Speed Bumps Ahead

Only yours truly could turn getting incredibly good news into a comedy of errors.

You see, Thursday night, I overturned the gi-normous bag which I use to carry just about everything I own (it's a big honking purse, and I've threatened to buy a doll house sized kitchen sink for it just so I could say I carry that, too) and apparently missed my cell phone when I was shovelling stuff back in. It was dark. What can I say?

I didn't notice it was missing until I was packing up my stuff to leave after working late last night. I figured it was at home on the charger... although I couldn't recall when I might have done that.

Nope. No phone on the charger. Unloaded huge honking purse. Still not there. Restuffed huge honking purse. Not in the kitchen. Not in the bedroom. Not in the coat pockets. Not in the bathroom. Not in the laundry hamper.

Ooooooh! This was not good. Not good at all. You see... I don't have a land line. Haven't had one for years, and, up until today, I haven't wanted or needed one. (Yes, I'm rethinking this decision.)

And, of course, I had a list of things to do before catching a taxi to O'Hare for a 6:30 a.m. flight tomorrow. I had to go get a set of keys cut for my cat sitter this morning. Several small but vital last minute odds and ends to pick up. I also had 50 skillion loads of laundry to do.

Of course, one of my neighbors got to the laundry room first. Argh!!!!

I met with the cat sitter and got that straightened away.

I checked on the laundry room. Rats.

I started wrapping stocking stuffers for the Princess Mom. (Yes, we're doing stockings on shipboard. I admit it -- the two of us are like little kids about this stuff.)

Back downstairs with a load of laundry in tow. Hallelujah! The washer was free.

My afternoon and evening was a marathon of wrapping and schlepping stuff up and down three flights of stairs.

Finally, I was able to head back downtown to the office to finish up some stuff that simply must be done by Monday a.m. (I know, I know -- only an idiot shows up at the office at 9:00 p.m. on a Saturday.) First thing on my to do list? Call the last place I could remember handling my cell phone. Bingo!

Back out of the office, down the street and past the train station. Yay!!!! The phone was there... but, of course, the battery was dead.

Back to the office and dig out my extra charger.

Finally, I got the phone turned on, and waded through 20 voicemail messages. There's a letter waiting for me at Sunny Ridge.

It's 10:43 p.m. on Saturday night, I'm at the office and will be here for several more hours. I have a 6:30 a.m. flight tomorrow.

I've waited 26 years. 10 more days, though, might just kill me. Thank goodness I'll be with the Princess Mom, who provides countless distractions and endless blogfodder.

I'll call the Sunny Ridge lady from the airport tomorrow, and ask that she send the letter to my home.

It's the first time ever that I wanted a vacation to be over before it ever began.
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For all of you who have left me kind words, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is truly a terrifying time. I imagine that anyone who's ever been in my shoes fears, deep down, that they'll never measure up to expectations. Your words have given me a lot of comfort.
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I'm kind of sensitive about being called a mother. I'm not her mother. I'm her birth mother.

The woman who kissed her boo-boos, changed her diapers, helped her with her homework, taught her how to fix her hair and do her makeup and much, much more is her real mother. I will not ever do anything to take that away from her. I'm grateful to her every single day.

I'm just hoping for...

Wow. 26 years down the road, and I still can't wrap my arms around what I'm hoping for.

See what I mean about terrifying?
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