I have had a great couple of days. I decided that I am not responsible for Patrick or anyone but myself. And I am not going to sit around and mope or be bored - it is a shitty way to live the rest of my life. So...
Monday, I spent a great day with my sisters. I bought these amazing rose-colored sunglasses that look great on me. I also bought some perfume. This is a huge step because I had never been able to find the exact perfume that I thought suited me. This one does. It is sassy, sweet, spicy and classy all rolled into one...if you can believe that. We went to Chili's for dinner and my sister, Kate, goes up to the hostess and tells her that we want a table in a section with a very hot server. Liz and I about dropped to the floor we laughed so hard. So the hostess tells us about the server in the bar, whom she thinks is just gorgeous. Kate looks at us and says, "We're sitting here". We sit down and a few minutes later the server comes over. Admittedly, he was pretty good looking. Kate looks at him and says, "Look, I know we aren't the most attractive group of women in here. But we have had a shitty day. (Pointing to Lizza) She just signed divorce papers this afternoon. (Pointing to me) Her boyfriend is being a shit-head. And I lied to my husband so I could hang out with them. So, if you could flirt with us, make us laugh that would go a long way towards you getting a really good tip". I thought Liz was going to fall out of her chair. I couldn't stop laughing and Kate just grinned as the server tried to figure out what the hell to do with us. It was great!
Tuesday Emma and I went to Albuquerque. She needed to see her chiropractor and I was hoping to find some red heels for Gemma's wedding. We had a lot of fun. I bought an orange purse, which is feminine and pretty. We bought hats to wear on our hike the next day and I started looking at paint and fixtures for the bedroom and bathroom. I didn't find my heels, but with me and shoes, it is always a long process to find just what I am looking for. I have been searching the internet, but I am always wary about how they may fit. The other thing I have come to realize is that apparently you have to be a hooker or an old lady to buy red heels. The shoes I have found aren't really classy looking or pretty. They look like you might want to wear them to the beach (canvass) or on a striper's pole (cork and patent leather). Ick.
Yesterday, Emma, a travel nurse - Audrey, and I went hiking in Tent Rock. It was absolutely incredible! The views and the formations were just amazing. The only down side was the flies that seemed to adore me. I need to remember to bring bug spray the next time I go. When we were coming back down from the mesa, we ran into two gentlemen (definitely from the south, but living in Albuquerque). These men looked like they were ready for the first of many MIs. Beet red, sweating profusely, out of breath, overweight and worst of all they had left their water with their wives! It was a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, Emma had packed extra water (thinking that for some reason I wouldn't pack any?!?!), but I had Patrick's CamelBak so we were able to give them the extra water and Audrey gave them some chocolate she had with her. I've never heard someone refer to me as an angel so many times in such a short period of time. Onward we went, and shortly after meeting the gentlemen, we met the first of two wives. The first was trying to get back down the path with a bottle of water in one hand and a Van Gogh umbrella in another (using it as a walking stick, of all things!). We helped her get back to her sister-in-law and by that point we were at the end of our hike. The bugs decided to stay in tent rock and we headed for home.
When we got back to Santa Fe, I went to Aveda to have them fix the debacle another place made of my hair by chopping it all off. The man who fixed it was a genius! He shaped and defined it so that as it grows out, it will grow into the cut I originally wanted. I look sassy, sexy, and fun and received more compliments than I thought possible. I went to work and received an ATO so I came home and went to dinner with some friends where we laughed so hard. It was a grand day.
Today I am having coffee with friends and then after going to the pool, will go to work this afternoon. But who knows what could happen between now and then?
28.6.07
14.6.07
The third funeral
First my father. Then my aunt - who was another parent to us. Now my paternal grandmother. The three are done and hopefully we will go a long while until another person dies.
Our grandmother lived in Chicago and Katie, Stephanie, Grace and I were elected to attend the funeral as representatives from this side of the family. I didn't ask Patrick to go because I knew he couldn't, I just told him we were leaving for the funeral and I would see him when I got back.
Because it was such short notice, we had to decide whether we would pay the extra money to fly out of ABQ or drive to Chicago. I wasn't really up for driving 1300 miles with a baby in the car, so we decided to figure out a way to make this cheaper and faster. We found airfare flying out of Denver to Chicago that was very cheap and decided that a 6 hour drive to Denver was better than a 24 hour drive to Chicago.
