And we are off!!!

Eric and I slept about two hours last night. There was so much excitement with Tara visiting from Montreal, Karen arriving at 10:30, and packing and organizing to do. I had a second lecture on Andean Cultures at 6:30 to 8:30, so I had enough time to finish at work and drive to Hopkins to meet Eric and Maya (Eric had picked her up with the Zipcar). ERic took my car to drive Maya home, and picked me up later. When I arrived home, Tara and Maya were making chocolate chip cookies in my kitchen and it reminded me of having the whole family home together. It felt absolutely wonderful.

There was time to hug Tara and urge Maya to get to bed. Eric and Tara were to go through boxes to find warm clothes for Montreal. I headed to the airport to meet Karen. We spent the ride home and an hour or so later to go through the detailed instructions I had typed out for Karen, including maps to all of Maya's activities. Karen thinks that I am nuts, that I plan too much for Maya; I think she has no idea that this is what parents do, or at least any parent I know. We all work and plan activities for our children. When my inlaws came to care for the children some years ago, my step mother inlaw was so offended by the instructions, she promptly left and we had to beg her to return so we could leave. Needless to say, the inlaws have never offered to help out again!

Finally there was time to pack and prepare. I was insistent that I clean the fridge and the bathrooms in anticipation of the cleaning person coming tomorrow. Karen laughed at me, as does Eric every time, that I clean before I pay someone else to, but I learned that from my mother and it makes me feel better. Although there I was spraying and scrubbing while Karen and Eric and Tara looked on in confusion.

I got to bed at 3 AM and the alarm dinged at 5. We were ready to go soon and goodbyes took longer. Maya was in my bed and up far too early. Eric had slept on the floor in the living room, there being no room in my bed with Maya in it and Karen and Tara sleeping in the only other bed upstairs.

Tara had to be in DC by 8 to meet her father and his family for his big event (retirement from the navy). Eric drove Ron's big diesel Mercedes (trying to find diesel was our first adventure) to Reagan International Airport. The traffic was horrendous, but we did arrive in time, and Tara did get to her event. This had all been arranged last minute (Tara's father sent her a ticket to come to his retirement event and to visit Oma and Opa for Thanksgiving Day weekend) and Tara decided to visit us and to pick up warm clothes and my old iphone which she has been coveting for months).

I like to travel and airports are always an adventure. Once we got rid of our bags, we relaxed with Starbucks coffee, wandered through the stores before and after security, and settled in to read the New York Times and the Economist and wait for our plane. We were squeezed in middle seats far apart on the way to Miami, but Miami airport offered us miles and miles of corridors to walk through, and rather horrible airport food to complain about.

Our flight to Lima was about five hours, with more time to rest and read and watch the movie set in Tuscany and Verona, so I watched it and remembered Italy. Everything about the day was easy and relaxing and perhaps I like it so much because I cannot control anything and all I am able to do nothing and not feel guilty about it. We arrived in Lima late, caught our ride to our hotel and had bubble baths before bed.