home free

Well, I made it back okay. We basically started at 2:30 am (Alaska time), and ended up at 7:30 pm (Alaska time, again) for you folks in KS, it means we got up at 5:30 and finished the flights at 10:30. Once we hit Anchorage, we got back into snow.

I like traveling with grandma. I would have been lost in Seattle if she hadn't needed a wheelchair. As it was, there were no available wheelchair's, so we rode in one of those annoying little tour carts...Zipping around the holiday traffic like they were standing still (which most of them were). It has to be a Murphy's law that no matter where you land, your departing plane will be located on the other side of the God forsaken airport.
We hit Anchorage at 5:50 and had to be on the flight to Kodiak before 6:10. By calling in a TON of favors, we made it, but our luggage took the leisurely route and came in this morning instead.
It didn't really bother me, I have an entire apartment that I can scrounge up clothes, but Grandma was getting a bit testy about not having anything too clean in the morning.

The first person I saw when we landed in Kodiak was my friend R. (He works at the airport when he's not recovering from something or another. (this last bout was staph infection) I waved at him through the window, and he ended up helping Grandma down the stairs to the wheelchair we got her (it was icy, dammit. I wasn't going to chance it!). I'm blessed with wonderful friends...All over.

I ran into R.'s brother S. Today. S., Mel, (you know, ;) ). He gave me a hug 'cuz he finally was let out of the "Dark side" <-- his name for the back rooms of Safeway, where some doubt they'll ever see the light of day again. He's working all the time, or working on a relationship. The relationship is with a girl he hooked up with when he first got back. More power to him. He's still someone I like to see.

I didn't like Vicky when she first started being around Toby either, but they seem to be doing okay, and Vic turned out to be a person I kind of like in her own right.

Hello!

Mel called! My friend does read this!

I'll get a hold of her tomorrow though. I didn't get much sleep because I was up all night coughing (I've had the Kodiak Crud for a month now, and I'm trying to will it away) And I'm a space case yet. I was supposed to go to the "Cousins'" dinner today, but it was canceled...Oh well, their loss.

I missed PEO too. :( That I would have woken up from my nap to go to the meeting. Lem Lem, I do want to see you...Thursday?

I just got to see my old Youth Sponsors youngest kid...he didn't see me. Kid's taller than me (Which isn't saying much), but considering I dont remember him being older than one...it was quite a shock.

Now what?

I'm here. I want to go hunt up Mel and Aryn, and Brandie. But that's about it. I hafta tell Aryn about a girl up in Kodiak that makes earrings out of porcupine quills. Pretty classy otherwise.
I wanna talk to Lem about a few things that I might post later. Dad's coffee buddies (retiree wannabees and husbands of Mom's best friends) all want to see me tomorrow. They want to pin the cold weather this week on my arrival in Kansas.

Oh, ye of short term memories. I took 100 degree temeratures all the way through Canada when I left...you'd think they's be greatful.

Flatlandia

After almost two and a half years of avoiding this place, I stepped foot in ICT airport this afternoon.

Newsflash...it's still flat. A lot bigger than I thought it would be, but I've been living in a pretty insular world on the island.
Two years have seen some changes, a lot of houses have sprung up on the south side of town, the folks' church now looks like a shopping mall, the local Braums looks less like an ice cream shop and more of a mini-mart...they took down most of the trees near the middle school. That kinda torqued me, it was always a good place to get away and hide...which was probably one of the main reasons it was cleared.

I already feel trapped. And I'm only here for a week.