Back on the Road with Travel Man

I’m on the road with Travel Man this week.  Yesterday we took a short flight to the Sacramento airport.  Only a little over an hour in the air (we call these up/downs).  Everything went fine. Flight was good, got in just a tad late, walked through the terminal to get ourselves to baggage claim.

Oh wait, and  before we mosied over to baggage claim Travel Man had to make a mad dash back on the plane.  He left his Nexxus tablet in the seat back (this never, ever  happens to him).  He tried to claim I distracted his “normal” flight check routine.  The nerve!!

Now we’re at the baggage claim waiting for our suitcases.  Travel Man  tells me a little story he read about suitcases being stolen right from the baggage carousel.  We’re still waiting for our bags.  Finally here comes the big Travel Man bag, his tool box, and we spot my bag with the pink luggage tag at the top of the carousel.  Travel Man’s bags come around the carousel no problem, and then we’re waiting for my bag.  Waiting, waiting and no bag.  So,  Travel Man booked it into high gear around the other side of the carousel. I’m watching the people leaving to make sure my bag with the pink tag is not rolling out the door without me.  Travel Man gets to the other side of the carousel, and my bag was just sitting on the floor, off of the carousel.  The nerve of some people.  Someone took my bag off of the carousel, realized it was not their bag, and just left it sitting there.  Luckily we were pay attention, and my Super Traveler rescued my bag from the perils of some other fate.

Thought for the day - always pay attention to your belongings when you are on the road. Oh and don’t leave home with out a Travel Man!!

Our Nest is Minus One.

A little over a week ago one of my twenty-something’s flew the coop and went out to conquer the world all on her own.  Hilary has lived away from home before, but this time she’s striking out on her own to live the independent life.  I’m a little worried about her (because that’s what I do), because of her seizure in February.  But when you have kids with chronic conditions you have to let them go, let them learn to be their own person, and let them find their independence.   Just like all of your other kids.

The way the family dynamic has changed with the kids moving out on their own is not something I had really ever contemplated too much.  I knew it would happen someday, one day; way, way, way down the road.  And now suddenly here it is staring right at me.  When you are in the throes of raising your kids, and working full-time you don’t always have a lot of time to ponder these thoughts.  If you’re like I was, you would put your nose to the grind stone, get everyone where they needed to be on time, and then you moved on to the next day.

Now,  with only one of the birdies left at home it is sometimes, slightly strange getting used to the quiet, calm, and peacefulness of the household.  I can remember the times when we would be having dinner, going to someone’s school event,  getting homework done, and then getting ready for the next day.  It could definitely be a tiring grind, but in the end, as a parent, always rewarding in one way or another.

It seems as if I am rambling on here, mixing new experiences with old memories.  I think the new experiences bring some of the old memories back to life momentarily.  At least that’s what happens in my head.

I can remember back to a few conversations Travel Man and I had when the kids were all in high school.  We would talk about one day, someday having the house all to ourselves.  At the time we had those conversations it seemed like those years were a million miles away.  And it’s funny now that, that time is right in front of us it seems like our time with all kids with us under the same roof,  through all of the ups and downs, was so short.  Here and gone in the blink of an eye.  That is such an irony for me.  Just a crazy, crazy irony.

Entering this new phase of life has been interesting for me.  It’s been a learning experience for me to let the kids go, and do and be.  I always, always wanted each of them to be independent spirits, and successfully find their way in the world.  But I have to admit that letting go of the “mom cord”  can be very difficult.  I am doing it though.  I’m working on getting back to some old hobbies that had been neglected, and discovering new hobbies.  It’s a whole new world for me.  A new world at home, and a new dynamic added to the relationship with the kiddies that have flown the coop.

One thing is for certain though, the love you have for your kids never, ever fades.  They may think that it wanes occasionally, but it never does.  It is and always will be unconditional.  Nothing stands in the way of a Mother’s love for her children, no matter how old they are.

Happy Mother’s Day

Today is Mother’s Day.  And I want to wish a happy Mother’s Day to all of you Mom’s and Grandma’s out there.  I want to send an extra special package of love to my Grandma, my Mom, and my daughter Naomi.  All important Mom’s in our family circle.

This post is all about when Naomi was born.  The pictures shown above were taken the first time Naomi met her Grandma Joan (Marma), and her Great-Grandma Nehls.  Naomi was about two weeks old.  We were living in Wisconsin at the time, and my parents travelled from California to see their newly born granddaughter (the first grandchild), and my Grandma came up to visit us from Illinois too.  Naomi was also the first great-grandchild in the family.  What a special, special memory.

