And awaaaay we go!

It is 4:29 AM on Friday, June 27. I'm drafting this entry now while I am still awake, but I don't have internet access right now.

What a whirlwind couple of days it has been! Let's recap: on Wednesday, June 25 at approximately 9:30 AM, I got my passport and my plane ticket to leave for Korea, leaving at 6:45 AM on Friday, June 27!! So much to do, so little time. Such a cliché but for me, it has never been more true.

Thank God for such wonderful friends! Stephanie N, Kristin, Stephanie E and family – THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! No way would I have ever been able to pull this off without you all. I feel like I didn't do much more than zombie around and I completely apologize for that. I am just so completely frazzled and exhausted and I owe all of you SO MUCH. I love you all so very much and can never express how incredibly grateful I am.

Here is the run-down of the most harried two days of my life.

Wednesday after I got my plane ticket and broke down into complete emotional overload (Thank you Missy for putting up with my caterwauling!), I got busy. With my mind whirring a million miles a minute, I contacted all the utilities to cancel service (except Time Warner Cable, a separate entry on them later).

Then I dashed to the post office to mail a quilt top to Sage and some little gifties I had for Missy's wonderful kids. While there, I submitted a change of address, effective June 26, 2008. Then I went home and quickly loaded the car with the remaining items I had for Michael (my son). Three flights of stairs and a total of 8 trips up and down later, I hit the road for Austin.

I got to Mom and Dad's and unloaded the car (Michael can pick up the items from there). Visited with Mom and Dad for a bit and head still spinning, I hit the road back to San Antonio.

Once home, no time to rest. Stephanie N and Kristin decided to come down to help me out and for one last time together – slumber party! Steph brought her young charge who is the most incredibly well behaved happy child. While waiting for their arrival, I went over and over my list of things to do and wandering fretfully around the apartment checking and re-checking what need to be tossed, what needed to be packed.

On their road trip down, the girls were stopped by the police for speeding. Granted they were going 68 in a 65 zone, but what my brother (the cop) has told me is that up to five miles over, the police won't bother with you. I personally think this particular cop was targeting two young women and figured they were easily intimidated. When he first approached the vehicle he informed them they were going 68 mph. Then, when writing the citation, he reiterated that 78 mph was not legal – and wrote the ticket charging them for going 78! Then – and this is what pisses me off – when he asked what their rush was, they stated they were coming to see me one last time before I went to Korea for three years. Ignorant little jerk that this man was, he derisively sneered at them “You are lying! Korea is unaccompanied only and is a one year tour!”. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Shut your mouth, you stupid ignorant man.

While waiting for them to get her, Snuffles called to check in. The previous night he had sent an email saying “Come home soon!!”. I replied early in the day “How soon do you want me? Is Saturday good for you? 3:00 PM? Airline Flight Number?”. I also then wrote about the troubles with Time Warner Cable not allowing me to cancel the service.

Snuffles called and asked, “Did you get your passport?” In a weary voice, I replied, “I sent you an email, didn't you get it? Read the email.”

I waited while he opened the email. Immediately he exclaimed, “What? What the hell is wrong with Time Warner?!?”

I instructed him to read the FIRST line of the email and forget about the cable portion. He read it out loud, no real reaction. Then a couple of beats later, it dawned on him. “Saturday!!?? THIS Saturday!?!?! I thought you were JOKING in the first line!” Needless to say, very happy Snuffles. Then he reminded me of the package that was en route to me, the PSP (Play Station Portable) for watching videos on the plane. Oh crap! Forgot about that. According to the tracking number it hasn't left San Francisco yet. More info this to come.

The girls arrived safely and a very full toddler was put to bed and fell asleep immediately. I enjoyed having the girls there – they were sanity in a insane two days.

When I wasn't asleep at 4:00 AM, I gave in and took half an Ambien in order to get some rest. Snuffles kindly called and woke me at 7:00 AM as I had requested. THREE HOURS SLEEP!! Ugh!

Thursday was probably the busiest, most hair-raising day of all. I got up, wen to the post office to check on the status of the package coming to me. Remember, I had already changed our address at the PO the day before! The lady at the post office service desk said that they didn't have the package, but assured me that the package would be sent back to the shipper..

I got home and Snuffles called again – he traced the tracking number again and it showed as received in San Antonio, at the main center. So I called the 1-800-ASK-USPS number to find where the package was so I could go and pick it up. Both the employee and supervisor merely parroted repeatedly, “You can not pick it up until a delivery attempt has been made”, and of course the ubiquitous “I do apologize for that”. Sage, you do not exaggerate the Party Line LOL!!

I called my local branch office then and talked to a wonderful man, a God among men, Garza who checked the area and said that yes, it was there!! He put it aside for me and I was able to pick up the package! Score!!!

Then the girls followed me to the Carmax location so I could sell the car. While I went in to start the process, Steph and Kristin drove over to Time Warner to drop off the cable modem and cable box. Not without more idiocy from Time Warner, mind you, as I received a call from Steph asking for the last four of Snuffles' social security number. What the hell? Yes, Time Warner, we stole these items and are RETURNING them to you. Ugh.

