Backup Plan

When we went to bed last night and hubby said his alarm was set for 2:45 a.m., I suggested I set mine for 3 p.m. as backup. When your wakeup call involves getting to an airport on time, you don't want to take any chances.

As it turned out, Jim got up with his alarm and was ready for his co-worker from Stevens Point to pick him up at 3:30 and head to the airport in Madison. Unfortunately, he got a phone call before then from the person who didn't think to have a backup plan. And just got up.

So to save time, Jim drove over to Plainfield some 20 miles southeast of us to meet this guy at the Interstate. The good news is that they got to their flight on time and landed safely to a sunny 76-degree day in Clearwater, Fla., this afternoon. The bad news is that I had to get someone to drive me to Plainfield to pick up the car parked at a gas station and drive it back. All by myself.

Good thing I have a support network that envies my best sports bra! I just had to call and I had two people willing to drive me down there. So my next-door neighbor did that and followed me while I braved a long drive by myself. Part of my anxiety gets triggered when I get too warm and it feels like that pre-fainting warm feeling. So I have to drive without the heat on. That is not so comfortable in the winter. But it kept me conscious and I really didn't even have a need to pull over and take a deep breath at any time. So that's good progress. Got home and let out a really deep breath, though!

Spent the afternoon getting scrapbooking stuff together for pages I'll be working on during my next getaway. Carter worked on a research paper while I did that. We both were done before the first playoff game so that put an end to any further productivity for the day.

I got a call from Jim later, standing on the balcony outside his 17th-floor hotel room, watching the sun set on the ocean. What a romantic moment to share together... a half-country apart. "I should have brought you with me," he says.

"Darn right," I said. I wouldn't have slept through MY alarm!