That same weekend this five generation picture was taken.  We’re so lucky to have this memory.

From left to right this is my Great-Grandpa Quist, and myself holding Naomi. Standing behind us is my Grandma, and my Mom.  I love this picture.   It is a treasure.

I recently found this poem my Grandma penned to my Mom the day after Naomi was born.  It is such a sweet sentiment on becoming a Grandma I wanted to share it with you all.

On Being A Grandparent

Dear Joan,

I’m glad you were able

To sit at our table

Tho’ Lord knows the time was too short.

And while sleep we were lacking

T’was more fun just yakking

And sharing a generous snort.

 

I know it’s a trauma

For you to be gramma

As for me—at long last I am Great.

And I’m sure you’ll adjust

As all Grandparents must

For it’s really a wonderful fate.

 

When Renee gets to show me

Her precious Naomi

My pleasure will be overflowing

And I’m glad I will be there

When you and Jim see her

For I’m sure that you both will be glowing

 

I called Bobbi and Mother

But not any other.

Remember you told Dad you’d call

I know he’ll expect it

If you recollect it

Is really a first for us all.

 

I hope Grandma Nehls

Reconsiders, and feels

That the trip would be too long and taxing.

If she goes, I will drive

And I guess I’ll survive

But to ride with you would be relaxing.

 

I’ve written Loretta

And I hope they will get a

Day off and bring Dad as per plan.

Other wise I’ll be going

(Lord, I hope it’s not snowing)

To White Lake to get the old man.

 

So at this point it’s iffy.

Let me know in a jiffy

When your plans are all made and you’re due.

And I’ll have to see

Who is going with me

Or if I can ride up with you.

 

I’m glad that your visit

Was really exquisite.

Your reunion was joyous and hearty.

But it’s really outrageous

That girls of your ages

Indulge in a big slumber party

Now I’ve done what I said

With this rhyme you’ve just read

And I hope that you found it amusing.

But if I tried much more verse

It could only get worse

I’m afraid you would find it abusing.

 

With love,

Mom (and Harry)

Anne L. Nehls

On the birth of Naomi Carolyn

 This post has been linked to the GRAND Social linky

The Travel is Becoming Commonplace-

I did not think this would happen to me, but it seems that Travel Man’s hectic, crazy travel schedule is becoming commonplace for me.  Is it because I am more accepting of his crazy schedule?  Is it because I have come to expect his travels to be randomly scheduled?  Or is it because I am finally able to accept the travel/work schedule as our “normal”?  I’ve been asking myself these questions over the past few weeks.

On one hand I feel slightly worried about letting the “normal” become too commonplace for myself.  On the other hand it is a good thing for me to be more accepting of the situation, because I am actually able to be relaxed when my husband tells me he’s going to Bangkok, or Brazil, or a rather remote location in Canada.

This is probably a good place to give you all a little back story about Travel Man’s job.  I don’t think I have ever explained why he travels so much.  My Travel Man is a Field Service Technician for a company called F.R. Drake, based in Virginia.  Drake manufactures the machines that orient and load the hot dogs into the packages that we all buy in our local grocery stores.  Their machine is a small portion of the entire hot dog/sausage making process, but it is also a very necessary one.  When Travel Man is out on assignment he is either installing new equipment for a production line, retrofitting a machine, or fixing a problem with a machine.  He works out of our house here in California, but can be dispatched anywhere in the world.  His first assignment with Drake,  almost two years ago now, took him to South Africa.

Now, back to my story- When Travel Man initially took this position I stressed and worried about him being in so many places, and on back to back assignments.  It was particularly stressful for me when he travelled out of the country.  What would I do if he got sick, or something happened to him, and I could not get there?  I don’t have a passport yet.  I’m getting one this year, it’s at the top of my to-do list.

Then something strange happened to me this week.  When I took my Travel Man to the airport this past Monday morning I said to myself, “Hey I’m dropping my husband off at work.”  I’ve never really thought this to myself before.  His mode of commuting to and from work just happens to be an airplane.  And it’s not like he owns an airplane or anything, it just happens to be his mode of transportation!

What has been amazing this week is from the moment that I had this revelation a sense of calm came over me that is difficult to describe.   I felt less stressed, a teeny-weeny bit less worried (because I’m a worrier by trade), and a whole lot more accepting of this situation.  Previous to this week I always knew that this is what my husband needed to do to make a living, but I would always resist and stress at the notion that he had to travel about 80-85% out of the month.  Now, I am finally able to accept our “normal”.

