whats happening in Cincinnati??? I am so desolate

Just to let you all know, we had a wonderful time with Alex visiting, lots of laughs and giggles, and luckily no tears on my part when he left, he kept saying, mom, be strong...be strong mama..no crying.... so I decided that dad should take him to arport cause i just fall apart. last time, i got the uncontrollable sobs, and I tell you it was pathetic, mascara running down all my face, eyes swollen red and shut practically, it is a 30 minute drive to airport, and i start the minute we get in the car and just cant stop. by the time he gets on the ariplane i am just a mess....and then there is the part that i cant physically let go of him, i stand there hanging on to him with a death grip, and let me tell you how unattractive that is....so I stayed home, and idnt cry in front of him at all... I was so proud of myself.

Alex's saga continues, it is going to take him 2-1/2 days to get home. the delta flight out of istanbul was delayed, so he would have missed his nyk connection which was going thru cincinatii, well, so they re-booked him on a later flight which would have necessitated a night in nyk, delat was so nice to book him in a hotel and pick up the tab, until he got to nyk and they said, no we cant put you up in a hotel because you are under 18, we can put you up with another passenger. well, he wouldnt have anything to do with that....so theybooked him on a red eye to las vegas, then to portland, but then that flight was delayed or something, also he has a long lay over in las vegas, doesnt get into portland till like 2:15 on saturday, which will be about 2-1/2 days after he has left here....

That kid needs to take boats, LOL.

Glad your goodbye went well this time. You paint a pretty vivid picture of the alternative scenario! (((hugs)))

lol@gw...i agree with the boats ; )
Pebble,
I'm glad y'all enjoyed your time together. Bill left on Weds and i hate airport departures too. We've gotten good about pulling up to the passenger drop off point, both get out, grab his bags, quick kiss and hug and thats that....except this time i had a hard time letting him go...

GW, if boats werwe faster I would consider it....
You should see what an embarresment I am to the kids when I sob....but then, the next visit, it starts out with Michellle saying: this is how she cried when you left last time, and it becomes one big joke. This time around, it was Alex showing us how I sob into him. I have him in a big hug *keep inmind, I am also holding him up, cause the crutches are in the way, so he puts them down, and I am his sole support) ok, picture this: i have him in a bear hug that has to be a death grip, cause can you imagine if he fell on me? then...I am sobbing, and this is how alex describes it. mom, you 've got me in a death grip, then you're pushing your tummy in and out which each sob, and i am tittering and on the brink of falling so i hang on tigher, and I know you think i am just hugging you fiercely. but mom, I am just scared to death that you are going to make me loose my balance and then we will fall and OH MY GOD MOM< I just cant bear to think of what kind of scene that will create. so mom, no crying this time.....you gots to be strong mom.....His parting words to me....

MsJen, yeah, that's about the kind of farewell I use to give my DH when he left town, he moved to turkey about a year before we did I think, but heck....it was just as quick as it is with your DH.
ms. jen, I pray that your dh is safe at all times.

Egads, I just got this e-mail from my sister...is this hysterical or what????

I guess he got on the NY-LAS Vegas flight and it took off.
Due to come in to Las in about 2hrs........but guess what the
he was supposed to connect to..........GOT CANCELLED!
So he wouldn't have made it anyway...........he's got about 10
hrs in Vegas and then he comes home.........it will be close to
1am your time when he gets here - do you still want us to call
or just send a quick email and then call Sunday am.

can you imagine???? gotta just laugh or |I'm gonna loose what few marbles I have left....

lol bigtime. do we have anyone in las vegas that can go keep him company? lol

Have him sign on one of those Internet kiosks and sign in under your name at DG. Maybe us nightowls can talk to him in a thread! LOL

oh what a great idea, but I have no way to get a hold of him....he left his cell phone here
ok, next trip we will prepare him....lol

Your lovely son Alex's does really well, It must be because he has the right mom and dad. you are all wonderful

Pebble, I hope he has some time to Journal his experience on his winter break. This will give him some time for reflection and hopefully affirm his ability to survive on his own under difficult circumstances. What a great family!
I'm glad he didn't have to come back thru Cincinnati; things there haven't improved very much I gather.
Gary/Louisville

Pebble, What an experience he will remember for the rest of his life! I thought I was the only one that cried uncontrollably at airports. I cry coming or going! I secretly was happy that the airport security only lets you get to a certain point in the airport if you are not a passenger because I would have hung around until the cows came home! Now i don't feel guilty about quick goodbyes, love yous, and on my way!

