Limbo

We started moving out of our house two weeks ago.  During the three days of packing and moving, we stayed at my parents' house.  Then we went to Staunton for the weekend and stayed in a hotel.  Then we came back to Arlington and stayed in another hotel.  Today is our tenth day at the Homewood Suites, which has become our limbo home.  We have a good sized room with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living room areas, and a kitchenette.  They gave us a crib for Elena which we put in the second bathroom, so that we could close the door during nap time.  The crib has institutional white bars, and she just can't resist looking around if she's left out in the open.  She also likes to kick her legs through the bars and spin herself around to a sideways position, which lets me know a bumper is a top purchase priority once we get to Thailand.

One of the nicest features of the hotel is that they provide complimentary breakfast seven days a week and a complimentary dinner four nights a week.  Our room is right off the lobby, so we've been able to roll out for meals with very little fuss.  Vivi has been in marital arts summer camp since school ended, so she still has a routine to her days, and we added swimming lessons to help get her ready for living in eternal summer.  Overall, we've managed to reach some semblance of a normal life.

It's interesting, the kinds of people you meet in a hotel like this.  At breakfast Vivi impressed an older couple with her friendliness and her conversational skills.  As we chatted, they told us that they were staying here because their air conditioner broke, and it was ninety degrees in their house.  A few days later, I struck up a conversation with another baby mom at the coffee station.  Turns out, her family was at the hotel because their house had burned down.  There are also lots of families on vacation and business people here, but I think it's interesting that we seem to end up talking to the people who are in a similar state of limbo.

Today we enter our final limbo phase, the flight that lasts all day.  I tried to check us in online last night, and discovered yet another idiocy in our Fly America, co-chaired flight.  Our tickets are through Delta, but we're actually flying on Korean Air Lines.  However, we can't check in online through either airline.  Also, since our ticket is technically through Delta, Korean Air didn't contact us to tell us that they changed the type of plane they're using between Seoul and Bangkok, so we have to get seats for that leg of the flight once we get to the airport this morning.  I'm trying not to envision the battle that will ensue if they try to scatter the four of us in middle seats throughout the plane for the six hour flight.

The cherry on top of all of this is that the kids meal I requested for Vivi over a month ago is still "pending" for the D.C. to Seoul portion of the flight because neither Delta nor Korean Air seem to know who's responsible for making sure it happens.  This, at least, I can prepare for.  I've used up all the jam and hamburger buns we have left to pack her five jam sandwiches (her favorite meal), so I know for sure she will have something to eat in addition to all the snacks we've packed.  I've also packed five bottles filled with water for the baby.  We'll see if the water makes it through security.

At about five this morning, I gave up on the idea of sleep, got some coffee, and sat down to write.  I'm hoping this will help me get to that Zen place of just accepting how the day goes.  The light at the end of the tunnel is our beautiful new home in Thailand and all the adventures that we will have there.  I just need to focus on the light.