Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
This morning, I was able to keep some Gatorade down and have been feeling better as the day progresses. I was watching TV downstairs this morning when Cameron came down the steps and told me he threw up in his bed. After we got him changed and feeling a little better, we let the kids open their presents. We have been taking it easy today and now everybody is going to have a little nap this afternoon. I’m hoping we can make it to Mom’s for dinner this evening, but I’m afraid that we’ll spread this stomach bug to everybody.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Back home on Christmas Eve
We woke up to freezing rain in NY this morning. I’m glad I planned ahead and had them put our plane in the warm, dry hanger last night. We delayed our departure a few couple hours to let the temperatures warm up a bit. So, we took off at 11:30am into a light (but not freezing) rain and soon headed Southwest toward our fuel stop in Fayetteville, NC. I’m also glad we took on a little extra fuel in NY, because we were fighting a 60 – 65 knot headwind all the way. The first flight took almost 4 hours.
Once on the ground in Fayetteville, we refuled and picked up some sandwiches for dinner. I performed my least favorite duty as captain (cleaning out the potty) while the kids ran around and got some exercise. Soon, we were in the air again. This time, I asked for a lower cruising altitude and we only had to deal with a 40 knot headwind. The weather continued to improve as we headed South and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset while eating dinner.
Justin was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat and I noticed him looking out the window a few times and checking the traffic screen. I finally figured out, he was looking for Santa’s Sleigh. There wasn’t much air traffic and the controller seemed pretty easy going, so I called in, told him my 6 year-old co-pilot and I were wondering if he had been tracking Santa and if he had visited Florida yet. Justin listened intently as controller replied that Santa was just getting started. He was still in Canada and was scheduled to be in Florida later this evening –perfect! Justin was very excited; it was a very special moment to see the magic of Christmas through his eyes.
Most of the time, I really enjoy flying and long trips don’t bother me. This evening though, I was starting to feel queasy and couldn’t wait to get on the ground. We finally landed in Tampa about 8:15pm. Michele stepped out and immediately vomited all over the tarmac. Everyone wanted to use the restroom, but the terminal was closed. I was feeling sick to my stomach as well, but Roland & I managed to get everything unloaded and locked up.
On the way home, Brandon said he had to go potty (#2) right away, so I pulled into the 7-11. Then, he vomited as soon as he got out of the car. Oh man, this was not shaping up to be a good night. We finally made it home and got the kids to bed so Santa would arrive. Then, it was my turn to be sick. Wow, I haven’t been sick like that in a LONG time. I was up all night getting sick every 30 – 60 minutes –I couldn’t even keep water down. No matter the position, I could not get comfortable, so sleep was almost impossible. Michele and Brandon had equally tough times.
Once on the ground in Fayetteville, we refuled and picked up some sandwiches for dinner. I performed my least favorite duty as captain (cleaning out the potty) while the kids ran around and got some exercise. Soon, we were in the air again. This time, I asked for a lower cruising altitude and we only had to deal with a 40 knot headwind. The weather continued to improve as we headed South and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset while eating dinner.
Justin was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat and I noticed him looking out the window a few times and checking the traffic screen. I finally figured out, he was looking for Santa’s Sleigh. There wasn’t much air traffic and the controller seemed pretty easy going, so I called in, told him my 6 year-old co-pilot and I were wondering if he had been tracking Santa and if he had visited Florida yet. Justin listened intently as controller replied that Santa was just getting started. He was still in Canada and was scheduled to be in Florida later this evening –perfect! Justin was very excited; it was a very special moment to see the magic of Christmas through his eyes.
Most of the time, I really enjoy flying and long trips don’t bother me. This evening though, I was starting to feel queasy and couldn’t wait to get on the ground. We finally landed in Tampa about 8:15pm. Michele stepped out and immediately vomited all over the tarmac. Everyone wanted to use the restroom, but the terminal was closed. I was feeling sick to my stomach as well, but Roland & I managed to get everything unloaded and locked up.
On the way home, Brandon said he had to go potty (#2) right away, so I pulled into the 7-11. Then, he vomited as soon as he got out of the car. Oh man, this was not shaping up to be a good night. We finally made it home and got the kids to bed so Santa would arrive. Then, it was my turn to be sick. Wow, I haven’t been sick like that in a LONG time. I was up all night getting sick every 30 – 60 minutes –I couldn’t even keep water down. No matter the position, I could not get comfortable, so sleep was almost impossible. Michele and Brandon had equally tough times.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Last Day in the Big Apple
Justin & I had a rough night! I thought he was feeling better, but he kept getting up every 30 or 40 minutes to vomit. The poor guy had nothing left in his tummy, but he couldn’t stop. Finally, he was too tired to get up, he was just roll over and wretch while I held the trash can. He would fall back asleep almost immediately. I, on the other hand, was too worried about him to get much rest. It went on like this until about 3:30am when he finally fell deeply asleep.
