like. I started handling each one that made it to where I stood. Mine was the third one.
Being here has been amazing so far.
I got to hug my mother, who I am becoming increasingly in awe of. She's my mom so I have to clash with her and get annoyed by her regularly, but when I'm not doing my daughterly duties I am just baffled by her stamina.
When we got to the house Friday night the six kids who live here were all over the place instead of sleeping. They dragged the poor three year old out of bed to greet me.
I should pause here and catch you all up.
My mom is living with an old college friend in Florida who is the guardian of her six grandkids and is sick. My mom, who already raised seven and a half kids, is raising six more. It's like an addiction.
The house the family is living in was dirty and poorly furnished.
My mother had planned a secret makeover for Saturday after I arrived. We tried to go straight to bed on Friday night so we could get up for it.
Instead, we talked until we fell asleep way too late. In the morning the family was out of the house for the day and Snobby Nanny got to do one of her most favorite things in the world: clean and organize a house however she wants.
Teams from area churches came in and out all day and two of my cousins came to paint and move the big furniture. Things were donated and painted and cleaned and built and organized and we got to rush around like the TV crews of Extreme Home Makeover and put it all together and then have a big reveal when the family got home.
And the best part was they didn't even know it was coming.
I cried a little.
After the makeover and the reveal and a quick wardrobe change Mom and I had a mildly snobby dinner at a Japanese and Thai restaurant and then hit the local Walmart where we were checked out by the best cashier I have ever met.
Then we came home and tried to go to sleep but there were a million and one things to do.
Early this morning Mom got up to leave for her flight North. She said something to me and I remember trying so hard to wake up but my eyes wouldn't open. I heard her talking, saying bye and my brain just would not do anything about it.
So I didn't argue.
I got up and a friend of Mom's from church picked me up for the service. I got to meet all the other friends Suze has made at the church here and chat for a long while with them. I came home to kids and chaos and made dinner for everyone.
These kids are responding to me pretty well and I have high hopes for the week.
Being here so far is nothing like I expected but it's not bad. And strangely, I do miss my spoiled little Great Neck kiddies.
Maybe I'll call R tomorrow.
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