My hope with my newly found revelation is that it will allow me to be the most supportive “Road Warrior” wifey that I can be.  That I won’t feel so lonely if I’m home by myself a little bit more.  It’s quite easy to have a little pity party for yourself when you’re all alone.  And most of all that I am able to easily and whole-heartedly let my Travel Man know that he is my hero for what he does, and the way that he works to take care of our family.

It’s Our Turn to Pay it Forward

While travelling from one city to the next with Travel Man last week we lost his Bluetooth.  It got left in the rental car when we were making a mad dash for the door to the terminal to escape the chilly Chicago “spring” weather.  Unfortunately, we did not realize this had happened until we got into the rental car at our destination airport.  The Bluetooth was brand new, it’s a pretty cool model, and Travel Man was bummed.   After a few attempts to reach the rental car agency Travel Man finally got through to someone who could help him.  The representative patched him through to the Chicago Midway terminal, and they checked to see if the car was still there, but it had already left the building.  Travel Man left his phone numbers and asked the agent to contact him if they found the Bluetooth when the car was returned.

We were not holding out much hope that we would see the Bluetooth again.  And a tiny, little side note; this entire phone calling phase of our day was going on while we were driving to Demopolis, AL from Birmingham.  We were exhausted from the days’ travel, and locating the right phone number (me), and then getting through to the right person (Travel Man) was nearly like a navigational “discussion”.    It was not pretty for a few minutes there, but we got through it.  Let’s see that was on a Friday.

Travel Man had to work Saturday morning, and would you believe he got a phone call from the rental car representative.  They let him know that his Bluetooth had been returned that morning, by the person who rented the car after us.  This special person made a special trip back to the airport to return Travel Man’s Bluetooth. Awesome!  The rental car agency shipped the Bluetooth back to our house, and it arrived a day after we got home from this trip.

If you’re a positive sort of person like Travel Man and I tend to be this is the kind of act that gives you a glimmer of hope.  Yes there are good people out there in the world.  Those people do kind things for one another on a regular basis; it’s a habit for them.  So if the person who returned a Bluetooth to Chicago’s Midway terminal is reading this post, we thank you.

And now it’s our turn – to Pay It Forward.  The kindness of a stranger goes a long way, probably even longer, when you’re travelling and away from home.  We always try to go out of our way to be helpful to others, and when given the opportunity we both lend a helping hand.  We are always happy to Pay It Forward.  That kind of opportunity usually happens when you least expect it.

Have you had a chance to Pay It Forward recently?

Top Ten Reasons It’s Great to Travel with a Road Warrior

As I told you all last week I had occasion to take a working road trip with my Travel Guy.  It occurred to me on the way home that there are quite a few perks to having an experienced, seasoned traveller by your side.

10) He’s the ultimate suitcase packer.  He knows how to fit EVERYTHING he (or should I say I) want to take into one suitcase.  This is especially important for me because I ALWAYS like to travel with an extra outfit, just in case.  I have gotten so much better at packing a suitcase over the years, but he remains the expert.

9) He always gets to the airport in plenty of time.  He always leaves himself enough time so there’s no frantic rushing through the security check point or through the airport, ever.

8) He travels a lot.  He accumulates tons and tons of reward points and perks for various airlines, hotels, and car rental venues.  We are especially lucky in this regard.  Nothing makes my Road Warrior happier than being able to share the reward points with a family member who needs to take a flight somewhere, or get a hotel room for a weekend trip.

7) All of the points he accumulates on a regular basis allow this gal to travel with him for mere pennies.  I am one lucky, lucky gal.

6) Check-in at the airport is an event, possibly even close to a marathon.  We always have bags to check, no dealing with carry-ons for these travelers.  Since the Road Warrior is a frequent traveler we most often avoid the long line for baggage check-in,  with the A-lister’s line (a Southwest Airlines perk).  People definitely give us dirty looks for going to the head of the line.  I just think to myself (a little selfishly), “That’s right people, I’m with this guy, and yep we got to go the head of the line”.  And then I think to myself, if other people travelled as many air miles as my Road Warrior does they would want to go to the front of the A-list line too!

