FRIENDS?

I saw a friend that I have not seen in awhile.  We had a misunderstanding a few weeks ago and things have not been the same since.  It is hard to act the same way towards someone when the person has betrayed your trust.  You can say "Let's move on."  But acting the same and speaking the same way is hard.  The pristine shell of the friendship has been cracked just a little bit and there is no going back.

She came up to me and hugged me and I was caught off guard.  I hugged her back but I didn't feel it.  We went to get food together because we only had a few minutes to eat between meetings and that felt normal.  Maybe we can repair this friendship.

Until tomorrow...

BATTERY DYING

My house alarm battery was dying.  I called the company to figure out how to replace it.  They said a tech had to come out.  He came out today and he was useless.  He changed a battery but then he didn't know how to turn down the volume.  When he reset the system, the volume was loud.  I ended up looking it up in the manual.  Then he left and the system started flashing Low Battery again and he didn't reinstate the low battery signal.  Ergh.

Now I have to call them again and have them send out another tech.

Until tomorrow...

DOCTOR RE-CHECK

I went to a check up from my fall with my doctor. I passed! Nothing broken. Seems most of my bruises have faded. My spine still hurts but he says that will take some time. I have to go get my second flu shot. Every year I either get the double shot or two shots to protect me from the flu we hope.

I got to talk to my mother for few minutes today. She is still in the hospital.

Until tomorrow.

FLORIDA DAY 8

I am back home.  I am tired.  I should be in bed. I was awake this morning FL time at 4:15 am.  No excitement getting to the airport.  There was excitement leaving the hotel.  I checked out and asked for a receipt.  After the kerfuffle with me being charged twice for my hotel room, I wanted to make sure I was not charged for anything else.  I get the printout and it has charges for each day.  WHAT!?  I say to the girl behind the counter (and I say girl because she was 21 if she was a day) that this was a mistake and that I didn't have time to explain the whole situation and she didn't have the authority to fix it anyway.  Austin had to fix it and he would not be in for hours.  She said she would have Austin look at it and I took his direct phone number and left for the airport.  I am telling you this pre-paid nonsense has been a pain.

The flight was on time and I got in my seat.  Overall the flight was uneventful.  About halfway through I have on my noise cancelling headphones and I hear this noise.  It sounds like a video but I am on a plane so why would I hear a video?  I take off my headphones and I hear it louder.  I look back and in the seat behind me there are 10-12 year old kids watching some sort of video or movie without headphones.  I waved down a flight attendant and pointed it out.   He informed them that they needed to use headphones and he could give them some.  This brings up the discussion I have been hearing about the possibility of people being able to use phones.  That was just a video and I could hear it with noise cancelling headphone on.  I can't imagine someone on the phone next to me and how loud that would be.  Flight attendants will be run ragged. 

I arrived home and relaxed.  I received good news about my mother so I could relax a bit.  I unpacked most of the items and then ate some food.  Home Sweet  Home.

Until tomorrow...

FLORIDA DAY 7

Today is my last day in Florida.  I leave early in the morning tomorrow.  Very Early.  Today was filled with concern for my mother and her condition.  She is doing better but it is hard to not be with her even if it is just switting in a waiting room or holding her hand.  I know what it is like to be alone in a hospital for days at a time by yourself and it is not fun.  It is so nice to wake up and see a friendly face.  Seeing my friend's face meant the world to me since my family lives so far away. 

I went for a walk this morning and bought some vegan pastries and ate them in my room.  I also finally got the hotel to fix my billing problem. 

Then I called my father, who arrived in Florida, and decided to go see him rather than sit here and worry.  So I got some vegan "chicken" salad and went to my Dad's house.  We hung out and then went to dinner.  We caught up and then I drove back to my hotel room and packed.  Now I am relaxing before I go off to dreamland before I have to wake up at dawn and leave Florida. 

Until tomorrow...

FLORIDA DAY 6

Today had some highs and lows.  I met my cousin and aunt for brunch.  While we were at brunch we got an email that my mother was taken to the hospital.  It was quite a shock for all of us.  My mother is quite far away so none of us could go be with her.

After brunch my cousin and I went to the movies.  We went to see Uncut Gems.  It was a bit violent and depressing but a good story.  It was hard to concentrate with my mother in the hospital and various family members texting and calling.

I got an update about my mother that showed some improvement.  I offered right away to go to the hospital but my offer was declined.  For once I am the closest child in distance since I am on vacation.

