t minus

Well it's finally here...ok, it's almost finally here.  On the eve of our departure to Istanbul, Turkey, what might you find Tony & Tiffany Baer doing??  Yep, having a drink and fiddling around on the internet!  Haha!  Well we deserve both vices after the last few days of crazy Ventura life taking care of getting Tony's mom, Sophie, back in the groove of things as best as possible.  She fell and broke her hip on a midnight bathroom trip almost a month ago now and has been in a rehab facility since.  She came home Thursday, a little earlier than we expected, or at least quite suddenly in relation to our packing/preparing for Turkey trip.  It's been an emotional ride for us ever since the break, feeling very guilty for leaving the country just when she needs someone most.  Hence the insane day of madness for me Thursday getting us & the house ready for us to leave then piling in the car at 745 pm and driving 6hrs to Ventura.  We arrived after 3 a.m. and the sun rose way too early Friday morning, the kids not knowing the difference.  Ugh.  Ever since, over the last 3 days, it has been non-stop running errands (for an "elder potty" and a shower chair and a grabber) to help Sophie plus buying groceries and cooking up a bunch of ready-made-just-throw-in-the-microwave meals (big pot o bean soup, big lasagna, veggie quiche) so she won't not eat.  She's a feisty, agile woman for her age and situation so we're not too worried but none the less we've arranged for someone to come help her out a couple hours each day.

I've packed and repacked and will do a final "oh geez we might need this so let's stuff it in this corner of my suitcase" tonight along with making some sandwiches and cutting up some fruit for our flights tomorrow.  Of course they feed you on international flights, but tomorrow morning we fly to Newark for a small layover first before officially taking the "red eye" to Istanbul so I figured some "domestic travel" food was needed, esp. while flying with kids.  Apparently there's been a bit of drama where our tickets are concerned as I've overheard Tony talking with United the last few days but fingers crossed it has all been squared away.  Tyler keeps asking if we are going home and I tell him "no sweetie, we're flying on a big plane to the other side of the planet to Turkey!" and then he'll ask if we can drive there or take a hot air balloon instead!  Too cute.  I think he gets a little nervous around giant machines he normally digs on, like trains and planes.  Thankfully this time there will be two parents to quell the uneasy micro traveler...of course there will be two micro travelers this time, but I suspect not much angst out of the littler of the two.

In the weeks leading up to this trip I purchased on-line and at a store in Marin I had to drive 30 minutes to (the same company incidentally that I ADORE, at least in pictures in the catalog) a travel bag with multiple zippers on the front  that sadly were as sticky & jerky as anything I've ever had ($98!! tho vegan!?!) and travel shoes that looked airy & breathable in pictures but proved at home for a day of breaking in to be total feet destroyers ($80) which I brought with me to Ventura anyway because I had no choice but have been bumming on.  So yesterday while out on my hunt for a much needed pedicure - harder to find than I imagined - I ended up at the Ventura mall and scored on a totally cheap ($19 on half price sale) bag that was almost identical to the much pricier one but with zippers that slid back and forth like buttah and actually a much cuter color (dark violet vs cocoa) and I'm quite sure vegan as well...ok, probably plether which is probably just as environmentally rude but hey.  And then I found some totally cute, totally comfortable travel shoes that I KNEW would need no breaking in and wouldn't turn into razor blades on my achilles after a day of walking.  Yep, gotta love Payless shoes.  $19!!  OH and while I was in line at the check-out there I saw MY NEW PURSE!!  It was one of those moments where you just go "OH YEAH!" and grab it and sling it over your shoulder for a little prance in front of the full length mirror just to make totally sure what you already know which is that you've just found a "simple" piece that will make you smile every time you see it hanging on your dining chair or off your shoulder as you catch your reflection in a store front walking down the street!  My "simple" piece is a black and white thick horizontal stripe boho bag not dissimilar, ironically, to the purse I picked up in Madrid several years back in a yellow & white thick horizontal stripe that I adored the whole season I used it.  Sigh...I'm so happy :)  So to recap I picked up $45 worth of travel bag & shoes which will replace the $160 I already spent  for the same that didn't work out but will return for refund when I get home.  And if that weren't enough I got a cute pair of black, strappy, cork wedges from Payless at half price that will look totally adorbs with the strapless striped black & white dress I'm wearing for the evening wedding in Istanbul Wednesday.  The formal wedding is on Sunday and I've got a much fancier outfit for that.

Now if only my daughter's goopy gross "pink eye" or whatever infection will just go away I would be a totally happy woman.  Got some more eye drops today for her and waiting for it to clear up as I cross my fingers it's not something else.  Yucko & sucko. 

Ok, flight is 830 am tomorrow out of LA and we're driving to some special parking place near the airport from here (about an hour'ish away) so leaving at about 5 am which means I'm up at prob 345 so I can shower, wash & dry my hair and finish making sandwiches...as well as get my kids up and dressed.  We arrive in Istanbul Tuesday noon'ish.  It's gonna be a long trip!!!

Stay tuned for all the fun details of the trip there and our initial impressions of Turkey!!