After 22 hours of traveling we are finally home. I must say I feel like I've been through a tough battle, but the war is not over. It was a difficult day of traveling. First and foremost, I woke up Saturday feeling like I had one of those college hangovers that I so don't want to relive. The one where you take one foot and place it on the ground from the bed to make the room stop spinning. The thing that is so devastating about that feeling is that I did not even get to enjoy the party from the night before. I could barely get out of the hard Hilton cot (that's what Americans refer to as luxury bed in Europe) and as soon as I did the room was spinning again. The pain was immense and the vomiting began. I manage to hit Mark awake to tell him I was going to the lounge to try to put something in my stomach and take those amazing Swiss pills that they hospital gave me that will make me a new woman and ready to travel. So the day began with a bang.
We get ourselves together and I go to check out just to see the entire lobby filled with jewelry artists and buyers in long lines ready to check in. This week in Basel the Worlds Largest Watch and Jewelry Exhibit was starting. The rumor around the Hilton was that many famous designers, Hollywood Stars and world renowned collectors were all checking in on Saturday. We were even told that Paris Hilton called for a suite at the last minute and the Hilton had no rooms to give her. But at this point I could care less who was waiting or checking in I was getting out of there and home to the boys. So I poked my way to the front of the line, pretended that I had no idea what I was doing and was back up to the room to retrieve Mark in 10 minutes. I just kept on saying, "English?" like I had know idea what was going on. He was down at the lobby early and told me that the wait was over an hour. Well our plane was getting ready to go and an hour was not happening.
Check in at the airport was also frustrating because our travel agency booked us the wrong setting and we had to work that all out. So we finally make it from Basel to Germany and load our plane to Phili when I realized we had one of the oldest and most uncomfortable planes still flying. So the tears start flowing and Mark beg me to just stop. I then accepted my fate for the 9 hours in the air and the German Stewards named Helga started passing out drinks. After tempting Mark with two of her strongest bloody mary's by saying, "are you man enough to drink the drink I make?" she managed to spill a whole container of OJ completely down me from head to seat. We had 8 hours and 45 minutes on this plane and another 5 hours of traveling after that so I must say I was not happy. I look at Mark and the worried and panicked look was in his eyes. I have only seen that look a few times and it was usually because of some kind of news with my health. But it defiantly change my attitude. I grab the steward's hand to stop her from touching my areas I did not want to be touched, looked her in the eyes and told her it's okay. She continue to apologized in German and actually looked like she too was going to cry. But at that point I realized in the last 9 months I had been through so much and overcome so much some OJ is nothing. Mark just looked at me and smiled. I know he thought I was going to just deck her or at the least he hoped I would just give her "the sunny tell off smash down" as he calls it. But all I could do was feel bad for her and just laugh. I was completely soaked down to my lacey's with some lovely smelling OJ and all I could do is laugh. The others around me started helping clean up the mess while I stood there and laughed. I will tell you I had more Europeans touching me then the women in the 15th century paintings we had seen a few days earlier in the museum. After getting three blankets to put on the wet set I sat done and Mark said, "I am proud of you, you didn't do a Sunny Nutty on her".
The flight was fine but I must tell you if I don't hear another language for the rest of my life it will be to soon. I know finally know what it is like for a foreigner to come to our beautiful country and not know what the hell everyone around you is saying. I was in pain and sick to my stomach but I got through it. We arrived in Phili only to be stopped and hauled away by a customs police officer walking by me because his battery packed radar machine was going crazy. The radio-active therapy I received in Switzerland sets off all the warnings when going through detectors. This time I was stronger then ever so the custom police pulled me away. I had a note from Dr. Mueller but that was not enough for them. Mark had a look of terror on his face so I was more worried about him having a heartache then I was about anything they could do to me. They did not let him come with me so you can imagine what he was acting like. I was taken in a curtain room and yes searched. First with the magic wand and when that went crazy it was the inevitable. While the female officer lifted my shirt I began to explain my whole story. Within 20 minutes of intense questioning I had all those big gruffy officers in tears. They where so kind to me once they discovered I was not a terrorist and just a mom trying to fight this horrible cancer. The one that pulled me aside, young good looking man in his twenties, began telling me about his mom and how she had just past away a month ago from cancer. He explained that when she was diagnosed she just gave up. He told me how hurt he was that she did not even try to fight it. It then gave me a hug and told me to keep on going for my boys. At that time I knew that the whole day was meant to go the way it went. God knew exactly what He was doing once again.
Our flight from Phili to Pittsburgh was delayed of course. But I was so exhausted and so overwhelmed I did not even begin to care. After several calls from the boys wondering when I was going to be home and how much longer until I can get on the plane we finally boarded to our last destination. It was such a peaceful flight. Mark and I had a whole row to ourselves I feel asleep and awoke to the captain say, "Welcome to Pittsburgh" and the rest is history.