I went to my cousins for some moral support and because my other cousin and her husband are doctors.  They convinced me to not run to the airport and to wait and see for 12 hours since the medicine seems to working.  I ate some dinner and decided to go back to my hotel.

At the hotel I ate my leftover food from last night and worked out my contingency plan if I have to go to the hospital.  I have a dog sitter.  I have flight options.

In the middle of all this my dad arrived in Florida a day early. I called him to see if he wanted me to come see him.  If things go better with my mom tomorrow, I will drive up to see my dad for a few hours.

Until tomorrow...

FLORIDA DAY 5

I woke up and made myself a leisurely breakfast in my room. I went to the store the other night and bought some groceries. It is nice to eat slowly in bed.

I met my cousin and we went to her apartment so I can freeze my Orencia freezer packs before my return trip. She is putting them in her freezer for me. The airline will not let me bring them back unless they are rock solid.

Then we went to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. When we arrived we went to the special exhibit which was Anime Architecture. It showed the cells for Ghost in the Shell. It was super interesting. Now I want to see the movie.

Then we walked the gardens. We saw bridges, Zen gardens, bonsai trees, waterfalls and animals. We fed fish, turtles and a small alligator.  Then we ate at the Cafe for lunch. It was a very tasty lunch.

We then went to the soccer field where the kids were helping out with a group showing how to play soccer to all levels of functioning kids. It was sweet seeing a kid in a special wheelchair kick a goal,

Then we went to my cousins home for a short period and went out and ate at a sushi restaurant. By now you should be asking what did you eat? There were a few udon noodle dishes and I asked them to make it all veggies and add tofu. It was good.

Now I am in my hotel bed and falling asleep. Until tomorrow...

VACATION DAY 4

After a good nights sleep, I went with my cousin to a restaurant with awesome vegan food.  I had this amazing stack with portobelo mushrooms, sweet potatoes, spinach and aioli.  I told her all about my Disney adventures.

After brunch I went back to the hotel to do some work and then take a short nap. She took her nieces and friends to bowl and play video games. I caught up with them for the video game portion.  Then we went to this place called Rocco’s Tacos.  At the restaurant there was a confusion about whether items were or were not gluten free. Turns out they were not but were being advertised as gluten free. What a mess!

After that I went home and fell asleep.

Until tomorrow...

FLORIDA DAY 3

Day 3 in Florida started very early.  I woke up at 5:45 am so we could get on the road at 6:30 am to Disney World.  It was a two hour drive from our location and we wanted to be there as early as possible to maximize the day.

We arrived and went directly to the Animal Kingdom.  We thought that would be the least busy park.  It was so much fun but there were lots of people there.  One ride had a 200 minute wait.  We did not get on the line.  In fact we didn't really go on any rides.  1) I don't like many rides and 2) I was not going to wait on line for 120 minutes for a 3 min ride.  That is crazy.  Even the Fast Track lines were long.

We did an animation drawing thing and went on a train ride.  We saw some macaw's fly.  We walked around and saw some animals.  We ate some African food and figured out how to put Mickey ears on our photos in Snapchat (with the help of some teens sitting nearby!)

Then halfway through the day we went to the Magic Kingdom and walked around there.  Both Kingdoms were decorated for the holidays.  We went shopping and saw the parade.  We went on It's a Small World (our only ride)  while everyone was at the parade.  We ate dinner and decided to head on home around 6pm.  We were cooked.  It was a long day.  My feet were burning.  It was a pleasant day weather wise but it was sunny all day so shade was at a premium and there were long lines for everything including water and ice cream/icees.  I never did get my pineapple whip.

Magic Kingdom Castle

 Then I had a 3 hour drive home.  I dropped my friend off at the 2 hour mark and continued on to the hotel.  I got the hotel and checked in.  I didn't realize until I was in my room and in my pajamas that the hotel charged me for the room.  I prepaid a few days before I arrived to get a cheaper rate.  I will have to deal with that in the morning.  It is a very nice room but I am not sure how I got the ADA compliant room?!

Overall a fun but exhausting day!  Until tomorrow...

FLORIDA DAY 2

Happy New Years!  2020 is here.

Today had a late start.  The party lasted long after I went to lay down. There was a lot of sitting around and talking.

We had bagels and I took a walk.  Then I drove to S house to have Chinese food.  I am staying at S house so we can go to Disney World in the early morning.  I have to go to sleep now.

Until tomorrow...