Drama Before Dawn

I saw the most beautiful sunrise this morning.

From Ronald Reagan National Airport.

I set my alarm for 4am, but woke up at 3:34. (At that point it's just stupid to go back to sleep. Twenty-six minutes is just enough time to fall into a deep sleep, just to have the rudeness of your alarm* jar you into the present and thus ruin your whole day. Better to get it over with when you wake up naturally.) (*But I do suggest trying out my alarm clock if yours scares the crap out of you in the morning. It's the iPod Compatible Travel Soother 20 Radio/Alarm Clock from Sharper Image. I got it for Valentine's Day and it has a deal where you can change the super-scary alarm to sound like church bells instead. It rocks. Very soothing, yet still gets the job done.)

ANYway, the reason I was even at National at such an ungodly hour is that I had to drop Dillon off at Gate 35 for a 5:55 boarding call for his flight to Florida.

Yup, the kid got out of school yesterday and bailed down the beach for A Fortnight of Fun with his BFF, Milton. He checked 2 boogie-boards and a duffel bag full of shorts and T's and carried on a Big-Ass Grin.

And then got on the wrong airplane. Don't even ask me how it happened, but he took the shuttle out to the commuter, boarded, and said he was sitting in his seat, 9A, when a guy came up and said, "That's my seat."
D says, "No, look right here. 9A, that's me."
"You're going to Orlando."
With a big grin, "That's right!"
"This plane's going to Philadelphia."

So he got up, told them he was on the wrong plane (thank God seat 9A was booked!), and they got him hooked up with the correct flight. I heard from him around 11:30. They were on the way to the beach.

I, on the other hand, have been nursing Noodle all day long. She woke up with a sore throat and fever and at this point has spiraled down to whispering and topping the thermometer at 104.6.

She's asleep now. I don't expect to get any for the next 24 hours at least.