Surprisingly, Justin was the first one awake this morning. We took our time this morning, got a late breakfast and I went back to the room to get a little more rest. It was bitterly cold again today (20F & windy), so we decided to cab it over to Times Square and see the new Desperaux movie. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel and got ready for round #2.
We left the hotel about 4:30 and walked back toward the theater district. We had an early dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant and then saw the new Broadway Show “Shrek, The Musical”. It was really funny and everybody enjoyed it.
We took one more long, cold, walk back to the hotel and paused one last time near the tree at Rockefeller Center. Tomorrow, we will be heading back to Tampa and getting ready for Santa’s visit!
Surprisingly, Justin was the first one awake this morning. We took our time this morning, got a late breakfast and I went back to the room to get a little more rest. It was bitterly cold again today (20F & windy), so we decided to cab it over to Times Square and see the new Desperaux movie. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel and got ready for round #2.
We left the hotel about 4:30 and walked back toward the theater district. We had an early dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant and then saw the new Broadway Show “Shrek, The Musical”. It was really funny and everybody enjoyed it.
We took one more long, cold, walk back to the hotel and paused one last time near the tree at Rockefeller Center. Tomorrow, we will be heading back to Tampa and getting ready for Santa’s visit!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Skating at the Rock
This morning, we headed out for Breakfast with Santa at Rockefeller Center. It was a balmy 20 degrees outside and quite windy. We were just about frozen solid by the time we got to the Rock Center Café. We enjoyed a nice breakfast and then Santa came by to say hello. Afterwards, it was time to skate. Roland & Sandy decided it was TOO cold to stand around and watch, so they headed back to the hotel while Michele and I rented skates and helped get everybody laced up. We had a very nice time.
Next, we walked down 5th Avenue to FAO Schwartz toy store. We spent a hour or so walking around the store taking it all in. We told the boys they could each pick out one toy to bring home. Cameron got a jack-in-the-box, Justin got a remote control speed boat, and Brandon got a Star Wars light saber.
We were done walking around in the cold for a while, so we took a cab back to the hotel. We had a quick lunch in the lobby restaurant and then it was naptime.
In the evening, we walked over to Time Square and at “The View” revolving restaurant on top of the Marriott. The view was not as great as we had hoped, but the food was good. After dinner, we walked around Time Square and did some shopping. Justin got a cool new coat at Quicksilver and Cameron got a Batman watch at the Swatch store.
Our last stop was the M&M store. While inside, Justin started to complain of a stomach-ache. I took he & Brandon back to the hotel so he could rest. He seemed to be really uncomfortable in the cab ride back and I was afraid he was going to be sick in the cab. We just barely made it back to the hotel. When he stepped out of the taxi, he vomited all over the sidewalk (and his new coat) in front of the Intercontinental. Poor little guy!
We sent his coat out for overnight cleaning, gave him a warm bath, and now he is getting settled down for bed. I hope he feels better in the morning.
Next, we walked down 5th Avenue to FAO Schwartz toy store. We spent a hour or so walking around the store taking it all in. We told the boys they could each pick out one toy to bring home. Cameron got a jack-in-the-box, Justin got a remote control speed boat, and Brandon got a Star Wars light saber.
We were done walking around in the cold for a while, so we took a cab back to the hotel. We had a quick lunch in the lobby restaurant and then it was naptime.
In the evening, we walked over to Time Square and at “The View” revolving restaurant on top of the Marriott. The view was not as great as we had hoped, but the food was good. After dinner, we walked around Time Square and did some shopping. Justin got a cool new coat at Quicksilver and Cameron got a Batman watch at the Swatch store.
Our last stop was the M&M store. While inside, Justin started to complain of a stomach-ache. I took he & Brandon back to the hotel so he could rest. He seemed to be really uncomfortable in the cab ride back and I was afraid he was going to be sick in the cab. We just barely made it back to the hotel. When he stepped out of the taxi, he vomited all over the sidewalk (and his new coat) in front of the Intercontinental. Poor little guy!
