They Call It Another Day Because Each Is Different

I feel like I have been riding a roller coaster for almost five years. I love (am all about) roller coaster rides but sure ready for this one to end.

I started the ride with both hands above my head but been through so many twists and turns ended up holding on for my life and sanity.

My husband's working and living a thousand miles away from home and I'm home womaning the fort. My younger son still lives here and has turned out to be a huge help (except for the garage door fiasco) much welcomed and sometimes needed company.

Tim seems to be doing great with his new job in Texas and I'm loving mine in Atlanta more with every shift I work.

I get to somewhat mingle with people from all over the world, hear some pretty fascinating, amazing (sometimes ridiculous) stories and meet people I've only heard or read about until sitting smack dab in front of and talking with me. That's pretty cool to an old chica like me.

The other day I waited on a couple who were probably in their late sixties. When I first approached the table the husband asked if I would take a selfie of them with their phone... to which his wife

quickly corrected in her British accent wasn't a selfie if someone else took it but handed me her phone anyway and both smiled as I aimed and said "Cheese!". Maybe I should have said "Cheers" which seems to mean any number of various things to Brits. It's like you can't make 'em mad. They cheer you on with each response.

The husband said he wanted a picture of them having dinner on the last night of their trip around the world.

Shut up!

I was totally impressed. WHAT a Bucket List item to mark off and wanted to hear all about it!!

They had a leisurely dinner, drank two bottles of wine and conversation with them was fantastically interesting and yes I wrote it down.

At the first of January they left home from London Heathrow  and flew to Singapore. They stayed a few days then took a cruise around southeast Asia for over two weeks. The cruise ended in Hong Kong where they spent a few days. Then they flew to Bangkok  and spent another week. After that they flew to New Zealand and toured the north and south isle for two weeks. From New Zealand they flew to Honolulu and spent another week before flying to San Francisco, staying in Union Square. They drove to Yosemite, picked up route 66 and drove to Arizona staying with friends for a while (or bit) as they say continuing on to Santa Rosa and eventually Dallas. They caught a flight from Houston to Atlanta and were waiting for the flight back to Heathrow.

Heck yeah. That's on my to do list too now!

It's weird working at an international airport. Christmas time is slower while street-side restaurants enjoy Beach Season but when Spring Break starts in March the international airport is flooded with passengers traveling as street-side servers twiddle their thumbs and take time off as well. The airport continues to rock through the Masters golf tournament week. Next schools get out and will run full force ahead into the summer months of vacationing.

How did I get so lucky?

I'm approaching my one year anniversary so realize now you have to put back a little every Phat week to make up for the slow weeks but still making more in a slow week than ever did street-side in a busy one.

This is just what we needed to slow the roller coaster and eventually hear "Watch your knees and exit to the left."

I spent so much time worrying about everything gone wrong that almost forgot how to enjoy what's going right.

I can say with (almost near) conviction now that everything is going to be alright. It almost feels like taking a trip around the world!

 We started in a good place, visited a few rough neighborhoods and almost slept under a highway bridge but didn't have to.

It got worse before getting better but at least did and am grateful for the blessing.

My daughter has been coming home from college every weekend since her dad left. I think it freaks her out a little with her parents living a thousand miles apart while I just tell myself he's upstairs sleeping when I get home from work and somehow suddenly doesn't hear or complain about me vacuuming after midnight.

This past weekend she came home and we got to spend an entire evening together.

Girls rock.

We spent hours going through old pics, cooking a fantastic meal together and fixing things around the house. I got "muh hurr" cut the other day and Massey even highlighted it for me, digging into my scalp for thirty minutes with the crotchet looking needle, pulling my short strands of hair through the ridiculous looking plastic cap.

You gotta pay to play.

Life feels like it's getting better.

I'm even having more good hair days and to a woman, that means a LOT.

Til next time, ( crossing her fingers) COTTON