5) Getting through the security line is our second event of the day. We have by-passed the baggage check-in line, and if it’s available we take the by-pass line for the security line.  Once again, exasperated stares from the “normal” passengers waiting in the “normal” line.  The Road Warrior does a little personal cheer on the inside when he gets to do this.  Oh,  and just a side note from the Road Warrior’s wife.  He carries a copy of the U.S. Constitution in his pocket.  It’s his way of protecting his rights while travelling through the security check point.

4) He’s so familiar with most of the airports in the U.S., he can recommend places to eat, places to plug-in your electronics, the best bathrooms, and the most comfortable seats to park in while you are waiting.

3) He loves to people watch,  and so do I.  We’ll try to guess people’s back stories, or the reasons they are travelling through the airport.  Sometimes, we just simply make up stories about the people we see.  It’s a good way to pass the time.

2) He travels with all of the necessities;  Kleenex, Tums, Clorox wipes,  for those sometimes yucky airline trays (he stays healthy this way!), aspirin, free drink coupons, a good movie to watch, and magazines.  The backpack he takes on the plane with him holds a ton of stuff (that’s a story for another day).

1)  For me the most important reason that it is so great to travel with my Road Warrior is it means that we are together.  We spend lots of time apart, so our time together is quite precious.  I would not want to travel with anyone else.

Our bags are packed and we’re ready to go.

On the Road with Travel Man

Our first flight at 30,000 ft.- somewhere over the Midwest.

This past week has been quite a week.  I have been on the road with my Travel Guy while he has been working. How did this happen you ask?  Well, the stars were aligned, the timing was just right, the destinations were workable, and there was an opportunity for me to say, yes I would like to go with you. So I did.

This trip has been a whirlwind of travel for me, totally the norm for Travel Man.  We left California last Tuesday morning for our first destination; Quincy, MI.  We flew into Chicago’s Midway Airport, and drove to our Michigan location.  Travel Man worked there for two days, and then on Friday we headed to Demopolis, Alabama via Chicago, again. He worked the weekend on his second assignment  in Alabama, and then we headed for home yesterday morning.  That is a story all on its own.

It has been quite a while since I travelled out on a job assignment with my hubby, and it just reminds me of how unique his work-a-day world is.  He really does not live in the Monday through Friday world at all.  He lives in the job assignment to job assignment world.  Many of his assignments require him to travel over the weekend, so his Monday’s and Friday’s come and go with little or no fanfare.  Not a lot of TGIF’s in his work world.

Now, I realize that the “Road Warrior” schedule is not for everyone, but my Travel Guy, he just puts his nose to the grindstone and gets the job done.  He does not always get to sleep in.  He is not always able to be home for Sunday breakfasts and the like, but this is his job.  It’s what he does, it’s how he rolls, and how we pay the bills.

We had some crazy weather while we were in Michigan.  We saw lots of lightning, heard some awesome thunder, and on our way back to the airport on Friday there were a few snow flurries.  Isn’t this April already?  What happened to Springtime?

We, or I should say I,  had some serious issues on Friday figuring out what time zone we were in.  I was insistent that we would be on East Coast time in Alabama, Travel Man was not convinced.  Thank goodness for the automatic updates on the cell phones. I totally relied on my cell phone for that update, and readily admitted I was wrong.   We were on Central time.

Now that I have experienced this work-a-day travel first hand again, it is much easier for me to relate to the fact that my guy can feel like a total zombie when he gets home.   And it usually takes a few days for him to feel “normal” again.   The time changes can really mess with your brain and your body clock.

All in all this has been somewhat of a relaxing time for both of us.  We have gotten to spend some much-needed time together, gotten caught up on some missed conversations, and gotten to eat more than a few meals together.  Over the next week I will have a few adventures and tales to share with all of you about my week on the road.  Stay tuned for more of my tales,  ”On the Road with Travel Man”.

Our Pets and Their Hierarchy

It’s a new day for the animals at The Party House.  If you have animals like we do, and you have both cats and dogs like we do,  you will understand what I am talking about here.  The animals have a pecking order, a hierarchy about them.  They have a certain way of treating each other, or in our case, ignoring each other, and a certain way they interact.  It can be incredibly entertaining.

Let me introduce our cast of characters.  First, and foremost is Tiger, the cat.  The Queen.  She is the queen of the roost, and always, always lets everyone know she is the Boss!  No question about her place in the mix.

Then we have Clyde, our terrier mix doggie.  Clyde is, how shall I say this, an introvert, a follower.  He does not like his routine disrupted, or messed with.  It makes him very nervous.  His legs get shaky when he’s nervous or in an uncomfortable situation.  When we’re having a Party Day he’s a Nervous Nellie the entire time the crowd is in the house.  He likes lots of love and hugs, or belly scratching.  Clyde is a good guard dog though.  He takes good care of me when I am home by myself, and protects his domain.