The morning we were to leave for our flight out of Denver I decided to get an oil change and rotate my tires just to be safe. I take it to the place I usually go and am told that they can't rotate my tires because they are bald. To make the situation even more interesting, I needed a complete alignment - which was what caused my tires to go bald in the first place. The place that did my oil change didn't work with tires so I had to go home and call places that did, hoping that somewhere would have the size tires I needed and could put them on in a two hour period of time before we HAD to leave for Denver. Of course, only one place had all 4 tires in stock and could do an alignment, and of course, the tires were the most expensive and best quality tires on the market. Had it just been me driving, I would have waited and taken care of this when I got back from the funeral. But because I had two siblings and a baby in the car with me, I figured it was better to take care of it all then. I set up the appointment making sure they knew I had a deadline and as soon as I got off the phone with the tire place, my mother calls to tell me that she doesn't think that Stephanie's school photo ID will be enough for her to be able to get on the plane in Denver and that I need to go to the Division of Vital Records and get a copy of her birth certificate. Frustrated beyond belief at this point, I race over to get a copy of her birth certificate and then race accross town to have the tires changed, almost 45 minutes after I had told them I would be there. To their credit, they get my car in as quickly as possible and with me standing over them try to have the car done by noon. Katie, Stephanie and Grace get into town around 11 and I tell them the situation and that they should go eat lunch, I'll meet them at the house as soon as I'm done. The tires and alignment are completed by 1220 and I pay the exhorbitant amount of money (which had been discounted significantly from the original price I was quoted and was still enormous) and raced back home. Seneca dropped them off, put their suitcases in the car, they piled in and then we sped off for Denver. Because we didn't actually get out of town until 1245, when we had planned to leave at 1130, I knew I had to make up time on the highway. Pulling out the radar detector I raced up to Denver doing 95 to 100 mph.
We made it to Denver, barely. Of all the parking lots at the airport, only the one that happens to be the farthest away from the airport is open. We get to it and wait for the shuttle, which once it picks us up, takes 20 minutes to get to the terminal because the bus can only do 15 to 20 mph. I'm anxious, Grace is soaking wet and Katie and Stephanie look like they would gladly be anywhere but there. We get to the terminal at 710, our flight leaves at 740. We check in (they don't need Stephanie's birth certificate), convince them that we cannot carry our luggage on the plane with us and that it has to be checked and then run to security (where Katie is stopped because she forgot to take her lighter out and put it in her checked luggage), race to the train that will take us to the gate - by this time it is 725. The train takes us to the B gates and as we get out and run to our gate, I remember that I haven't eaten all day. As we pass by various food stands I hear my stomach kick into high gear and grumble. We get on the plane right at 730. Then, of course, we sit at the gate for 20 additional minutes.
When we finally get to Chicago, it is 1140. Our aunt picks us up. This is also the aunt who we will be staying with while we are in Chicago. This aunt lives in a "friend's" home as a roommate. Our aunt tells us that while we are staying at this woman's house, we can make no noise - the roommate is a light sleeper, Grace can't cry, the cat can't be let out of the house and can open doors, the house isn't baby proof and there are a lot of stairs, Stephanie is sleeping on a couch, Katie, Grace and I are taking our aunt's bed, while she sleeps on the cot downstairs. Oh, and by the way...the roommate comes into our aunt's room to do her makeup every morning. I figure, what the hell, it's only a couple of days, we can do this.
We get to the house, the roommate is sleeping. We go into the kitchen - floor creaking the whole way - and sit down to eat something. Grace cries because Katie gives her to Stephanie and the cat goes crazy. Katie trips over it and it starts chasing her around the kitchen biting her. The roommate wakes up and comes into the kitchen. We gather up our things and go to bed, but not before my aunt tells me that after we shower in the morning we need to squeegie the shower doors because the roommate doesn't like water spots. I go to bed.
The next morning, I hear my aunt come into the room to get her belongings for work. A short while later I hear the roommate come into the room to do her makeup. The next thing I know, the roommate is standing over me and tapping my head...hard. I wake up ready to kill the woman when she proceeds to tell me that she thinks the cat has gotten out of the house and would we please look for it. Personally I think "hang the cat", but not wanting to make the situation bad for my aunt, I nod and go back to sleep.
That night we rented a car and moved into a hotel.
Our grandmother lived in Chicago and Katie, Stephanie, Grace and I were elected to attend the funeral as representatives from this side of the family. I didn't ask Patrick to go because I knew he couldn't, I just told him we were leaving for the funeral and I would see him when I got back.
Because it was such short notice, we had to decide whether we would pay the extra money to fly out of ABQ or drive to Chicago. I wasn't really up for driving 1300 miles with a baby in the car, so we decided to figure out a way to make this cheaper and faster. We found airfare flying out of Denver to Chicago that was very cheap and decided that a 6 hour drive to Denver was better than a 24 hour drive to Chicago.
The morning we were to leave for our flight out of Denver I decided to get an oil change and rotate my tires just to be safe. I take it to the place I usually go and am told that they can't rotate my tires because they are bald. To make the situation even more interesting, I needed a complete alignment - which was what caused my tires to go bald in the first place. The place that did my oil change didn't work with tires so I had to go home and call places that did, hoping that somewhere would have the size tires I needed and could put them on in a two hour period of time before we HAD to leave for Denver. Of course, only one place had all 4 tires in stock and could do an alignment, and of course, the tires were the most expensive and best quality tires on the market. Had it just been me driving, I would have waited and taken care of this when I got back from the funeral. But because I had two siblings and a baby in the car with me, I figured it was better to take care of it all then. I set up the appointment making sure they knew I had a deadline and as soon as I got off the phone with the tire place, my mother calls to tell me that she doesn't think that Stephanie's school photo ID will be enough for her to be able to get on the plane in Denver and that I need to go to the Division of Vital Records and get a copy of her birth certificate. Frustrated beyond belief at this point, I race over to get a copy of her birth certificate and then race accross town to have the tires changed, almost 45 minutes after I had told them I would be there. To their credit, they get my car in as quickly as possible and with me standing over them try to have the car done by noon. Katie, Stephanie and Grace get into town around 11 and I tell them the situation and that they should go eat lunch, I'll meet them at the house as soon as I'm done. The tires and alignment are completed by 1220 and I pay the exhorbitant amount of money (which had been discounted significantly from the original price I was quoted and was still enormous) and raced back home. Seneca dropped them off, put their suitcases in the car, they piled in and then we sped off for Denver. Because we didn't actually get out of town until 1245, when we had planned to leave at 1130, I knew I had to make up time on the highway. Pulling out the radar detector I raced up to Denver doing 95 to 100 mph.
We made it to Denver, barely. Of all the parking lots at the airport, only the one that happens to be the farthest away from the airport is open. We get to it and wait for the shuttle, which once it picks us up, takes 20 minutes to get to the terminal because the bus can only do 15 to 20 mph. I'm anxious, Grace is soaking wet and Katie and Stephanie look like they would gladly be anywhere but there. We get to the terminal at 710, our flight leaves at 740. We check in (they don't need Stephanie's birth certificate), convince them that we cannot carry our luggage on the plane with us and that it has to be checked and then run to security (where Katie is stopped because she forgot to take her lighter out and put it in her checked luggage), race to the train that will take us to the gate - by this time it is 725. The train takes us to the B gates and as we get out and run to our gate, I remember that I haven't eaten all day. As we pass by various food stands I hear my stomach kick into high gear and grumble. We get on the plane right at 730. Then, of course, we sit at the gate for 20 additional minutes.
When we finally get to Chicago, it is 1140. Our aunt picks us up. This is also the aunt who we will be staying with while we are in Chicago. This aunt lives in a "friend's" home as a roommate. Our aunt tells us that while we are staying at this woman's house, we can make no noise - the roommate is a light sleeper, Grace can't cry, the cat can't be let out of the house and can open doors, the house isn't baby proof and there are a lot of stairs, Stephanie is sleeping on a couch, Katie, Grace and I are taking our aunt's bed, while she sleeps on the cot downstairs. Oh, and by the way...the roommate comes into our aunt's room to do her makeup every morning. I figure, what the hell, it's only a couple of days, we can do this.
We get to the house, the roommate is sleeping. We go into the kitchen - floor creaking the whole way - and sit down to eat something. Grace cries because Katie gives her to Stephanie and the cat goes crazy. Katie trips over it and it starts chasing her around the kitchen biting her. The roommate wakes up and comes into the kitchen. We gather up our things and go to bed, but not before my aunt tells me that after we shower in the morning we need to squeegie the shower doors because the roommate doesn't like water spots. I go to bed.
The next morning, I hear my aunt come into the room to get her belongings for work. A short while later I hear the roommate come into the room to do her makeup. The next thing I know, the roommate is standing over me and tapping my head...hard. I wake up ready to kill the woman when she proceeds to tell me that she thinks the cat has gotten out of the house and would we please look for it. Personally I think "hang the cat", but not wanting to make the situation bad for my aunt, I nod and go back to sleep.
That night we rented a car and moved into a hotel.
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