I even like some mints, but this was still better.

[mrissa]

We (this being markgritter and I) have arrived in Michigan in the same number of pieces as we were in when we left Minnesota, I believe. The new niece is a very nice baby. The old niece remains a very nice little girl, curious and fun to be around. We do not, unfortunately, see enough of her that she remembers us very well from visit to visit, but we are not the sort of grown-ups who expect that a child who hasn't seen us in ten months will want to fling herself affectionately upon us first thing. There was affectionate flinging. Just not the very first thing. Far better to let the child pick and get genuine hugs than to force the issue and make sure that she remembers she didn't much like you because you were grabby.

(We got "good job eating dinner" hugs. And Amber didn't even have a clear understanding of how nasty the plane ride was for me, so these were just run-of-the-mill congratulatory after-dinner hugs. Sort of in place of a mint, if you will.)

As for the plane ride, I can report that it was a perfectly ordinary plane ride, and that we have not apparently reached a time when perfectly ordinary plane rides are reasonable things for me. Blarg. (I was going to say that they were not a comfortable thing for me, and indeed they aren't, but as we're referring to commercial airline travel in the early 21st century, I expect they're not comfortable for anybody. But, at the risk of whining, less so for me. Even without turbulence, they sometimes want to turn or bank the plane or make it go up or down further. I cannot at this point approve of this behavior. I am still feeling the aftereffects. We'll see how the rest of the weekend goes. Uff da.)

Comments

[cathshaffer.livejournal.com]

Flying home through Detroit? Any unaccounted for time?

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

No, we got a straight shot from MSP to Gerald R. Ford and back again, not wanting to deal with changing planes and vertigo and extra ups and downs. And since we got in yesterday around dinnertime and are leaving tomorrow just after lunch, Grandpa L. and the nieces (and, okay, a couple of other relatives :) who might be relevant somehow) are filling all the time I've got.

I swear, though, one of these trips we'll stay more than one full day, and I will let you know in advance so we can arrange for coffee at Schulers or something.

[cathshaffer.livejournal.com]

Okay, just thought I'd check. Have a great weekend!

[talimena.livejournal.com]

I grant that making the plane go up and down is essential to the travel, but I don't know about this banking thing. Surely there's a straight route, no?

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

If I ran the world. (But then, if I ran the world, there would be more than one runway open at MSP.)

[laurel]

Glad you both arrived in the appropriate number of pieces.

Miss seeing you here, but baptisms only come but once (usually) and like that.

Plane rides really should be better, for all, and it sucks that they are less good for you still, these days. Feh.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Yah, I figure if she joins a sect as an adult that believes she needs rebaptizing, we can evaluate on a case-by-case basis how important it is to her to have us there, etc. But so far in this family it's a one-time-only thing. And neither of her other Gritter uncles could make it, so I'm glad we could, and also it means Auntie mrissa gets to hog the baby some.

(markgritter's parents are being scrupulously good about sharing, when as the grandparents they really wouldn't have to be. Grandma and Grandpa trump.)