One Week Ago...

...it was Halloween.

No, I didn't dress up. I thought of dressing up as Mr. Clean by putting on a really tight white t-shirt, but jet lag got the better of me and I just couldn't be bothered. Instead, I was content to just take some pictures of the nieces and nephew in their costumes.


My youngest niece, Sinead, dressed up as a fairy - or as she says it: faiwy. Awwwwwww...so cute! Then, there was my nephew, Finn.

TBF: Finn, what are YOU supposed to be?

Finn: The Grim Reaper!

TBF: You look like a Swedish figure skater.

At that point, I was charged and stabbed with his plastic sword - for about the hundredth time that day.

Then there was some guy dressed up like a baby who was handing out Halloween candy with my mom. He claimed to be my dad.

I've never seen this man before in my life!

I'm Exhausted...

I'm one of those guys who needs a vacation after taking a vacation just to recuperate from the added stress encountered during the vacation. Add in any kind of time zone change, and Fuhgeddaboudit!

I really enjoy going to Chicago to see friends and family. Really! However, I have to say one thing: ...love the nieces and nephew, but...they exhaust me! And to think that I'm exhausted after seeing them just for a few hours a day for a week here and there unlike my sister and bro-in-law who have to deal with these whirling dervishes every single day.

...an appointment with my doctor to discuss a vasectomy has already been set up for next week!

Dinner is especially hectic. I'm used to Mrs. TBF and I sitting down to a relaxing dinner. Sure, King will come by occasionally and beg for a little something, but that's about as hectic as our dinners get. Now, add four kids to the dinner table and things change...a bit. Certain words come to mind; chaos, bedlam, pandemonium...just to name a few. One evening, about an hour after dinner, my mom actually had to ask me what we had eaten because...she couldn't really remember.

Lots of distractions at dinnertime at my sister's house...

So, yes, I'm exhausted. Add into the equation that my flight left Chicago 90-minutes late on Wednesday resulting in me having to walk/run through Heathrow to catch my connecting flight to Basel. I landed at Heathrow at 7:50, caught the bus from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4, went through Security (after pretty much cutting in front of everybody in the long line), and parted the sea of travelers in Terminal 4 who saw in my eyes that I was prepared to kill (...only had to stiff-arm one person) as I made my way to Gate 19. I made it to my gate and boarded the plane (last person to board) while receiving many kudos from the incredulous staff who couldn't believe that I had made it. The door closed about a second after I got on the plane. Yes, I had made it, but...

...my luggage didn't.

The luggage was delivered last night; one around 21:00, and the other one shortly after midnight.

This morning, I drove Mrs. TBF to the train station so she could catch the 7:03 train to Vevey.

I'm exhausted!