Vicki Arrives at Chalfont Place

On Thursday, March 15, Vicki arrived for her annual visit to Chalfont Place in far north Dallas, Texas.  Of course, there were a few hitches - such as AA.com showed her coming into Terminal A and when I got there, the ARRIVALS board showed her coming into Terminal C.  Of course, I'd set an alert but didn't hear from AA until I was pulling into my new parking spot at Terminal C.  She came in nearly an hour early so I was thankful for my Catholic schooling which makes me early for every event.  At the baggage claim area, I met Captain Jason, his wife, Stacy, and their daughters, Cameron age 6 with few front teeth, and Aubrey, 3 who were waiting for Stacy's parents who were on the same flight as Vicki's.  I only had to wait ten minutes before Vicki joined our conversation.  Her bags were on the carousel in quick order so off we went.

Nothing much to report for the rest of the day other than unpacking, catching up and dinner.

On Friday, the 16th, after a night of tossing and turning on my part, we headed to The Apple Store at Stonebrier Mall where, after less than a 30 second wait, I was escorted inside and purchased the New iPad.  Vicki and Jay both heard that they were in low supply and I would probably have to place an order.  Nope! I was in and out of the store, after set up and a little help from Amanda, in about 20 minutes.  This is my first iPad but I'm already loving it.  Since I'd purchased the Kindle Fire when it came out in November, Vicki is now the proud, and might I say happy, owner of the Fire.  So the rest of the day was spent picking up a few groceries for dinner and then heading home to play with our toys.

Saturday, the 17th, we were back out looking for a particular pair of shoes for Vicki.  No luck, but at least we have a plan of attack.  Our neighbors, Ann and Terry O'Hara hosted a lovely St. Patrick's Day Dinner of corned beef and cabbage and other wonderful fare.  We were having a great time and so enjoying the conversation, but Vicki and I needed to get home to complete our packing.  Also, I needed a good night's sleep before our Road Trip to New Orleans.

Sunday, the 18th:  we left the driveway at about 6:25 a.m. after loading the car with snacks and our "stuff" [no iPad for me as I've got the MacBook Air for photos].  We stopped in Kilgore, Texas for gasoline and coffee where Vicki engaged in a lively conversation with this fellow.

Back on the road.  It's been a very long time since I've been in East Texas and it was so green and beautiful.  Rolling hills - just lovely.

Our trip, thankfully, was uneventful with both of us just enjoying each other's company, the scenery and catching up on the Rosie O'Donnell Show on OWN.  We'd planned on stopping in Baton Rouge for the night so we can take our time driving to New Orleans.  We want to stop at a few plantations along the way and do touristy things.  We got to Baton Rouge earlier than anticipated but since I was a little tired, decided to stop, have a little rest and then walk to one of the restaurants in the area.  While I was parking the car, I spied this in the parking lot:

I asked the Desk Clerk if Newt was in the building but he advised it was just the bus. [insert your own joke]

So, we're resting now and will probably dine high on the hog at Chili's in a little while and then crawl into bed for early "lights out."  The next couple of days should provide opportunities for more photo taking.