Everything was FINE when I was in Manhattan...

It all fell to shit after that. I knew I should have stayed in NYC...what was I thinking??

So I try to catch a cab to get to Newark airport...no one will take me. I didn't really understand why. Until the 3rd cabbie comes along...he says he'll go, but the flat rate is $75. I ask him why it's so much more than the flat rate to LGA or JFK...he says it's because they can't pick up people in Newark, they're not licensed for that. They can only pick up people in NYC. Whatever...I have a flight to catch!

We're off and running and traffic isn't bad and I got to drive through NoHo - MUST make it there the next time I'm in NYC. I really wanted to go this time, but there were just too many other things I wanted to do. When the ya-ya-s go to NYC, we're definitely going to NoHo....

I get to Newark in plenty of time for my flight, hit the Continental line, make it up there in a relatively short period of time, put my credit card in the kiosk and ... "I'm sorry, you have no flights scheduled with us at this time." Ummmm, what? So I ask the nice gentleman behind the counter to look into this...my flight has been canceled. CANCELED? Whodawa? "Something in Pittsburgh" he says...it's been rescheduled for 6:25am Friday. Okay, WHAT? There are no other flights leaving for Pittsburgh from Newark tonight. They've all been canceled. OMG. What you don't know is that Kev-head and the boys are circling Pittsburgh airport looking for a hotel so they can pick me up. Now I'm not coming. Oy.

I call the office trying to figure out what to do...Phil is looking up the different hotels around Newark for me...at first he reads the description of a Sheraton and says "they say they have a great wine list, you are SO there...but then suggests I rent a car. According to mapquest it's only 5.5 hours to drive it. And if the weather truly is the reason they canceled my flight, and there's worse weather on the way, I don't want to be stuck here tomorrow. I'm outta here babies!!

I rent a car with GPS - super cool. Actually I had no idea I was getting that...it was just there...so I programmed my desination...it's really brilliant. I've seen the commercials with the fancy cars that include it and thought "who would ever need that???" Ummm, yeah, the answer is me, right now, trying to get from Jersey to PA.

Natasha! I drove by Harrisburg and thought of you and your jewelry - aren't you having some sort of a show this weekend in PA?? I hope it goes well.

The drive went by quickly actually...everyone was calling me and entertaining me. Julie and I were on the phone for hours of the trip, she was paying bills and I was driving. The fun part of the drive? The tunnels. The highways are cut in under the mountains and you drive through these tunnels that are miles long. I didn't really know when they were coming and all of a sudden there's a sign "Remove your sunglasses" and then one that says "Turn on headlights" and I'm thinking...damn bossy highway....what the shit do they care about my suglasses or my headlights?? And then I come around a corner and BAM! tunnel. And BAM! I lose Jul.

I pull in to the Bentleyville Best Western at about 12:30...the kids are waiting up for me when I get here...we chat it up I give them some little presents I got them. And aaaaaaaaaggghhhhhh I can't get to sleep. I toss and I turn and I toss and I turn and well, you get it, right? I have no idea what time I finally fall asleep but it's late. And when I wake up in the morning I find that the closest Hertz return location is the friggin' Pittsburgh Airport! Gotta love SWestern PA...void of anything people might actually need. But okay...it's not so bad. We go over to Carol's and visit and eat lunch and off to the airport.

When we get back from dropping off the car, mom and Carol have brought Grandma back with them, so we get to visit some with grandma - who is 90. And will not stop telling you that she's 90, and how cool that makes her. She's hilarious about it actually. Good for you gram!

And when we get back to the hotel to let the boys swim and get ready to go have pizza with my cousins? No power. Well not none...almost none. No elevators, no lights in most of the hotel, front door propped open. Killing me. The manager says that some rooms have power and that basically we have to go upstairs and check and if we don't have power they'll move us to one that does. Well, you guessed it, ours doesn't. The good news? We're only moving across the hall, so at least that part was easy.

So...since I left Manhattan - expensive cab fare, canceled flight, 5.5 hour drive, no place close to return rental car, power loss due to wind in hotel. Why oh why did I leave NYC??? KILLING ME.

But so far the visiting has been good. We've got a great dinner planned for tonight for Grandma's birthday celebration...lots of relatives and food. Hoorah! Hopefully the restaurant will have a decent wine selection.

Hopefully the rest of the trip will be uneventful. The bad weather isn't here yet...it's just cold. It was 55 degrees when I woke up yesterday, but last night it was 32. This morning it's freezing as well, hopefully we don't get the snow and we can get out of here tomorrow. We'll see! What are you guys doing?