An Important Lesson in a Sea of Worry

Well…we made it home. I spent the entire night last night wondering what would happen, planning alternate ways to get home and praying. I explained to God that if I could just get home, I would do something nice for someone…maybe we’d see that young service man we’d met in the “rebook line” on Sunday. Maybe I could offer him some help. He was, after all, a newlywed who had been away in the Air Force as long as they had been married. He just wanted to get home to see his family in Forest Grove. He had missed his flight on Saturday morning and was on stand by for every flight after...(none of them ever left, by the way). He told us he was going to sit in that airport until he got a flight out! I hoped he had gotten out but if not, I promised God I would do something to improve his circumstance. I know that bargaining with God is not the best way to go about it but…we worked it out.

So, we slept very little, woke up at 4:15 AM, headed to the airport, stood in yet another line watching the boards like hawks…”On Time”, it said. ON TIME…I was guardedly hopeful. I reminded God about our deal…I don’t think he needed reminding.

We walked to the gate and who should we see but Sam, the boy we met on Sunday, still in his fatigues, looking worn and beat down. I said, “Hey! Are you on this flight?” He said yes, as a last ditch effort, he agreed to fly in to Seattle but was frustrated because he wasn’t sure how he would get to Portland.

Wow…ok, God. Real subtle.

So, I immediately said, “Dude…come with us! My husband is picking us up and driving back to Portland!” He looked like he would cry. He said, “Are you SERIOUS? I can’t believe that.” Mom explained that prayer was the reason we were going to take off at all. I’m not sure he was convinced. He said, “I don’t pray much.” She said, “Well, get ready because it works!” LOL…go mom!

We boarded the plane, waited patiently as the plane taxied down the runway and as we lifted off, mom and I raised our arms like we were on a giant roller coaster and cheered like mad! Then, I cried a little.

We landed around 10:30, Will was right there when we hit baggage claim. We were home before dark! And Sam…Sam was reunited with his wife and family for Christmas. His mother-in-law just cried and told us what a good boy he is and how worried they were and how thankful they were for us. I told her that we were just paying forward all the help and love we had received in our time of need.


Dear readers...thanks for listening and remember:

God blesses you by letting you be a blessing to others!

Whatever you celebrate, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or Festivus...give thanks for your family and friends and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The boys are home!

Thanks to Angie and Wayne, my boys will sleep in their own beds tonight! Wayne literally braved hours in the cold and treacherous driving conditions to get to the airport to pick up our car from the airport parking lot, put chains on it and then drive halfway to Seattle to meet Angie. They are both rock stars!

I just talked to Will and heard Isaiah playing with the dog and laughing in the background...makes me so happy to know he's in his house, with his stuff and his dog! :) This experience was rough on him and I must admit, me. I have been in a severe depression all afternoon just lying in bed wondering what is going to happen. I have a worrying disease...I think it came with motherhood.

Mom and I are going to dinner with the Rileys and then staying the night at Doug's sister's house because her husband has graciously agreed to get up at 5 AM and take us to the airport. What amazing friends and family I have!!

All you prayer warriors out there, put on your knee pads!! I fully expect to fly home tomorrow morning and if I don't, I'll blame you! Just kidding. ISH.

'Night friends!

Officially Stranded...

So...our flight was supposed to leave at 9 AM today...it was "delayed" until 10...then at 10 said 2, then at 1:30, canceled. By then, Will and Isaiah had flown to Salt Lake...they had a different flight than mom and I. They made it to Salt Lake but the Portland flight was canceled. Of course, we didn't find out our flights were canceled until we had been at the airport for hours - a 5 AM start.

It was a long, arduous day with many tears and lots of frustration. Here is where it stands:

Will and Isaiah landed in Seattle at 10 pm. Our dear friend Angie braved ice and treacherous conditions to pick them up and take them to her house. Mom and I are still in Orange County with the Rileys...thank GOODNESS they had an extra room where they were staying. The next available open seats on a plane to Portland are on Christmas Day so...we have booked a flight to Seattle Tuesday morning. Not really sure what's going to happen then. Wayne may be coming to pick us up in Seattle.

We weren't sure we would be together for Christmas for a while today! I feel a little better now knowing my boys are in Seattle but boy oh boy, was it a long day. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself until I saw a mother with a toddler stranded with no place to go and a young soldier in his uniform sleeping on the floor of the airport. I am grateful for my friends and family and the resources to which I have access.

Hug your babies and spouses and friends!

Mom is snoring next to me in our double bed. Ahhh...just like Disneyland.

Day 4 - A Fond Farewell...maybe?

So, we spent the day simultaneously enjoying our "last" day at Disneyland and hearing horrible weather reports from Portland slowly convincing us we may well NOT be leaving tomorrow.

It sounds just horridly dangerous there and well...19 degrees...6 inches of snow and freezing rain. We won't know for sure until tomorrow morning - butt crack early.