Yesterday I was very sick and in pain but at true peace. Even though I could not make it out of bed I was home and under me I could hear my family rumbling and living. That is all I really needed at that point. I know that everyone is waiting to hear the results but I will save that until tomorrow. We are still working things out and contemplating our next option.
Thank you everyone for all your prayers and support. Thanks mom and my family for watching those wild boys. Thanks for also having them miss me.
Sunny
We get ourselves together and I go to check out just to see the entire lobby filled with jewelry artists and buyers in long lines ready to check in. This week in Basel the Worlds Largest Watch and Jewelry Exhibit was starting. The rumor around the Hilton was that many famous designers, Hollywood Stars and world renowned collectors were all checking in on Saturday. We were even told that Paris Hilton called for a suite at the last minute and the Hilton had no rooms to give her. But at this point I could care less who was waiting or checking in I was getting out of there and home to the boys. So I poked my way to the front of the line, pretended that I had no idea what I was doing and was back up to the room to retrieve Mark in 10 minutes. I just kept on saying, "English?" like I had know idea what was going on. He was down at the lobby early and told me that the wait was over an hour. Well our plane was getting ready to go and an hour was not happening.
Check in at the airport was also frustrating because our travel agency booked us the wrong setting and we had to work that all out. So we finally make it from Basel to Germany and load our plane to Phili when I realized we had one of the oldest and most uncomfortable planes still flying. So the tears start flowing and Mark beg me to just stop. I then accepted my fate for the 9 hours in the air and the German Stewards named Helga started passing out drinks. After tempting Mark with two of her strongest bloody mary's by saying, "are you man enough to drink the drink I make?" she managed to spill a whole container of OJ completely down me from head to seat. We had 8 hours and 45 minutes on this plane and another 5 hours of traveling after that so I must say I was not happy. I look at Mark and the worried and panicked look was in his eyes. I have only seen that look a few times and it was usually because of some kind of news with my health. But it defiantly change my attitude. I grab the steward's hand to stop her from touching my areas I did not want to be touched, looked her in the eyes and told her it's okay. She continue to apologized in German and actually looked like she too was going to cry. But at that point I realized in the last 9 months I had been through so much and overcome so much some OJ is nothing. Mark just looked at me and smiled. I know he thought I was going to just deck her or at the least he hoped I would just give her "the sunny tell off smash down" as he calls it. But all I could do was feel bad for her and just laugh. I was completely soaked down to my lacey's with some lovely smelling OJ and all I could do is laugh. The others around me started helping clean up the mess while I stood there and laughed. I will tell you I had more Europeans touching me then the women in the 15th century paintings we had seen a few days earlier in the museum. After getting three blankets to put on the wet set I sat done and Mark said, "I am proud of you, you didn't do a Sunny Nutty on her".
The flight was fine but I must tell you if I don't hear another language for the rest of my life it will be to soon. I know finally know what it is like for a foreigner to come to our beautiful country and not know what the hell everyone around you is saying. I was in pain and sick to my stomach but I got through it. We arrived in Phili only to be stopped and hauled away by a customs police officer walking by me because his battery packed radar machine was going crazy. The radio-active therapy I received in Switzerland sets off all the warnings when going through detectors. This time I was stronger then ever so the custom police pulled me away. I had a note from Dr. Mueller but that was not enough for them. Mark had a look of terror on his face so I was more worried about him having a heartache then I was about anything they could do to me. They did not let him come with me so you can imagine what he was acting like. I was taken in a curtain room and yes searched. First with the magic wand and when that went crazy it was the inevitable. While the female officer lifted my shirt I began to explain my whole story. Within 20 minutes of intense questioning I had all those big gruffy officers in tears. They where so kind to me once they discovered I was not a terrorist and just a mom trying to fight this horrible cancer. The one that pulled me aside, young good looking man in his twenties, began telling me about his mom and how she had just past away a month ago from cancer. He explained that when she was diagnosed she just gave up. He told me how hurt he was that she did not even try to fight it. It then gave me a hug and told me to keep on going for my boys. At that time I knew that the whole day was meant to go the way it went. God knew exactly what He was doing once again.
Our flight from Phili to Pittsburgh was delayed of course. But I was so exhausted and so overwhelmed I did not even begin to care. After several calls from the boys wondering when I was going to be home and how much longer until I can get on the plane we finally boarded to our last destination. It was such a peaceful flight. Mark and I had a whole row to ourselves I feel asleep and awoke to the captain say, "Welcome to Pittsburgh" and the rest is history.
Yesterday I was very sick and in pain but at true peace. Even though I could not make it out of bed I was home and under me I could hear my family rumbling and living. That is all I really needed at that point. I know that everyone is waiting to hear the results but I will save that until tomorrow. We are still working things out and contemplating our next option.
Thank you everyone for all your prayers and support. Thanks mom and my family for watching those wild boys. Thanks for also having them miss me.
Sunny
