It's Party Time!

You know it!  We're talking a pound of bacon and sausage for breakfast, whatever I want for lunch, cereal and popcorn for dinner.  And the best part?  I can run around the house in my pajama top and underwear the whole time.  Why?  Because these are the kinds of things I do when Ginger leaves the country.

Yep, my better half is traveling to the other side of the world.  I drop her off at the airport tomorrow.  She heads to Virginia to hook up with her traveling companions; hops a plane the next day to London by way of Minneapolis; from London to Qatar; and, then from Qatar to Al Manama, Bahrain.  "Bah-what", you ask?  Bahrain, an island country in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia.  How come?  Because she's way cool, that's why.  Also because she is traveling with Team Chesterfield from Virginia.  This team will be participating in the International Childrens' Games which are being held this year in Bahrain.  Her daughter has been taking Team Chesterfield to these games for several years now and is doing it again this year.  The three grandchildren (one in college, two in high school, all former participants) are making the trip, too.  What a great family thing to do together.

Better her than me.

I am such a homebody that I miss Ginger and the cats when I'm at work.  We're talking seven miles away from our house.  It's not like I've left the country.  I just love being at home.  I did venture to Italy last October and had a fabulous time.  But I like my home and the family I live with in it.  I like sleeping in my own bed.  I like trips where I'm away for only 2 or 3 nights and I can drive back home in an hour.  I'm not much of an adventurer in travel.  I miss home too much.

Ginger, on the other hand, retired a few years early just so she could travel.  This woman has the good energy and health of someone half her age.  She's been all around the world and still going.  I love that she doesn't mind traveling without me and I think she loves that I don't mind her doing it.  I hang out at home, take care of the kitties, fetch the mail and newspaper, whatever needs to be done.  She doesn't worry about anything at home and I don't worry about having to try to pee in a small trench dug across the floor.  (Don't ask.  You don't want to know.)  But as I was saying, she's okay for me to stay.  And I'm okay for her to go, because.....

I can sit around the house in my pajama top and underwear!  No pants!  There's just something wickedly fun about that.  I can head to Frisch's for breakfast and eat my way down the breakfast bar (with an extra plate for all the bacon and sausage, of course).  If I don't feel like cooking dinner, I can just toss a bag of popcorn into the microwave and there's my meal.  I can stay up all night on the weekend and watch movies without worrying that I'm being loud and keeping her awake.  Actually, I can do that now.  But it feels like I'm getting away with something naughty if I do it when she's not here!

So here's to Bahrain.  Here's to Team Chesterfield.  Here's to Ginger and everyone traveling with the team.  Have fun!  Safe passage!  Tomorrow afternoon I'll be sucking down nachos and cheese at the movies followed by M&M's for dessert.  It's so good to be me!