An Airport Kind of Day

I'm in the Tucson airport waiting for a plane. I got here at 6 am, hoping to fly stand-by. Rather, fulling believing that I would fly stand-by because when I spoke to my travel agent on Friday, she said there were six seats left on the plane, so surely (don't call me Shirley - sorry!) I'd be fine. I wasn't fine. It's spring break, so the 7:10 am plane was over sold. As was the 8:20, and the 9:30, and the 10:40, and that leaves me going out on the flight that was originally booked, 11 something, I'll check my boarding pass, God knows, I have time. I won't get back to NY until 8:30 tonight which is the unpleasant part because I was really hoping/wanting/needing to get back to my sons this afternoon. They have done fine. They held up well. Dan said they fell asleep in the van on the way home from the zoo (they went out to breakfast and then to the zoo to see the camels and sea lions and zebras - their faves!), and when they woke up, they were both crying and wanting me. :( Okay, so I'm a lightweight. 3 days and 2 nights is too long for me without my sons, and my husband, but mostly my sons. We talked on the phone and Dan emailed me pictures of them. If I could have figured out where the damn pictures were on my computer that I downloaded from the new camera that Dan got me when my old camera (that I was able to work) broke, then I would have been able to email pictures to them, and even post some here, but I will figure it out, though it's been tres annoying. Almost as annoying as people throwing in a lame French word in a thoroughly lame way. Anyway, I miss my sons. I am keeping my older son home from preschool tomorrow, and we will go to the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk to see the penguins that they just got there, so that will be great fun. My older son called me on my cell phone this morning when I was in the cab on the way to the airport. It was 5:30 am Tucson time, so 8:30 Irvington time. He told me that his father was telling him what to do too much. I asked him if that had anything to do with going to school. He said it did. I told him that I understood not wanting to go, but it would make the time go faster until I got home. He said maybe for you, but not for me. I reminded him that he didn't go to school on Friday. He said that was then, this is today. Can we just apply to law school now??? I told him that Momma and Daddy's job is to work and his job is to go to school, then quickly changed the subject and asked what he had for breakfast, knowing full well that he hadn't eaten yet. I could hear the low-blood sugar in his voice. He said that Dan had made oatmeal. Okay, is he a hero or what?? Cooking, for God's sake. Though Dan could have made ice cream floats (remember Coke Floats when you were a kid?? My sisters and I LOVED those), and my son wouldn't have been happy. I suggested he ask Daddy to make him a waffle (a frozen one from Whole Foods that my older sister, Elizabeth saved the day by picking up for us when she went there last week), and that did the trick. Hooray! But I wish I were already home. Though I did have a great weekend. The festival was wonderful. It was the first one they ever had, but you wouldn't have known it. Every detail was thought out and perfect; the crowds were huge; the weather stunning. It was a glorious weekend. Not least of which was seeing Garth Stein again. We did a panel together at a festival in Florida in January, so it was great fun to see him again yesterday. He came to my panel and I went to his. If he is in your area, don't miss him!!! I assume you've already read his The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is incredible; be prepared to laugh and cry. I also ran into Michael Gates Gill in the author's lounge at the festival. Mike is amazing. Get his book, How Starbucks Saved My Life. It is a beautiful story of transformation and redemption, two subjects close to my heart. And Mike is a joy, so it was a treat to see him again. My panel was with Bonnie Marson whose book, Sleeping with Shubert is a wonderful read. I really enjoyed doing the panel with her. Our topic was writing without fear or an MFA, and the audience had so many questions that the moderator, Laura Fitzgerald, barely had to speak, but she was lovely. It was interesting to hear Bonnie's process. We had some interesting overlap, but a lot of differences in how we work that I think it gave a nice full view. But the nicest part of the weekend was that my sister Pamela who lives in Albuquerque flew in and was with me from Saturday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. I don't think we've had alone time together since I visited her in Albuquerque ages and ages ago. It was really heavenly. I felt like we were able to reconnect in our relationship from who we are now. There was finally the time and space to do that. I feel so blessed to have her, and my other sisters. All that shared history and shorthands. We had so many laughs - Pam is hysterical - and got to realize some similarities in our lives that we hadn't before, and isn't that a gift? So, other than missing the boys so much that it made me ache, it was a glorious, heavenly weekend - and with sun!! I feel very fortunate to have been able to go. Thank you, wonderful, supportive husband!! Earlier this morning, I was at a kiosk getting a cup of coffee, and telling Dan on my cell phone that it didn't look like I'd get back earlier, and he was so relaxed about it, and so happy that I had come here, and I said to him, "I have the best husband." And the woman next to me said, "No, I do." Love her!!!
xo