Until then, here's a bit of our day!

Mom lookin' cute in our new Minnie Mouse Christmas Hat!



The look Colleen must perpetually give Will to keep him in line!



Aren't they like tiny little girls with the giggling?



Seriously? Could they BE any cuter?



Ditto...really...



We had an awesome day! It was so fun to hang with the Rileys, play, talk, eat (mom STOLE her dinner), and go to Isaiah's very special reserved seating for "Fantasmic!". I will dedicate a whole post JUST to that because it was our last hurrah and for his birthday. :)

Oh readers...it is just a few posts away from our parting - until next year.

All pictures, all the time!

Waaa Waaaa...



Splash Mountain = JOY!


Professor what the stuff...


Is it me or do they look LESS than thrilled?


Birthday Ice Cream...ha cha cha cha!


Go Blazers!!

Riley-o-rama!

The Riley's arrived and we hit the ground running! Will, of course, began immediately beating up on the twins as he does every time he sees them. They, in turn, beat up on Isaiah and made him feel just like an honorary little brother. Isaiah and Elijah always pick up just where they left off and are immediately best friends.

We truly appreciate their friendship for a million reasons but treating Isaiah like "just one of the kids" is a blessing. Here are some pics from our night. We started at California Adventure then moved over to Disneyland.

Here's Noah taking a picture of Isaiah and Elijah...we may have a budding photographer on our hands:


I don't know if you can see them, but this is the boys on California Screamin' - for the second or third time:


Ok, so the red eye is a little demon creepy BUT, Will took this pic over his head while riding the Matterhorn, without looking so I had to give him props:



We loved seeing them and will be meeting up again tomorrow for a full day of excitement.

As a side note, we have been closely watching the weather forecast for Portland. We are supposed to fly home Sunday morning and are slightly worried the weather is going to cause issues. Send prayers and/or positive thoughts Sunday morning, if you would. :)

Pictures!

We now have the adapter to mom's camera thanks to Nicky J! Thanks boss! I updated a couple of my previous entries with pictures and will be posting an ALL photo blog for your enjoyment.

This morning we woke up early again and wouldn't you know...mom's foot is all swollen! For those who don't know, mom fell down the stairs 3 days before we left on this trip and broke her toe. She worked hard to stay off it for those 3 days and has been a TROOPER! All that "trooping" took a toll and now she's in pain. :( She decided to stay behind this morning while we went to the park.

Will, Isaiah and I went on Splash Mountain, Autopia, Space Mountain, Astro Blasters, Matterhorn and Splash Mountain again. It's warmER but NOT warm so getting soaked on Splash Mountain brought back horrible memories of a couple days ago...ack. I survived.

Here are some pics from our morning:



The Rileys are on their way! They should be here any minute! I may not be back in time tonight to blog but, faithful readers, you will be in our thoughts. We are having a great time. I think I will end up gaining 10 pounds from the churros alone but, alas...it's vacation, right? :)

Sporting Side Note

OH YEAH!! Brandon Roy had his highest scoring game tonight...52 points! He's such a classy, hard-working player! We are proud of you! Woo hoo!!

Also...the pic adapter debacle has been resolved...pics will be forthcoming. :)

Day 2 - Addendum

Today was a good day. After our mid day nap, we headed over to California Adventure and the boys rode the Tower of Terror...Isaiah's first time. He LOVED it.

We did a FastPass for Soarin' Over California, meaning we went and got a ticket that tells you a window in which to come back to ride the ride without having to wait in line. It's essentially like having someone stand in line for you and hold your place...it's awesome. So, we did that and then we did this wet rafting ride, got soaked and came back to the room.

Mom actually got coerced into going on the rafting ride and she screamed louder than I've EVER heard her scream...I was a bit frightened...then I laughed my head off.

We got room service for dinner and we're just hanging out waiting for the Blazer game to start...GO BLAZERS! The Riley's will be here at noon tomorrow so we gotta REST UP! Night readers!

Some pics...

Ok, I know I promised pictures from mom's camera but alas...not yet. Here are some from my phone. Not great quality but sums up the day nicely!

Mom so cute in her puffy jacket:




Isaiah giving me "Cheese"




This is what Will thinks of all the people...





This is what I look like when I go out of town...what??

Day 2 - Up in the sky...what is that??

What is that shiny, warm thing in the sky?? Could it be...the...SUN! :) Yay! You'd think we were from the desert the way we complained about it being cold and rainy.



We awoke to a glorious sunrise this morning and clear skies. It was just beautiful. We headed out early, got coffee and hit the park. When we arrived, we got to take a really cool ride in a firetruck sort of thing and Isaiah got to ring the bell.



We saw a proposal at the castle...so sweet! Mom and I also had our picture taken in our Blazers shirts at the castle...go Blazers!!



