Crisis at the Airport

Jenna and I got to the security line at the airport. I always let her go first so I can keep an eye on her. Last night being the exciting New Year's party she was really tired since we left for the airport pretty early. And she was stressed and maybe a little 'hormonal'.

So, when the TSA agent had to pull her aside with her purse and go through it, it just added to the tension. Inside he found that she had forgotten to gate check two bottles of pretty scented stuff from Bath and Body Works. They were pretty big, probably 8 oz each, clearly unopened, but, thanks to the freaks who try and mess with us, he felt he had to take them away.

Yes, I'm grateful for the security cause I like to have my plane trips without incident but I was not prepared for poor Jenna, sobbing her little heart out saying 'But my mommy gave me those for Christmas'. She cried and cried and I felt terrible.

The poor TSA agent was trying to be so nice but the other agents around him were very Hitlerian. Although yes, Jenna has travelled enough that she knows better it was an honest mistake. And it wasn't the money involved, it was the mommy involved that made it so painful.

So, after she slept almost the whole trip, on our way home from the airport we stopped at Bath and Body Works and replaced her items and she's happy.

Thanksgiving and best water pressure ever

Jen and I enjoyed Thanksgiving in San Antonio right next to the Alamo. If you go left out of our hotel is the Alamo and on the right is a Mall so we're all set.

For our Thanksgiving dinner we ate at the Food Court-mmmm.

Then we walked around the River Walk. Jenna absolutely loved the Mariachi Band here which makes me think she somehow inherited my love of off the chart music.

The Menger Hotel where we are staying was bulit in 1859 and is allegedly haunted. Jenna has been really hoping to see a ghost while we're here although the other day she stayed in the room while I went to get an Iced Tea and she heard a noise in the bathroom and called me in a horrible panic. I thought it might be the ghost of Teddy Roosevelt but it was just the shower curtain that fell.

Today we're going to see 'Haunted Castle 3D' at the IMAX next door.

Showering here is a real treat-the water pressure is just a tad higher than a fire hose. Blasted any dirt right off of me and into the next county.

Not as great as being at home for Thanksgiving but all in all a pretty good second!

Back to blogging

Finally, after a few months off due to working a ton of hours here in Houston I was able this evening to catch up on Eric and Linda's blogs. Sorry Annie, I'll catch up on yours this week! Looks like I've been missing a lot of excitement.

I also have been scrapbooking my little heart out here in Texas so lotta new stuff to see when I get back up North.

Which is a sore subject by the way since me and Jenna aren't going home for Thanksgiving this year.....not enough time. I can't take Jenna out of school and I don't want to fly home during the incredibly crazy travel times. So I end up homesick. But that's OK, I'll make up for it by being crabby at work:-)

Well I'm sure I'll blog with pix when Jenna and I go to San Antonio for Thanksgiving. We're going to the Haunted Menger Hotel and we have tickets for the Haunted San Antonio tour on Saturday. So we'll give a shout out to the ghost of Teddy Roosevelt which appears frequently at the bar at the Menger Hotel. (According to Ghost Hunters on TV as well as drunk patrons who apprently see him more the more they drink.)

Remember the Alamo

I had been telling Jenna about the ultra cool Alamo Theater they have here in Houston. This was the first time I'd ever seen a theater that sold alcoholic drinks during movies. You can order dinner too and they'll keep bringing you beer and food during the show. They actually crawl in front of the seats to serve people watching the show so that they don't disturb anyone in the audience.

Well I was pretty excited to show Jenna this landmark and last week we drove past it and I excitedly pointed out to her 'Jenna, there's the Alamo that I've been telling you about'.

She looked confused and kept reiterating 'That's the Alamo?'. I said 'yeah, see the big neon sign? '

Fortunately it finally dawned on me that NOOOOO that's not "THE ALAMO". Good thing I figured it out or she'd be thinking that there was a big war held at the theater by the Mall. Of course as much as I hate war I could see defending an outlet mall or a good bookstore.....

Driving to Houston

It really wasn’t a bad ride at all this time. I popped out of bed in Livonia around 7:00 am and was well on the road by 8:00.

Because it was the weekend traffic was light and there was surprisingly very little construction. Although I would actually liked to see a lot more since it was good weather and construction all over would have at least meant that people were working.

The first night I drove fifteen hours and got to ‘Granada, Mississippi’. There was only one non-smoking room left in the whole town. Turns out it was really a very strong smelling ex-smoking room that they tried to mask with Lysol. Ewwww-but yes, I was that tired.

The next day I was much less enthused about driving so I’m glad that I made a lot of miles the first day.

It rained some but still was a pretty smooth drive.

So thanks to good traffic conditions, gallons upon gallons of Iced Tea, a new tasty treat from Hostess called ‘Cakesters’ (vanilla of course) and lot’s of Rest Area’s I’m now here in Houston and working!

I move into my apartment after work tonight. Woo hoo!

Snow Globe for Jenna

So I’m here at the Lincoln Airport in Springfield, Illinois and I wanted to bring Jenna a Lincoln souvenir. She’s always kind of been a history buff and a few years ago we came here to see the Lincoln sites and she loved it.

Of course on that trip we were going out to dinner during a storm and a strong wind picked up a huge construction site tube that rolled over our car and smashed it to pieces. So all in all that was an exciting trip.

Anyway, at the airport gift shop they had a cool snow globe with a bust of Lincoln in it. Looked like a winner to me so I bought it.

Well, the gift shop is outside of security because there are no shops in this little airport within the secured area-vending machines only.

So I made the purchase which was easy. Then, due to federal regulations the lady who runs the gift shop has to temporarily close the gift shop, take the snow globe, because it contains more than three ounces of liquid, through security and walk it with me to a TSA agent and verify that this is indeed a snow globe that I purchased from her and it has not been out of her hands.

I am thankful at this moment that while oil is ruining our shores and the economy is in the toilet that at least we, as Americans, are protected from snow globes in the air.

Phew!

I've been totally worried sick the last month about work. I mean, not sleeping kind of worrying.

While I'm normally scheduling my travel months in advance I had nothing on the horizon past June. I figured that the great project that I've been on for the last two and a half years was coming to a close because after the end of June we have the new software rolled out to all of our companies.

With the job market the way it is, and seeing some downsizing going on I was really getting nervous. However, yesterday I had my annual evaluation and was assured not only of continued employment but some choice on what project I would like to be on.

The week before that, one of our companies offered me a lucrative position there too-but that would mean relocating. But at least it was nice to be asked and nice to know that I will still be employed!

So thankfully, until I hit the right combination of lottery numbers, which I don't even ever buy tickets anyway, I can at least continue earning a living which these days is a wonderful thought.