BTW, I did that at the airport in Germany; I went to spend New Year's with my DH (he was my fiance at the time) and I didn't want to leave him. I hung onto him and bawled my eyes out. It was a bit embarrassing as here we were two grown ups and I think I made him feel uncomfortable. If that wasn't bad enough, we did all that and they boarded us on the plane, Ralph decided to wait until the plane left and they unloaded us because there were so many storm fronts going on and awful snowstorms in the states. Don't you know I did it all over again with people staring at me. I really want to get under the rug, but couldn't stop!

Has Alex made it to Las Vegas? Believe it or not, there is a lot of snow in the western part of the states today. But, if he is in LV, he is much closer to home than on the trip over.

So glad you had a wonderful time. Anybody out there in Las Vegas reading this that can get to the airport? Hold up a sign....'Looking for Alex, son of DG's Pebble, Delta' :)

Keep us posted Pebble. Saying prayers he gets home soon. Kathy

What a saga! So glad to hear you had a wonderful visit tho. And he got over the bug he had? Be watching here to hear he makes it home safely.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! 20-something years ago when my DH took his first business trip, there I was standing at the window with my DD in her stroller, waving teary-eyed at the moving plane. That was the last time he let me see him off at an airport

Alex got home safely. He called us to let us know that he was in Vancouver, Washington. poor kid, although I have to say, he is quite the trooper and not complaining about it. He did manage tosleep from NYK to las vegas, he was not groggy during his 10 hour layover, he was itching to play the slots, but the gambling age is 21 so he couldnt, thank God for small favours.....On the phone he says to me: MOM, youwouldnt believe it, there a slot machines everywhere, there was a wheel of fortune one that I was just dying to play, it had a winning amount of 3 milyon something (I dont remember the exact figure, but he told me, down to the penny practically) lol.....
Anyway, he is doing great, and I am happy that he is home and safe, I had a wonderful time, and now I'm stressing that I wont see him for 6 months cause I dont think I will be able to go home in march or april, cause I am starting my own company, and will not be able to take the time off, but more important, wont be able to afford it....(LOL) small matter of finances. His trip cost a pretty penny, and now I need to plunk all my pennies into the company.
When I have my website up and running, I will post it and ask you all to critique it for me....

Thanks everyone for all your concern, kind words, prayers and encouragements. It makes me so happy to be a part of a cumminity that is right there ready to rally round when one of its members is down, (I was so touched by the offers of going to the cincinnati airport when he was stuck there)

this is a wonderful family we have here.

cheers/pebble

Hurrah! safe and sound, home again!

lol kooger, sounds like quite a saga the kid has been thru.....

...what I did on my Christmas vacation.....

I've been keeping up with your Christmas and and happy to hear your Son Is back safe. Have a great year.

Pebble, so glad to hear that Alex is home, safe and sound. He is no doubt, exhausted, but reflecting on all that he did and the time you spent together. Will there be a time that the two of you can be together on a permanent basis? I am 3 hrs away from son and miss him terrible, I can only imagine what you must go through. Take care of yourself and relax now Mom. :) Kathy

I am glad that Alex made it home safely, if not in a timely manner.

Kathy, I hate to think about it, but probably not on a permanent basis. He comes home for the summers, and when I go home there, its for 3 weeks or so. He'll be off to college in a couple of years, I would have lost him then anyway, well...that thought kind of keeps me grounded.