Sunday, August 19, 2007
Week Past 08/13-08/19/07
Tue 08/14 another thunderstorm was forecasted. It rained hard late afternoon accompanied by hail the size of pearls. Wish it were pearls! The lawn and trees we planted are finally getting the amount of water needed and then some.
Wed 08/15 my brother Jo, his wife Janea and three kids arrived from New Jersey. Just like my aunt and sis from Boston they would be here only for five days in time for our Mom's 78th birthday. It's good to see them again including my nephews and niece. They rented a van so there was no need to pick them up at the airport. They wanted to try out the Garmin GPS they just bought. Sleek. Just enter the address of your destination and it'll lead the way with voice instruction. If you missed a turn it'll "advise" you to make a "U" or recalculate your position to give the new direction. This gizmo is great especially if you're a limo or cab driver. No fear of getting lost even if your new in the area.
Thu 08/16 we celebrated Mom's birthday at home. I bought the cake and W bought chicken and pasta at Bucca di Beppo. She also grilled some rib eye steak, uhmm yummy. As expected Dad loved it. I'am full.
Sun 08/19 my brother and I took our parents to the airport to catch their 12:00 pm flight. After two months stay with us its time to go back to CA. The day is cloudy and sort of gloomy much like what my parents are feeling as they prepare for their departure. I know it's stressful for them to be travelling on their own at their age. Mom needs a wheelchair as she finds it hard to walk the distance from the check-in area to their departure gate. Airports nowadays are humongous in design to better accomodate the ever increasing travellers and traffic.
Before the day is done I would be tracing their whereabouts as their flight was delayed. My brother-in-law who was to pick them up in LA called and said they were not in their scheduled flight nor in the flight that followed. I called the American Airlines. The first person I talked to was of no help. She kept on saying she cannot give me any information for security reasons. Yeah right, I was giving her all the passengers' information. All I wanted to know was if they were able to board another flight and at what time they were expected at LA. What if it was not a delayed flight and something happened to them in transit. Very frustrating.
Breath in, breath out, now relax. I called again and with a very calm voice I told the operator that I have a problem and I'am very worried. This time it was a guy who answered and was very helpful. He resolved the problem quick. I was able to call my brother-in-law of the new flight schedule and arrival.
My parents were supposed to arrive at 4:00 pm Sunday they never got there until almost 12:00 am Monday. Their baggage came in on another flight. They were able to get out of the airport past 1:00 am. The drive from the airport to the house is another 45 minutes. My bro-in-law spent almost ten hours at the airport. He has to report for work early morning. I can only say I'm very grateful and appreciative.
Cause of the delays: Stormy weather in Chicago their stopover.
Sun 8/19 I accompanied my brother and his family to the Waterpark of America. It's an indoor waterpark so although the weather was rainy that day it was still packed. We were wrong when we thought otherwise. It was also my first visit to the place. The kids loved it.
Pics shows Mom with her 78th b-day cake, Jo/Janea and kids at the Waterpark, and group pic before Mom and Dad's departure and eventual delays.
