Back in Business

I have to admit . . . it's good to be back. The respite was great while it lasted, but it's good to be here again. Home. As Dorothy said, there's no place like it.

Despite the above confession, we had a wonderful time in Long Beach with my family. The drive down was remarkably traffic-free. (We have to drive directly through Los Angeles to get to my parents' house.) The drive BACK, however, was a complete nightmare. Not only was the traffic bad, Kevin seemed especially aggravated by all the California drivers, whom he says are the WORST drivers in the world. This is a loaded statement when you consider the fact that he's driven in Massachussetts, which I would contend contains the worst drivers. Kevin's biggest complaint is that, in California, it's like there's a stigma when it comes to driving in the right lane. It's as if everyone feels like they have to camp-out in the left lane (the "fast" lane) rather than use it for passing purposes only, thus forcing drivers like Kevin to constantly pass in the right lane. And this causes severe frustration to certain drivers (namely, Kevin).

The most memorable event of the weekend was probably flying with Betsy and Steve on Friday. They flew us up the coast for several miles. We flew so close to the cliffs of Palos Verdes that I thought we might be able to reach out and touch them! (Well, we weren't quite THAT close, but nearly that close!) It was a gorgeous day and we thoroughly enjoyed the ride. We took lots of pictures of a really cool lighthouse and the many mansions along the coast. When we took off, Steve asked, "Do you want the regular take-off or the fun take-off?" We told him we wanted the fun one, which basically meant a nearly vertical take-off. It was indeed fun . . . and also very scary. On the way back to the airport, we flew over my parents' house. We spotted it easily because of the large trampoline in the backyard. As we circled the house, two people, who were so tiny we couldn't tell who exactly they were, came out of the house and waved wildly at us. Good times . . . The inspiring thing about flying is that it gives you a different perspective on the world.

The second most memorable event was fighting the crowds early Friday morning while shopping with my mom, grandma, and Melissa. My mom informed me on Thursday that we were going to do this. I was dreading getting up so early and joining the throng. But, after doing it, I can definitely see WHY people do it. The deals were incredible. And now I'm a believer in day-after Thanksgiving sales, especially the early-bird ones.

Well, lots of other things happened but I won't bore you with more details or assume that anyone out there with a life has time to read about it. :-)

Now . . . go enjoy the rest of your day, evening, or whatever . . .