May17

Home again, home again, jiggity jog

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Where to begin?

It’s embarrassing to admit that I thought of you all many times on this trip, sometimes even by name. I do have friends in real life too, honest! But I was frequently thinking of how I would write up certain things for this blog and you, my beloved blog buddies.

After I got through the security check in San Diego, I sat down and typed this:

The first pat down was painless. They not only had the footprint floor mat facing away from the maddening crowd of the security line, they took me a little ways off to the side. There was an onlooker this time (like in D.C.) but only because my “patter” was a trainee. She was gentle (unlike in D.C.). The only hitch was I needed to hold my pants up while she frisked my legs. “This is embarrassing enough without my pants falling down,” I said. She was kind enough to let me break protocol and put my arms down for that part of the procedure.

When she checked my belly, I said, “Yes, it’s real.” Both women laughed and gushed over how cute and petite it was. I managed to survive that part. 😉

They wished me a Happy Mother’s Day, and I was on my way.

pregnant woman

So TOTALLY not me.

Even though it was a little sad to be traveling on Mother’s Day, since I’m obviously a mother, thanks to this beer gut, I got a hearty Happy M. D. from the kind lady I bought my lunch from, as well as one of the flight attendants, who gushed over my belly, asked me several questions, told me a little about her son, and then finally continued beverage service. When she finished she came back, leaned her arm against the overhead bin above me, and we chatted some more.

The woman who did my pat down in the Birmingham airport on the way home asked me similar questions in the same exact tone as she gave the run-down of the procedure. Matter-of-factly she said, as her hands did their business:

“When are you due?”

“July 1st.”

“Congratulations. Boy or girl?”

“Boy.”

“Congratulations. Is this your first?”

“Fourth, actually.”

“Congratulations. Wait a minute while I scan my glove…”

It was entertaining and endearing at the same time. Also, I realized something important: Pat downs are not a big deal. I should stop whining about them. Sure, I had an aggressive woman in D.C., but I should be grateful she takes her job seriously. It’s a sign that she enjoys it. Someone who did a cursory, bored inspection probably dislikes her job, and I’d feel sad for her. At least the she-man felt her contribution to our nation’s safety was worthwhile and important. I ought not to have complained.

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Also not me, but I appreciate this woman’s sense of humor. [BTW, both pics courtesy of Pixabay.]

And because you may be wondering, my lower back pain was all but gone by Sunday morning. As I was walking through the airport, I noticed I wasn’t waddling but wondered if it was because pulling my suitcase was balancing me out. When I was suitcase-free in Birmingham, I realized the pain and the wobble were at 2% or less. It felt semi-miraculous. Truly. The only times I felt a flair up where when I needed to carry my suitcase up and down a short flight of stairs in the guest house, but once I set it down, I was fine.

It was amazing. As much as I realize in hindsight that I shouldn’t have complained about it, I also can’t help but think it worked in my favor due to the prayers and/or well-wishes from you that seemed to have made a tangible difference. Honestly, I have no other explanation. I’m almost tearing up over here. Thank you SO much. The trip, in regards to the back and the pat-downs, couldn’t have gone better. I can’t thank you enough!

I know you want to hear more about the show, the filming, pictures, everything–the exciting stuff, but I’ll have to save it for the next post. I will say, however, that it was terrific. I had a blast and absolutely loved it.

More to come!!

XOXO,

Betsy

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46 responses »

  1. Good to hear you’re back and that your back is back to normal. Sorry, three backs in one sentence is all I can manage tonight. Looking forward to hearing about the lights and cameras.

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  2. Happy Belated Mother’s Day! But it sounds like everyone was gracious and kind, THAT was a gift for you. And I believe I get to claim responsibility for that. 🙂 And in all seriousness, it’s as endearing to read this wonderfulness as it is the funny stuff. I can’t wait to hear about the taping. Glad all went well and your back feels better!!!!

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  3. It’s funny, I think of my readers as my Blogger Buddies too! A whole other friend set that exists separate from my every day life. 🙂
    Glad you had a good experience this time. It makes all the difference!!

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  4. Glad your trip went well, and especially that your back seems to have decided it’s done arguing with you 🙂 Yes, very curious about how things went with all the TV stuff, and five outfit changes in one day (and you weren’t even shopping for clothes!). Bummer for having to travel on Mother’s Day, but it sounds like a lot of people wished you well (not that you could be covert about being a mother, you know, being in your third trimester and all that 🙂 ). Looking forward to your next post 😀

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    • “…seems to have decided it’s done arguing with you”–That was terrific! Are you a writer or something? 😉 That’s true about the outfit changes. I guess I have done that before when shopping for clothes, but I usually then don’t stay in them for a half an hour. Well, except for that one outfit that I stole by walking out of the store in it until I got caught a half hour later. Totally kidding!! 🙂

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  6. I’m glad that your pat down went better this time and that you had a few hours of no back pain. ‘Tis the small things in life that make it wonderful. Looking forward to the rest of the story.

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    • And I’m still not waddling. Strangely whatever back discomfort there is is now on the opposite side, but it’s minimal and totally doable. And thanks! 🙂 There were a lot of small things that added up to a great deal of wonderful.

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  7. Pat-downs are not THAT big a deal (Y readers’ MMV), but I bet if airlines were allowed to opt out of it, the ones that opted out would get all the business.

    The support for the TSA comes primarily from non-fliers. I remember flying before the hijackings of the 1960s, but the security established as a result of them was to benefit the passengers and hence the airlines, and there was no great objection to it. 2001 changed the game by having airliners used as weapons vs. people on the ground. A poll a few years ago showed that the security adopted since then is supported by a substantial majority of people who never or hardly ever fly, and opposed by a substantial majority of those who do.

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    • I thought I was beyond them, too! My youngest is seven. This came as a surprise. I used to feel about others the way you feel about me. Sigh. I’m sure it will be great though. I’m hoping this little guy will keep me feeling young!

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  14. I find it humorous that it’s perfectly acceptable to gush over a pregnant woman’s belly, but try touching and marveling over some woman’s perfectly flat one and you are either slapped in the face or forced to answer awkward questions from somebody dressed in a uniform. Possibly both.

    Not that I speak from personal experience or anything…

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