Fun Weekend With a Nearly Sticky End

Paaaarty!

Ed and I returned late Sunday night from a very nice weekend in San Antonio. One of my best friends, Marion, lives there now, as do many of Ed's family members and friends, and I was excited to catch up with so many people with just one trip. We arrived late on Thursday night and went for an abysmal run first thing Friday morning (planes and late nights do not make for enjoyable running, but I had to get in the distance), and with that out of the way the fun began.  I spent the rest of Friday hanging out with Marion. We went out for Mexican food and strong margaritas, then did the kind of girly stuff we haven't gotten to do together in a long time,like getting pedicures and going shopping. I really enjoyed seeing her beautiful house and meeting her wonderful boyfriend Kent for the first time. In the evening, the three of us drove to a restaurant where Ed's mother generously hosted a dinner for his family and friends. The food was great, it was really nice to have everybody in one place.
We started Saturday morning with something that was a real treat for me: a two-year-old's birthday party. Ed's friend, Mike, has a spunky, adorable daughter named Josie, and we were invited to be a part of her birthday celebration. Even before the party, I had a great time going to the children's section of the bookstore and agonizing over which book to buy her. I ended up selecting a Richard Scarry collection. Josie's parents planned a paint party for her. Ed and I enjoyed watching adorable toddlers running around the backyard, getting paint on their canvases, smocks, and faces while their parents chased after them, intercepting plunges into the pool, wiping chocolate frosting off noses, and chatting pleasantly with us all the while. The rest of Saturday was relaxing and went by much too quickly. Ed and I, along with our host and Ed's good friend Marko, joined Ed's mother for brunch on Sunday morning, and then Ed and I had just enough time to investigate San Antonio's Sunken Garden before we had to go to the airport. 

The Sunken Garden

Here, our pleasant weekend hit a snag. Once the plane was fully loaded, the pilot announced there was mechanical problem and that the flight would be at least a little bit delayed. Ten minutes later, he told us that the flight would be very delayed and possibly cancelled. Over the din of passengers groaning all around us, Ed called his cousin for advice. Sandy is a travel agent and had booked our tickets for the trip. He did a bit of investigating on his end and found that the next flight to Atlanta, where we had a connection, had only a few empty seats left. He advised that Ed try to get off the plane and get us spots on that flight ASAP, before it filled up. A missed connection in Atlanta meant we wouldn't be getting home that night. Ed collected our boarding passes and went to speak to the stewardess; our hopes that she would let him get off plane were not high, but we figured it was worth a try. Then we got lucky. While Ed was chatting with the stewardess right in front of the door, the captain came back on the PA and announced that everyone had to get off the plane because it was going to the hangar for repairs. The flight would not take up for another three hours. I strained to look over the heads of the grumbling passengers to see the stewardess practically pushing Ed toward the plane door in an effort to get him off the plane and to the customer service desk as quickly as possible (which was really rather nice of her). I met his eye and waved him on frantically. By the time I made it off the plane, lugging my backpack, Ed's computer bag, and both of our carry-on suitcases, Ed had secured seats on the next flight to Atlanta. We passed an unbelievably long line of people from our plane who were waiting to rebook their own flights as we walked to our new gate. Our departure from Atlanta was delayed too, but only by about 20 minutes, we made it back home without further incident.

I love living in New York City and it's good to be back, but going to a different place can be a welcome change of pace sometimes. I very much enjoyed my weekend in San Antonio and am looking forward to being back for Thanksgiving in exactly one month.