Day Thirty - Back To Where It All Began

And here I sit again! Back home on the ranch & the cold nose & cold feet have already settled in. I was able to say goodbye to everyone this morning before the shuttle whisked them away to health & happiness. I had a lovely visit with Ed & he was kind enough to help me with my luggage & then tell me that he isn't supposed to lift anything!! 


Marcos took me to the airport... Funny story there... He was the cab driver that showed up when Mom, Laura & I rented the car & drove to Palm Desert. He offered to take us to the airport for $12 less than the going rate, so we gladly took his number. Mom used him when she left - in fact, I don't remember if I mentioned it or not - I saw Mom & Marcos pulling onto the freeway as we were pulling off! I missed her by moments! Anyhow, Laura used him to take her to the airport when she left. I had full intentions of phoning him to set up my ride to the airport, but when Joanne & I were waiting for the trolley the other day, I noticed his car! Sure enough, there he was! So I approached him & arranged for a lift to the airport. Of all the cabbies in SD, I found Marcos! Small world!


Anyhow, the ladies at the check-in counter were nice enough to allow my (slightly) overweight luggage through when I told them how many bottles of DMSO I had in each case (6) & what it was for. Can you say LUCKY DAY?!?! Security didn't like the 'fullness' of my one carry on. Apparently it was so jam packed that it looked too dense & they had to empty it out. I then had the joy of repacking it - no small task! 


Valentina was a rockstar on the plane. Quiet as a church mouse & very well behaved. I sat next to a gal who works for WestJet & we visited the entire flight! Super gal & we exchanged email addresses, so I'm sure we'll be in touch! We flew right over Vegas. I've never been there before, so it was exciting for me to get a 'visual'. I could see the strip & the Luxor Pyramid. Very cool! I can't wait to visit one day & see the Cirque du Soleil shows. I also bumped into Martha & her mom, they are from Calgary & had been down at the clinic for Martha's 3 month check up. I was also fortunate to meet her sister, brother-in-law & niece at the airport. What a fun day! A little dose of 'Castillo' away from home! Sigh. 


I miss everyone terribly. It was a little like a bubble. No negative influences, no great responsibilities... It truly is a wonderful place to heal. I can't wait to go back! Hugs to everyone for the time being!


Anyhow, back to the luggage... My $300 bottle of Hoxsey managed to leak... Luckily it was in a plastic bag & it didn't leak, so I was able to salvage what spilled. It was also still very cold - good stuff! Expensive bottle to have break or heat up! As for the vitamin C powder... Well... I decided to empty the bottles into ziplock bags. After doing which, I realized it looked like nice bags of cocaine. Great! Sure enough, when I arrived home & began to unpack, they had checked out one of the bags. I have no idea how they repacked the case like they did, but impressive job! The also didn't mind my ziplock baggies chuffed full of pills, nor the 50 syringes... Lucky again! 


Valentina was very excited to see Grandma. She has been showing Grandma her new toys all night long. We also dressed her up in the costume just like Daddy's. See photos below. Now we have 2 Doctors in our family! :o)


I had a small pile of mail when I arrived home. Most of it was boring stuff, but I had a few special cards from some very special friends. Thank you so much for thinking of me. I am so blessed to have friends just like you! I am looking forward to a big cuddle with my little girl in our own bed tonight & a nice big sleep in tomorrow morning. That is until the phone rings at some forsaken hour! 


Tomorrow will also be the first day I do my own shot. Unattended. Oh boy! Wish me luck! Mind over matter... Mind over matter!!! I'll do my best to keep updating the blog as progress winds along. I'm also booked to fly to TAHITI (!!!!) to see my hubby!!!! Whoo hoo!! Of course, I will do my best to upload & post while I am there... Those will be fun photos! I'm going to make the most of the underwater housing for the camera! Yippee!! Did I mention that I LOVE MY LIFE?!?!? I must be the luckiest girl on the planet, I tell ya!


On that high note... Lekker slaap (Afrikaans for 'sleep well') & I will see you soon! xxxx
Maria & Valentina

ps - sorry, no photos of Vegas - the camera was sardined into my carry-on & I couldn't get to it! :o( Guess I just have to go back! :o)

Dr. Tweet Pea is in the house!

She already knows how to use the stethoscope!

Check out my scrubs!

Chasing Adios & helping Grandma unpack!