Carmax – what a fabulous place!! Quick, courteous, professional. I am more than pleased with my transaction there. They took my information and then went to evaluate the car. They had several waiting areas to relax in, including a fabulous play room for children. When Steph and Kristin returned from Time Warner, the little one had a blast in the play room.

All in all, it took no more than an hour and a half for the entire transaction to be completed. I didn't have a lot of hope for much money for the car; figured I'd be doing damn good if I got $500. I didn't get $500. I got $1200!! I know it doesn't seem like a lot but with the time crunch I had, and the recent history of repairs on the vehicle, I was willing to give the car away. So over a thousand bucks was a very good deal for me.

We decided to go to a nearby Chinese restaurant for lunch and called Steph E. so she could meet us there. Just as we pulled up to the restaurant, a hand appeared in the window to flip the OPEN sign to CLOSED. LOL!! I thought that happened only in movies. Granted, it was about 3:00 PM so we weren't upset but it was just funny.

Instead we all met up at Taco Cabana for some lunch. I have to say, considering that in about 12 hours I was leaving to live in Asia for a few years, I'm glad we ended up having Mexican food for lunch.

Afterwards, we split up – Steph N and Kristin needed to stop by a couple of stores, and I needed to cancel my cell phone. The two girls took off and I got in the car with Steph E. As we drove towards the Verizon store, I realized that I had left all my paperwork in Steph N's car!! I called them and told them to meet us at Verizon as soon as they could.

At Verizon, I gave the gentleman a copy of the military orders and he faxed over the request to cancel service due to the move to the main office. He specified that the service was to be suspended on Saturday, June 28.

After that, off to the house where Steph E's husband met up with us. Luke – you are a saint, a blessing, a true-blue miracle. Thank you thank you thank you for doing all the grunt work. You saved my life!

We cleared out the apartment including a bookcase headboard and a box spring down to the dumpster (Luke did that), and stuffed Steph N's car to the gills with groceries, candles, etc.

After Steph and Kristin headed back to Ft. Hood, the rest of us gathered all the trash together and Luke again championed my day by being the designated dumpster diva. Then Steph and the kids and I donned our bathing suits and went to the pool for an hour or so just to cool off. Oh my, HEAVEN! Luke hadn't brought a suit (and didn't want to borrow Snuffler's suit - “can't have my boys where his boys have been” - LOL), so he chilled out on a lounge chair by the pool.

Then it was time for dinner. I decided that I wanted to take the E. family out to thank them in a small way for all their help. We went to Chili's and after about half an hour wait we were seated. You who know me can guess what is coming next. Yes, The Curse of the Gingersmurf!!

Oh, our waiter was friendly enough – he took our drink orders, delivered the beverages, took our meal orders. And we never saw him again. Someone else brought out the food, but without the ranch dressing that young Master E had requested. After a couple minutes, I flagged down another wait staff member who looked like he had just been chosen to be sacrificed to the volcano. I told him what we needed and he walked away, looking completely stricken. After an animated conversation with some other waiters at the drinks station, including pointing at our table, the sacrificial waiter returned with the ranch dressing. That was the last of any interaction with wait staff that we had. Steph herself went to the drink station a few times to refill the children's drinks.

As we finished our meal, Steph went to the front and requested that the manager come to our table. After explaining the service, or lack thereof, the manager comped our entire meal. Not that we were unreasonably whiny – all the tables in this waiter's area were in the same boat! A table of six beside us were very vocally unhappy as well. To be fair, I did ask if everything was okay with the waiter – the only thing I could think of was that maybe he was ill and stuck in the bathroom vomiting or something. No, the waiter was just incompetent. So yay for the Curse; another free meal on the books!!!

Then Steph and family departed (I am going to miss you all so much!!!!!) and I was alone in the empty apartment. My friend Deb and her two children stopped by to say their farewells and to pick up a computer of theirs that we had. Gotta love her kids – only those two would come to a completely empty apartment and ask for snacks and some toys to play with!! LOL!

After a bit, Deb left and I got everything packed into my luggage. I still needed to take out a couple bags of garbage, clean the refrigerator out, wipe out the oven (I had set it to clean the night before), tidy the counter tops, etc. but I was so worn out after all that had conspired over the previous 40 hours that I just gave up. My apologies to the Lodge but I couldn't lift another finger.

No furniture, no television, no landline phone, no internet. I was able to talk to Snuffles for a while on the cell phone until the taxi cab arrived to pick me up.

AAA Taxi in San Antonio is THE only choice. Their rates are incredible, their service goes above and beyond. I met the driver at the front gate and he drove me to the apartment and he carried all my luggage down! Three flights of stairs!!

Got to the airport in plenty of time and waited for the flight that would start my journey to The Land of the Morning Calm.

Note: From about 8:00 AM on Wednesday, June 25 to 4:00 AM on Thursday, June 26, no sleep. Sleep from 4:00 AM on Thursday, June 26 until 7:00 AM on Thursday, June 26.