Next is our new arrival.  We adopted our daughter’s cat, Storm.  He’s a raucous and rambling guy, and likes to stir up the routine of the other animal residents in the house.  He’s the teenager in the house.  He’s a big guy, and is like the annoying little brother for Tiger.  He’s also the most mellow cat I have ever known.  Nothing really phases him, unless he’s super hungry.  Storm and Clyde have some kind of bonding thing going on too.  Maybe it’s a guy thing?  They like to pal around the yard together, and go on little hunting expeditions together.

Photo credit: B.Juedes

The most entertaining part of the day is when the animals get fed their dinner.  If you have animals you know they like a routine.  They like things to happen on a schedule.  At our house, I don’t feed everyone until 5pm.  They start milling around me in the house at about 4pm, just to see if I will give into Tiger’s meowing demands.  Tiger is the spokesperson for the group.  The other two just follow in her footsteps where food is concerned.  I usually stick to my guns and don’t feed the animals a minute before 5pm, because you know they are not the boss of me.  Once they are all fed they go on their merry ways for the evening.  That usually involves little drinks of water, and lots of napping.  Oh the life of a domesticated animal.

The 5pm Standoff!!

Storm also loves to annoy Tiger when she least expects it. He will jump up on a chair while Tiger is laying on the floor, and peer down at her, very intently,  until she hisses and scowls at him.  Once Storm gets a rise out of Tiger, he jumps off of the chair and very nonchalantly walks right past Tiger.  She can’t stand this of course, and hisses at Storm until he leaves the room.

The other entertaining thing about the animals is I have them all trained to know what the phrase, “Go to Bed” means.  I close the animals off in one part of the house at night so they cannot roam all over.  And actually now that it’s warmer Clyde and Storm sleep outside at night.  Tiger stays in and gets mad at me when I tell her it’s time to “go to bed”.  She hisses and scowls at me, and gives me her dirty looks, but she is still not the boss of me.  Travel Man cracked up at this,  the first time he saw me sending Tiger to bed at night.  He could not believe she actually listened, and went out to her little corner in the game room.

Oh what a tangled web we weave.  First it’s keeping the kids from arguing, and terrorizing each other, and now it’s the animals.  We are glad to have Storm as an addition to our little family of pets.  He has brought some new life into the mix of things, and keeps us quite entertained.  Welcome to the family Storm!

This post has been linked to the Grand Social linky at Grandma’s Briefs.

Very Exciting News

I am pleased as punch to announce that I have 100+ followers on my little, baby Revelings blog.  WordPress  notifies you with this cute little graphic!  Thanks to all the readers who have joined my little, blogging neighborhood.  When I started on this adventure about a year and a half ago,  I felt like I had stories and experiences to share that might touch someone, or make them realize they are not alone in their own life adventures.  I hope to continue to keep interesting stories, and recipes and insights coming your way.  Happy trails everyone.  Hope you’re all having a great week.

Luscious Lemon Squares

A few weeks ago I made some lemon squares, oh yum.  Since my lemon tree is still overflowing with lemony goodness, I keep baking and making treats with the ever so juicy lemons.

This is my favorite recipe for lemon squares from The Betty Crocker Ultimate Cookie Book.  I think I got this book from my Mom a few years ago.  Thanks Mom!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350°.
• Mix flour, butter and powered sugar.
• Press into ungreased square pan 8x8x2 or 9x9x2, building up a ½ edge to form a small crust.
• 
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Beat the remaining ingredients together on high-speed until light and fluffy.
• Pour this mixture over the baked layer, and bake again for 25-30 minutes.
• There should be almost no indentation remaining when lightly touched in the center.  A thin crust will form over the top of the bars.
• 
• While the pan is still warm sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.
• 
• Cool the pan completely, and then sprinkle with a second layer of powdered sugar.

I cut the 8×8 size pan into small little squares, and remember the lemon flavor gets better with age.  If you can stand to let these little beauties sit around for a few days they taste better and better each day.  This batch was particularly yummy, and the lemony middle just melted in your mouth.  I have to admit they did not last long, and I made a second batch a few days later.

My next lemony adventure will most likely be a lemony sorbet.  Looking forward to trying that one next week.  Happy baking everyone.  What’s your favorite lemony recipe?