How to Fix a Bad Day in Duesseldorf

Okay, so I almost ran away from home today. The weather was dreary. I went to Cologne with friends to trudge around in the rain and eat at Hard Rock Cafe (they have real burgers there). The company and the food was great, but the weather was cold and rainy and, like an idiot, I wore inappropriate footwear and was freezing. Also, they're doing all this construction in the Old Town of Cologne, so getting around was a little treacherous and there was a really foul odor in the air.

I went to pick Maddie up at school and she pulled something that almost made me smack her upside the head. I really let her have it in car all the way home. I was really ready to run away. The airport is only 10 minutes from our house and I figured there was cheap flight to somewhere leaving withn the hour. Skip was gone to the States all last week, was home for two nights before heading to a football game last night and hopping a plane to Leeds tonight and not coming back until late Friday. I'm thinking of joining a local chapter of Parents without Partners. He did, thankfully, take Maddie out to eat tonight so that I didn't have to feed anyone. So basically, bad behavior netted her a McDonalds meal.

Now, in Little Rock, after a day like this and a night when my husband was gone, I might have called Mom to see if she could watch Maddie while I went to a movie or to dinner with a friend. Or I might have simply taken a hot bath to wash away the day. But this is Europe, so I booked a flight to Paris for when my friend Andrea comes to visit in November. (Duesseldorf to Paris is like going from Little Rock to Dallas) Ahhhhh, just thinking about it makes today seem much better!