We rode a few rides in Fantasyland, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Small World, Star Tours, shared a giant pickle and got mom a corn dog. For those of you who are faithful readers of our Disney blog from last year...you remember the infamous corn dog, right? :)

Remember how I said we forgot to bring the adapter to get the pics off mom's camera? Well, my boss happens to be here in Anaheim as well and he's an awesome guy...he offered to pick one up for us so...by tomorrow, this will be a blog with actual PHOTOS! Won't that be awesome? :)

So, right now...we are taking our traditional half-day nap. We were in the park for a little over 4 hours, it started to get super busy so we're back at the room taking a rest. It's the best part of the day for me. I feel like I've had lots of exercise having just walked all over the park for 4 hours, I'm warm under a blankie and Isaiah, mom AND Will are snoring. Perfect.

Doug and Colleen and all the kids will be here tomorrow! They are our best friends from Sacramento and we are super excited to get to spend time with them at Disneyland! I'll keep you all, dear readers, up to date on any trouble we get ourselves into. We are party animals!

Day 1 – Are we really in California??!!

Um...remember that thing I said about 60-degree weather...YEAH:

Seriously? It’s like a hurricane here – the howling wind, driving rain and 40 degree temperatures. It’s miserable BUT kind of fun to see people from all walks of life attempt to stick it out for the kids, a dad wearing a princess poncho and a mom breastfeeding under a dripping overhang. Chinese, French and German tourists looking around amazed at the spectacle…no, not of the spectacle of Disneyland or Mickey Mouse…gale force winds and a drenching downpour….at the wettest , I mean happiest, place on earth….



We had lunch, then did Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and the boys did Splash Mountain...we shopped a little but it didn't take long to realize we were beaten...so we bailed.



Also, I’m cranky because my feet are frost bitten, my shoes MAY be ruined and my head is drenched. Mom, bless her heart, kept up even with her damaged toe. She looked like an adorable little elf struggling along in her puffy white jacket. Lol. Also, we forgot the adapter for getting the pics off her camera…OY GEVAULT. Here’s ONE pic, taken with my camera phone.



We are huddled up in our room watching the palm trees sway in the storm...



...mom, Isaiah and I are huddled in one bed trying to warm up. Ahhh...this is the life. :)

I hear it's snowing in Portland...everyone stay safe and warm!

On Our Way!

Well…we’re off! The airport was pretty busy but not terrible. We got through security in the nick of time with no issues other than the fact I held up the line because my ID wouldn’t come out of my wallet…people hated me. Back OFF, buddy…I’m going to the Happiest Place on Earth!!

Isaiah has been a bundle of energy all morning…up at 5, bouncing off the walls. He’s reviewing the rides he wants to do and in what order. He said, “We should go on Small World first because Mom likes that one. Then, Splash Mountain so me and daddy can get wet!” I’m just excited to see the castle and New Orleans Square and maaaaybe a prince or two…I mean princess…princess. Yeah.

We just took off and can I say that God is just showing off right now? Wow…the sunrise is amazing. All I can see is a cloudscape like a vast ocean of fluff and the sun rising above it. Sunshine is a welcome surprise and I have to admit, I’m pretty excited to be in 60-degree weather.

We are enjoying our time together as a family…and by together I mean, Isaiah is watching Wall-E with headphones on, I’m writing and listening to music with headphones on, Will is playing golf on the PSP with headphones on and mom is doing a crossword. Family togetherness…it’s what this trip is all about.

For those of you who are pining for Disneyland…Mark and Bonnie, you know we wish you were here…we will be enjoying it in your honor. For those of you who can think of nothing WORSE than being at Disneyland…Paul…I will hug Goofy just for you! For those of you who had work “cancelled” today…I hope you are TAKING ADVANTAGE and resting…or gaming…or baking…or chaining up and delivering apples and pellets. ;)

A special shout out to Uncle Wayne for taking care of Zekey Boy over the next few days. We appreciate it. Please feel free to eat all of our tuna fish, eggs and mushrooms. We love you!

Disneyland 2008

Well...back by popular demand...it's the Mason-Steinberg Disneyland Blog-o-rama!! Yes, folks...it's been a year since I posted a blog entry.

Why? Because it's been a year since we went to Disneyland.

Nothing else happens in my life that's interesting enough to blog about on a daily basis, honestly. I'm just kiiiinda boring. I go to work, go to school, love on my family, study and...that's about it! Nothing much to talk about.

But, I have 3 finals on Tuesday and then...it's Disneyland time...and I'm gettin' the itch to blog...

Like Bonnie Raitt said, "Let's give 'em something to blog about...a little mystery to figure out."

I know...terrible jokes based on Adult Contemporary artists rarely land...my bad.

This is your warning...blogging will commence in T minus 3 days...and COUNTING!!!