Travel Weather/Personal Travel Saga/An Old Friend Encounter

HURRICANES AND MORE
Winter Storm Warnings/Watches/Advisories are in effect for many locations along the Rockies (included the mountains of southern Arizona). New Mexico also has several warnings in place. And the western Great Lakes states are being hit particularly hard this evening. Thunderstorms are moving along the states bordering the northern Gulf (from Louisiana through Alabama).

On Sunday, it will be very cold in North Dakota with Minot staying below zero all day. Meanwhile, it will be balmy across the southeast with Florida in the 80s. Look for rain and some thunderstorms from DC to northern Florida. Look for winter weather in the Great Lakes states and in New Mexico and Arizona.

Houston missed the thunderstorms today...the development occurred just to the east. Next cold front arrives midday Sunday but highs will still be in the 70s (during the afternoon). Expect it to be much cooler on Monday with rain as overrunning sets up. Tuesday will likely also be wet and cool.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
I set up my 2009 calendar today thanks to my wonderful CPA Chuck Newton. He sends some pocket sized ones every year. I have a PDA but I just want to see it on paper. Anyway, the word for today is calendar or calendario, pronounced cah-lehn-dar-EE-oh. It is satisfying and exciting to see your plans written on a new calendario.

You can also make notes for your resolutions on that calendario and here is something to write down...vote in the poll (at right) about resolutions because we only have 1 day left before it closes. And mark one more thing down...order our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards. You can order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Let me tell you my travel saga and some refreshing results.

First of all, we were supposed to leave Omaha (across the river from Council Bluffs, IA-hometown of my hubby and where his family lives) at 6:50 pm yesterday. After visiting with family and friends, including Gordy's former teacher, Father Paul Monahan, I ventured downstairs at about 3:50 pm to finish packing. I just happened to pick up my cell phone and look to see if there were any messages. Well, there was one from Southwest. They had left a message wanting to know if we could catch the 4:55 pm flight to Chicago and then on to Houston as there would be a long delay for the flight to St. Louis and we would have to spend the night in St. Louis. So, it was either catch the flight through Chicago or fly home on Saturday (weather permitting). Well, I was concerned about weather for the next day...so I yelled to Gordy "Let's go!" I have never packed that fast in my life. But my trusty brother-in-law David delivered us to the check-in at 4:25 pm.

Well, we got on the plane but barely! I had my trusty Zebra postage printer in my carry-on and security just didn't know what to make of that. (Note: I had trouble with it on the way up too). I brought that for any DVD orders we had during our time away. Finally, finally the security official offered it back...he asked me if I wanted him to repack it in my stuffed bag and I said no thanks and grabbed it and raced to the gangway. This guy was like Tim Conway's old man character on the old Carol Burnett show.

We all got on (and I am leaving out a few other mundane time consuming details but you get the picture). So, we land in Chicago. We are supposed to have a 3 hour layover--leaving Chicago at 9:10 pm. So we check the flight information...the flight is delayed to a 10:40 pm departure. Yikes!!! Would there be any possibility we would have to stay the night? We had no idea where our luggage was...I had left some of it in check-in in Omaha because the computers weren't allowing our late arrival. Oh well...I did have a change of clothes for Sarah...most important thing.

So, Sarah and I headed to the bathroom...Sarah was bumping into a lady at the sink and she turned around and I realized almost immediately that it was a college friend of mine (from the meteorology program at A & M) whom I had not seen seen 1987--Patrice O-Raheiley--now Sharkey. She still had those same sparkly eyes and beautiful long hair. Patrice is the one who got the weather job in Bryan when I tried out too. Well anyway, she was super smart and I always admired her. We had had some fun times too. It was as if 22 years had gone by in the blink of an eye. So, I dragged her over to meet Gordy and Megan. Now, I ask you, is it a small world or what? And what were the odds of us meeting at the time at that airport in that bathroom. We weren't even planning to go to Chicago originally! Wow!

Our plane finally left at 11 pm or a little thereafter. We landed at about 1:30 am. Sarah was wide awake and asked to play some games we got for Christmas. But we finally managed to get her down at about 4 am. My wonderful husband watched her after she awoke bright and bushy eyed at 8 am...I slept in until 11 am. When I ran into several friends at the store they all commented at how well rested I looked. I didn't tell them I had just woken up...Ha! Thanks Gordy my love!!!

One more thing...at HEB, one of our friendly helpers said the store was just dead on New Year's Day but he said now everything is getting back to its crazy busy schedule.

Oh yes...they had an ice storm in Council Bluffs today--sure glad we got out last night!!!

Safe travels and happy first week of January!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman