Mai's plane safe, birthday celebrations a sweet memory

I checked the Northwest Airlines site this morning, and Mai's plane from Minneapolis to Tokyo has arrived safely, about 45 minutes ahead of schedule. I hope she was able to sleep on the plane--she has been going pretty much non-stop since she arrived here--staying out with friends till after midnight, yet up in the morning, usually by 9 or 10. She doesn't have a lot of time to catch up on sleep--her classes start on Wed, Sept. 1

At the airport, she had to empty out five pounds of candy because he bags were overweight. I told her she should eat some on the plane so she wouldn't have to carry so much, but she just laughed. I promised I would send her Extra gum and American chocolate bars.

Mai got through security all right, then turned to wave good-bye. All of us turned, saddened to leave this precious family member, but hopeful for her return in the near future. (Next summer, she said, if I get a job!)

So, we headed to the nearby Mall of America. I had told Tim about the Magic Pan Crepe Stand, so this is where we were planning an early supper. The boys were a little unsure--would crepes really be good, and filling? Mark ordered a BBQ meat crepe, filling and delicious. Luke got ham and cheese, Tim got turkey and cheese, Christina returned to her Sante Fe crepe, with tomato soup, and I got a spinach souflee crepe. Tim and I also got orange almond salad. The only disappointing part was that we couldn't order complimentary water (so we shared 2 bottled waters. Later Christina and I snuck off to get some drinks at the pretzel stand.).

Tim found a game store directly across from the Magic Pan, and ended up buying three games after spending about an hour in the store. Then we headed to the bookstore, where he found some other gems, including a reverse dictionary. Now his birthday was happy and complete.

Luke had left early for his first night of classes at the college, so we managed to get through traffic and get home in time for Mark to leave to hang with friends. Tim took a nap while Christina and I caught up on 7th Heaven. When Tim woke up, he and Christina spent the evening playing the new strategy games.

It was a good day. A happy birthday for Tim, and a bon voyage for Mai.

Till next time,


Suzi