By nature, I am a homebody. I prefer to sleep in my bed, eat my own cooking and putter in my garden. During the month of March, I was traveling away from home for 17 days. I spent time in Florida, Massachusetts and New York City. In Florida, I caught up with Mother Fran, Child #7, and Child # 5 and his honey. Mother Fran had plenty of “jobs” for me including digging out roots from old bushes, planting new grasses and driving her to appointments. I enjoyed wearing shorts and flip-flops, kayaking and hanging at the pond.
I spent 5 nights in Massachusetts in 4 different towns catching up with old friends. I visited one of the nursing homes I used to work at and said hello to a few old patients and co-workers. I attended an Occupational Therapy Conference and earned 5 continuing education credits while catching up with even more friends. I got to meet a friends 6 month old baby and had a little snuggle time which is good for the soul. 
I returned home from Massachusetts on a Monday afternoon and my honey and I turned around and left for NYC on Wednesday morning. We visited my roommate from college and her hubby and caught up with another college friend. We saw my honey’s daughter and loaded up the car with some of her belongings to return to our house. In the City, we had yummy Indian and Mediterranean food.
It has been a crazy month! Fenway spent a lot of time at Number 9’s house and I pretty much owe him and his wife big time for taking such good care of her. I am blessed to not have to worry when about her when I go away!
March in Upstate NY came in an out like a lion. We had a decent snow storm and plenty of cold weather. I enjoyed my travelling but boy am I glad to be home with my honey and with my dog!
Some low points of March included spending 2 hours driving about 2 miles and ending up exactly where we started without accomplishing anything. We think there was some kind of parade for a fallen NYC firefighter and we simply couldn’t get where we needed to go. We spent 1 hour searching for a parking spot and then had to move the car in the morning. Never, ever give up a legal parking spot in NYC! When we returned, we spent another hour searching for a parking spot only to give up and park in a garage. My friend offered to bring me down a glass of wine while we circled around but that didn’t seem to be a good idea!
My rental car in Florida was not at Tampa International Airport as it stated on the paperwork. Instead, it was a $29 taxi ride away in South Tampa. Luckily I realized this the night before so it wasn’t unexpected. What was unexpected was that once I arrived to pick up my car, the guy behind the counter unapologetically tells me they have no economy cars and I will have to pay an additional $10 per day for an upgrade. My really good rental car deal was not so great after all!.
On my way home from Florida, the baggage claims person insisted I put my duffel bag in the container to see if it would fit under the seat. I tried really hard to jam it into but it wouldn’t fit. I am positive it would have fit under the seat but she made me pay the additional $25 to check it. I had to shell out my hard-earned cash on fees. Corporate America can make it hard for us little folk to choose wealth! What do you hate to spend money on?
The biggest bad news was that I got a speeding ticket while driving to Massachusetts. I have been driving since I was 16 and have never gotten a moving violation. My little orange car named Sun Burst likes to go fast! The officer states I was going 81 MPH in a 65 MPH zone. My only excuse is that I hadn’t yet learned how to use my cruise control. Don’t worry, I have figured it out! I don’t yet know the penalty for my major screw up as the tickets says once I plead guilty the court will assess a fine.
Traveling is expensive even when well planned. I got a good deal on my plane tickets but had to pay the extra $25 bucks for the bag. I got a great deal on the car rental but had to pay for the taxi and the upgrade. Driving to Massachusetts is always a cheap vacation but this year, the speeding ticket made it a bit more expensive. Oh and a trip to the tire store on my way out-of-town for a leak hit the wallet. In NYC, the parking garage was an unexpected hit but my honey paid for that one.
Seeing friends and family throughout the month of March was awesome. I am so glad I planned for and completed all 3 trips. The unexpected costs were a bummer but will not spoil my memories. Most of all though, I am happy to be home, sitting on my couch with my dog at my feet and my honey by my side.
Home Sweet Home!
Lake Girl!