Hi Fam's & friends!
Well I made another Homecoming for my Son Joe who just returned from a 7mo. deployment to the middle east abord the John Stenis (Aircraft Carrier)!!!
We flew out to Seattle from Tampa stopping in Dallas (where plane broke down on the runway adding another 2 hrs to the trip!) I was in agony 1/2 way there! We didn't get there till 9:00pm Pac. time and were up in the morning at 3:30am east time!!! A long day!
We met my new Daughter-in-law who insisted we come to their apt. to decorate it for or Son's arival! Got to our hotel at around 11:30pm and had to get up at 4:30am to get a parking spot at the pier on base as there were expecting thousands for the homecoming!!
It was in the low 30's, windy, overcast and drizling at the base! I was in agony before we evan got there but I couldn't let it on to the people in our party there to welcome Joe! Don't you just hate it when if you evan complain a little, everyone thinks you are just looking for attention> Well thats how I felt anyway!!
The weather was killing me being used to the 80's in Fla. before we left!!! I also lost my cain in transit somewhere so I used an umbrella which wasn't the best idea on the wet slippery pier!!
I ended up leaving our group more than once, sneaking behind a concrete wall and lying down on the pier to realieve the agony in my back & neck w/o them seeing me!!
A couple times concerned Sailors working security on the pier came over to see why I was lying down on the wet concrete? I asured them just a bad back and I would be OK if I could just lie flat for a minute or two!!
It was wonderfull and well worth the pain to see tears coming from my Son's eyes when he saw my Wife & I>> He had no idea we were coming!!!
We all went out to dinner that night and had a great time except for the group kept asking me if I was alright?? My eyes were in bad shape> another story (Had this nasty thing come back on my eyeball the 3rd time, 1st two were surgically removed!!) The drops the doc gave me the week before for both eyes made them glazy and wattery looking like I was high or drunk! GRRRRRRR! I didn't drink anything and only took my reg meds which do nothing like that!!! GRRRR!
The next day it was up to the Mts to a cassino for brunch then to a waterfall and train station village in the Cascade Mts. More walking in the cold!!! Said goodbye at 5:00pm drove to a hotel next to the airport!
The phone rang at 2:45am!! The Airline saying our flight is cancelled and instead of going to Dallas we would be going to N.Y.C. for our layover and not get into Tampa till 11:30pm east time!!!
Saywhat?? My Wife who schedules Dr's plane flights for a living got on the phone and told them this is not acceptable> My husband is disabled and can NOT fly that far in one trip!
She was on the phone for an hour & a half before they got us another flight on a different airline but we had to leave for the airport right away> at 5:00am!!!!
Long story short, we got to Tampa around 6:30pm east time and home right around dark to our pets who were extreamly glad to see us!! Hobbled into the house and to bed w/o dinner!
That was on Sunday> I hardly got outa bed yesterday and my body still hurts like HELL but I's do it all over again tomorrow just to see the look on my Son's face when he got off that ship!!!!!!>> It ain't just all about me!!!!!!!!!
Love All Y'all!!!
Your Buddy & Brother>
Pittyfull and Painfull Pete>
Goin back to bed!!