We sent his coat out for overnight cleaning, gave him a warm bath, and now he is getting settled down for bed. I hope he feels better in the morning.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular
Despite my intentions to sleep in Brandon, Justin, & I were wide awake at 7am this morning. The boys were excited to see it snowing when they looked out the window. We waited as long as we could, but finally got hungry and we roused the rest of the family for breakfast.
After breakfast, we went outside intending to walk to Rockefeller Center, but the snow had changed to rain. We pressed on at first, but soon the boys were wet, cold, and miserable. We ducked into one of the shops on 5th Avenue to warm up and crafted a plan. Michele & Sandy would stay out and shop while Roland & I took the kids back to the hotel to get warm.
After we got back in the room and out of the wet clothes, I ordered “Space Chimps” on TV and we settled in to watch. Later, we ordered some lunch in from room service. It turned out to be a very relaxing morning after all.
After lunch, it was time to head to Radio City Music Hall to see the Christmas Spectacular show featuring the Rockettes. We decided to take a cab since it was still raining. Roland & I had our hands full getting the kids inside, getting drinks & snacks, making sure everybody went potty, and then finding our seats. Michele & Sandy soon met us there. The show was GREAT!
After breakfast, we went outside intending to walk to Rockefeller Center, but the snow had changed to rain. We pressed on at first, but soon the boys were wet, cold, and miserable. We ducked into one of the shops on 5th Avenue to warm up and crafted a plan. Michele & Sandy would stay out and shop while Roland & I took the kids back to the hotel to get warm.
After we got back in the room and out of the wet clothes, I ordered “Space Chimps” on TV and we settled in to watch. Later, we ordered some lunch in from room service. It turned out to be a very relaxing morning after all.
After lunch, it was time to head to Radio City Music Hall to see the Christmas Spectacular show featuring the Rockettes. We decided to take a cab since it was still raining. Roland & I had our hands full getting the kids inside, getting drinks & snacks, making sure everybody went potty, and then finding our seats. Michele & Sandy soon met us there. The show was GREAT!
The rain seemed to have let up during the show, so we walked over to Rockefeller Center afterwards. It was SO crowded, I couldn’t wait to get out of there. We found some snow in a nearby plaza and had a big snowball fight. We came back to the hotel for a short rest and then it was time to head out to dinner at a nearby Steakhouse. After dinner, we stopped in the “Nintendo World” store and the kids were in heaven –they want to go back tomorrow!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Getting There
Whew –long day today! Justin had a hockey game at 8:15, then Brandon’s game was at 10:45. After the game, we headed straight to the airport and took off around 12:45. There was a cold front across the Carolina’s and we got into clouds and rain as we approached our fuel stop in Fayetteville. Thankfully, the air was fairly smooth. We flew a GPS instrument approach and landed in light rain. They put fuel in the plane while we all stretched our legs and picked up the catering order (Jason’s Deli).
About 30 minutes later, we were off again. At 11,000 feet, we got on top of the clouds and enjoyed a nice sunset as we flew over Washington, DC. As we continued North, it got colder and darker. For a long time, we couldn’t see anything out the windows because the clouds were blocking the lights from the cities below.
As we descended into Teterboro, we got below the clouds and could see the lights below. When we got closer to the ground, we noticed there was snow everywhere! We landed and turned off the runway onto a snow and ice covered taxi-way, which I don’t do every day.
The cold air took my breath away when I popped open the door and jumped out after shut down (20 degrees F & windy). I quickly opened the cargo pod, found my suitcase, and pulled out my winter coat, hat, & gloves. We got the airplane secured, loaded up the car, and headed into the city. It started snowing as we passed the big tree at Rockefeller Center –perfect!
About 30 minutes later, we were off again. At 11,000 feet, we got on top of the clouds and enjoyed a nice sunset as we flew over Washington, DC. As we continued North, it got colder and darker. For a long time, we couldn’t see anything out the windows because the clouds were blocking the lights from the cities below.
As we descended into Teterboro, we got below the clouds and could see the lights below. When we got closer to the ground, we noticed there was snow everywhere! We landed and turned off the runway onto a snow and ice covered taxi-way, which I don’t do every day.
The cold air took my breath away when I popped open the door and jumped out after shut down (20 degrees F & windy). I quickly opened the cargo pod, found my suitcase, and pulled out my winter coat, hat, & gloves. We got the airplane secured, loaded up the car, and headed into the city. It started snowing as we passed the big tree at Rockefeller Center –perfect!
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