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It was a long day. A really long day if truth be told. Disembarkation days are my least favorite travel days. It seems like there is always a deadline hanging overhead, made worse by all the hurry up and wait.

Example – get up, breakfast and be out of the cabin NTL than 0800. That seems easy, right? Obviously we had plac’ed luggage outside the cabin the evening before. Walk-off with the amount of stuff that a toddler requires just isn’t going to happen. Both Shana and I managed breakfast, then I left her to the fun of waking up a toddler who had spent a bit too much time partying in the middle of the night and wanting to sleep in.

Our choice of waiting areas were the theater which offered enough space to run around a bit and get in a last game of bop-the-balloon, somewhere on deck where we would be in traffic areas, or back in the Tuscan Grill area (which was my morning latte and pastry choice). The latter was supposed to be open till 0930, the former till 0915. We stayed with the theater choice as my trip back to the Tuscan for more coffee had me deciding that a toddler mixed in with grumpy people, scooters, and walkers would not be a good idea.  So the theater it was (except for a few last rides in the elevator with the young man who has decided that elevator rides are one of the best things ever..)

Since the disembarkation process was running so smoothly – everyone was evicted from the ship early…. s0 there we were off the ship right before 0900. Did I mention that our flight was at 1515??? Getting off was relatively easy. Given the amount of luggage I elected to go the porter route and we were at the curb under the Pier 93 sign less than 10 minutes after exiting the ship. Lyft worked; we would up with the same driver as drove us back from the Navigator the previous week. The difference being that Saturday meant no trucks on the road. We were at the airport less than 30 minutes later. And then the fun began with the cranky kid. Shana and I were both exhausted, Lev really needed more sleep. And it was almost two hours before we could drop off luggage.

I checked with the ticket agent – no earlier direct flights. Any other combination would get us into Oakland later than if we stuck with the original plan. So we waiting. And waited. Long Beach is a decent small airpot. We found a place all the way at the end of the terminal with hardly any other people. And waited.

Lev, of course, fell asleep less than 30 minutes before boarding. He was really good on the plane. But even if he had screamed at us, I don’t think anyone would have heard him over the kids two rows in front of us. George picked us up, we managed to jam everything in our car and set out for home with stops for some groceries and take-away. I bailed out at immediately after supper and will be a asleep long before George returns from dropping Shana & Lev off at their home.

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About Holly

fiber person - knitter, spinner, weaver who spent 33 years being a military officer to fund the above. And home. And family. Sewing and quilting projects are also in the stash. After living again in Heidelberg after retiring (finally) from the U.S. Army May 2011, we moved to the US ~ Dec 2015. Something about being over 65 and access to health care. It also might have had to do with finding a buyer for our house. Allegedly this will provide me a home base in the same country as our four adult children, all of whom I adore, so that I can drive them totally insane. Considerations of time to knit down the stash…(right, and if you believe that…) and spin and .... There is now actually enough time to do a bit of consulting, editing. Even more amazing - we have only one household again. As long as everyone understands that I still, 40 years into our marriage, don't do kitchens or bathrooms. For that matter, not being a golden retriever, I don't do slippers or newspapers either. I don’t miss either the military or full-time clinical practice. Limiting my public health/travel med/consulting and lecturing to “when I feel like it” has let me happily spend my pension cruising, stash enhancing (oops), arguing with the DH about where we are going to travel next and book buying. Life is good!
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2 Responses to Home

  1. ron says:

    Who got the most out of the cruise?

    For Lev was it a never-to-be-forgotten event, or just almost as good as going to the beach with friends, or something in between?

    I assume Lev’s mother thought it was great. Lots of quality time with you and Lev, with few house keeping chores and lots of free day care.

    But you got to spend weeks on a couple of boats while still watching a grandchild grow up. We’ve met lots of people who would love to see more of our world, but prefer watching their grandchildren grow up.

  2. Cat says:

    Very brave of you to travel with a toddler – who looks absolutely delightful by the way!
    Took a bit to catch up with all this…like you I need sleep!

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