A Year of Blogging: February 21, 2011

February 21 was President's Day. I was supposed to fly back to Ohio on President's Day. My original flight was scheduled for 5:30am. Which meant I had to leave Mom's at 3am to get to the airport by 4am. I would rather have more time at the airport than to be pressed for time and stuck in line in security. Sunday night, Delta canceled my Monday morning flight. I was supposed to connect in Detroit, which was getting hit with another major snowstorm. They re- booked me on a 5:30pm flight, to connect through Atlanta. A two hour layover in Atlanta meant I wouldn't get into Dayton until almost midnight. The change in my flight meant I got to spend an extra day with Sydney and Drew. Most schools in NY close for Winter Break the week of President's Day. Sydney had no school all week, and Drew did not have daycare on President's Day. We got a little bit of snow that morning, and Dad got called by the county to ride wing on the snowplow. So Mom and I piled into the Explorer and went across the mountain to babysit. For those who do not know, my parents live in the mountains. Well, their house is more in the valley. You can stand in their yard, and no matter which way you look, you see mountains. If you drive north or south from their house, you are encircled by mountains. If you want to go east or west, you must cross those mountains. My sister lives about 25 minutes west of Mom, so you have to go over the mountain. Technically, the road is called County Rt 40 or Plank Rd. Locals just call it 'The Mountain'. The Mountain has been part of my life since the day I was born. Before that even. Dad grew up on one side, Mom on the other. We've logged many millions of miles going over that Mountain. Sydney wanted pancakes for breakfast. She wanted them at the same time Mom was feeding Drew his cereal. So Sydney and I went to the kitchen and mixed pancakes. It took a few minutes, because I did not know where my sister kept her Bisquick, or her cooking spray. Sydney pulled her little stool over to the counter to help me, and she stirred the ingredients together. She has a pan that makes 7 or 8 small pancakes, each with a different animal face. I was in charge of pouring the batter, and cooking and flipping the pancakes. While I made the pancakes, she got out her plate, and the syrup (she had to use Pete's syrup- Pete is my cousin Beth's fiance. He makes his own maple syrup). She decided she wanted cherries on her pancakes (the kind of cherries you put on ice cream). When I questioned her, she said 'Don't worry! It will be good!' She couldn't find the cherries, and after searching through the refrigerator, settled on strawberries instead. Once she was fed, it was time to play. Sydney took me in her room so we could play. We played board games, dressed up like Princesses, played with her Polly Pockets (those little dolls are miserable to dress!), and just had fun. Being four, her attention span still isn't very long, so we'd play for a little bit then she'd pick it up and get out something else. She told me the things she will do with the horse my mom is going to buy her. She's going to name this horse Samantha. I didn't tell her that she'll be waiting a long time for a horse. I always wanted a horse, and asked for one many times. I'm almost 35, and still waiting for my horse! I was able to spend some time snuggling Drew. He laughs and smiles at me, and it just makes my day. I am really looking forward to the coming years, as he gets bigger and develops his own personality. It will be fun to play with both of them. Dad came over in the afternoon, and when it was time to go to the airport, Mom stayed with Drew while Syd, Dad, and I took off for the airport. When I got there and tried to check in, I found out my flight had been canceled again. Eventually, they re-booked me on a flight for the next morning. We took my suitcases and went back to the car. Halfway back to my sister's house, Sydney started telling my Dad he'd missed the turn. We had no idea what she was talking about until she said 'you missed the turn to the airport!' Dad told her we'd been to the airport, remember? She went in, and then we came out. Sydney said 'But we still have Aunt Amy!'. We explained that I had to stay until the next day, and she started smiling. A very broad smile that stretched from ear to ear. She was so excited that her play buddy could stay a little longer. Every time I looked at her, the smile was still there. So President's Day turned out better than I thought. Sure, I was extremely annoyed with Delta. But I wouldn't trade my extra snuggle and play time for anything!