pegpower.com - 09.26.03

09.26.03

Happy Friday!...although I'm not feeling happy at all. I've been battling this stubborn cold and been feeling really down.
I spent the morning doing laundry and setting things aside for Aric. Aric took a half day from work, and came home early to pack. Not really knowing what he needed exactly, I just followed him around like a pitiful puppy...mopey, and counting the hours and minutes.

Aric's flight leaves tomorrow (Saturday) at 1am....so he needs to be at the airport no later than 11pm tonight. *GROAN*

Tonight we had dinner at Fleming's in Newport Beach with a bunch of our close friends. We celebrated Grace's birthday, Aric's farewell, and Ashlyn's early 2nd birthday. The restaurant was pretty fancy schmancy. They seated us in a semi-private room downstairs. We all dined on salads, soups, filet mignons, porter houses, or prime ribeye, and some delicious side dishes. We even had three yummy cakes for dessert. Dinner was excellent, and the service was amazing.
I tried to stay upbeat and enjoy the evening....but it was difficult. I was feeling pretty emotional...I was sad that Aric was leaving us tonight, and overwhelmed by our friends' touching love, support, and generosity.

FLEMING'S PRIME STEAKHOUSE & WINE BAR
455 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Tel: (949) 720-9633
Fax: (949) 720-9634

When we finished dinner, it was about time for Aric to leave. Ed and Brian took Aric to the airport. Aric and I thought that it would be easier on the both of us. Yeah, who knew we were such a sappy couple, eh? =P
All the women were heading over to Ed and Sue's to hang out. I decided to go home early. There were several reasons why I decided to pass up the opportunity to be among friends...I was drained from the day, Ashlyn was tired and being fussy, I wasn't really in the mood to socialize, but most importantly...I was still fighting a cold and didn't want to be around all the babies.

It was especially heartwrenching driving home with Ashlyn wailing,"Dadddddy....Daddddy... ..Daddddddy", as she wondered why he wasn't in the car with us. *clench chest* She cried all the way home. It took me an hour to finally put her to bed.

With Aric gone, I secretly harbored a fear and anxiety of being a "single parent" for the next month or so. I know that sounds extremely ridiculous, but I don't know how I'm going to get by...just me and her...for the next 30+days. Ashlyn's such a handful already, and the mere thought of Aric coming home after work is very comforting. But that's not going to happen now. My only salvation is looking forward to the week that Ivy will be in town to keep me company. *whew* I know that this is a challenging time for all three of us, and if I can get through this...I can pretty much handle anything. hehehe

After Ashlyn fell into a peaceful slumber, I came downstairs to pick up around the living room. I ended up sitting in the dark and talked to Aric on the cell (as he waited to board). =/

I think I'll go to bed early tonight....curl up in a ball and cry. Nah, just kidding. *COUGHING* I'm sick and need as much rest as possible. Have a good weekend!

Pictures from tonight:

Grace, Brandon, Brian, and Liv

Sue, Liv, and Ed

Lauren and James