Yesterday morning we woke up to a foot of new snow. Leah and Lucy were hoping school would be cancelled. Aaron called the bus driver and he said he was running late but coming. He arrived very much on time for being late. Then the bus got stuck. Aaron unloaded Lucy and her chair. Then he drove our girls to school. The district sent a van to pick up the other children and get them to school.

Lucy had a rough day at school on Thursday. She had to change her color to “yellow.” She said, “It was gonna be a good day and then I just wanted to go home!” So, she had a miserable day. She has been earning chat privileges – the Signing Time Chat on Wednesday night – for good behavior. Guess who will not be chatting this Wednesday??? She says it is her first and last yellow day.

Honestly, I know that blame is totally made up and yet I find I am blaming myself. How silly is that? When we were talking about her choices at school and reminding her that there is only one person who gets to say how her day goes (that would be her), she got that cute quivery lip and started crying, “I don’t want you to go tomorrow!!!!” I was surprised that she was counting down the days until my next trip. I know it was hard for her when I stayed an extra 5 days in NY due to weather. I had committed to her and to Leah that this year I would only leave 2 times a month for 4 days at most on each of the trips a total of 8 days.

I gave her the biggest hug and we both cried. I told her, “Lucy, when you are missing me, you can count on that at the same time I am missing you! Do you know that I talk about you at every performance? I ask everyone if they know who Lucy is. I tell them that she is the beautiful little girl with blue eyes and brown hair, in a wheelchair, who looks a lot like Leah. I tell them you are Leah’s little sister, my youngest daughter. I tell them all about you and point you out in the video at EVERY show.” I think hearing that made her cry even harder, which made me cry even harder.

Whew! I made it home from NYC yesterday - Sunday! I was scheduled to be home on Tuesday. I got upgraded to First Class again (Medallion Member) - I know it’s silly, I get so excited but it’s only the second time in my life I’ve flown First Class. Leah cried as she hugged me outside of the airport. I came home to dead Valentine’s Day flowers, heart shaped cards with poems on them and a “Welcome Back” 3-D sign made of legos.

Leah’s Poem:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
We love you
And will forever

Lucy’s Poem:
Emeralds are green
Same with snakes
But nothing is greener
Than your beautiful eyes!

Leah volunteered to help me unpack. I think she figured she would unearth the surprises I brought back. Or maybe Aaron suggested she help me, since last time I left my suitcase on our bedroom floor for more than a week after my trip.

We woke up to 6+ inches of snow today! Is the weather following me? Well one of Leah’s surprises was a sno-baller which she put to good use today and when I asked her if it worked she said, and I quote: “It is totally AWESOME!!!” So there you have it!

I leave this Friday for Indiana. Perhaps I should have left my bags out.

I arrived in New York a week ago and my itinerary said I would be leaving two days ago… huh… funny how that happens. I like it when you look on Weather Channel and it says the current temperature is 18 yet “feels” like 5. I don’t think you can actually feel 5 degrees - it is simply too cold.

I am so glad that Aaron got out before the storm. No really, I am SO GLAD that he is back home with the girls.

I was able to realize a dream Valentine’s Day in NYC with my dear employees. Actually, 12 hours of it was spent at the JFK airport with one employee, Kelly. She got married just last year, I am sure her dream V-day was spending it with her boss in a dirty airport only to have the flight delayed then cancelled. As you can imagine, the thousands of hopefully travelers proceeded to the baggage claim to collect their belongings in an orderly fashion… yeah right. There were fistfights, profanity and of course there was a lot of anger. We arrived back at the hotel around 2:00am. Kelly went to bed and I waited on hold for an hour with Delta Airlines they worked with me for 45 minutes. Then I called Jet Blue I was on hold with them for a full hour - even though the recording said it would be 20 minutes. I finally hung up without talking to a rep. That was 5:00am. Then I went to sleep.

That was the second trip to the airport in hopes of getting out. I wont go even go into our Tuesday events at LaGuardia. We are scheduled to fly out of Newark on Sunday. Most people come to NYC to see museums, Broadway shows and architecture - I like touring airports.

It was sort of surreal - that many people, that many flights cancelled, that much luggage. People asleep on the floor. Children asleep on luggage carts. And a lot of fancy dogs from the Westminster kennel Club Dog Show! Do fancy dogs get their own seat or are they lap children? Can you bring a dog in First Class?