Anyone need a trip booked? I'm on a ROLL!

*edited to add: I have updated Flickr with April pictures clicky here or on the Flickr badge.

As you know, my BFF Lizard is a mere 5 weeks away (plus-or-minus 2 weeks) from having her baby girl, and that means it's time for my mom and me to plan our trip out west to fill her fridge with casseroles and coo over the baby. That, and e-baby and miss-c will need to bond.

So in looking at dates, long story short, mid-August looked good so I started hunting for airfare and called mom:

ME: We fly out on the 9th, meet up in San Diego, and fly home on the 13th.
MOM: That works, and we also wanted to come see you this summer.
ME: Well, how about you fly back to NC with me, and dad can fly out and meet us?
MOM: That'd work. What's the rest of your summer schedule like?
ME: I have a trip to DC at the end of August. Too bad y'all can't be here for that because you both want to go see the museums and monuments and...
MOM: Wait!! I got it!! Your dad doesn't like long trips, so how about I stay in NC a couple of weeks and then your dad can fly out on the 25th, just in time for us to all go up to DC and take care of e-baby while you're at work and...
ME: Wait!! Even better! Isabelle and Le Chef will be here starting on September 2! Why don't you stay until the 4th so you can see them??
MOM: BRILLIANT!
ME: BRILLIANT! It's the perfect storm of trips.

Since I have tons of airline points I decided to book part of mom's airfare that way. I knew this would be complicated, so I called the stupid airline help line with the stupid automated voice-recognition system, and after somehow convincing it that I was going to Acapulco, I got an agent on the line. I explained the situation: want to book a ticket from Austin to SoCal to NC to Austin over a 4-week span.

ME: Can I do any of this with points?
AGENT: Let me see... hmm... if I carry the one... move the tag to the left... You'll have to fly to NC on the 14th because there's nothing on the 13th... Yes. I can put it all on one award ticket.
ME: ALL OF IT?
AGENT: Yes. The whole thing.
ME: Now, you know I mean AUS to SAN to RDU to AUS?
AGENT: Yes, that's the one
ME: And all on one award ticket? For the normal number of points?
AGENT: No. For the super-saver number of points.
ME: HOLLY CARP! I'm doing the happy dance.
AGENT: You know, if you were to pay for this trip, it'd be about $700.
ME: Happy bargain dance!

I happy-danced the whole way home. Then I booked mine and e-baby's tickets.

In other news, e said "Dada" for the first time today. BIG sigh of relief in this house, as she's mostly said "Mama" for the past 2 months or so and SNG was beginning to feel slighted. But I know she's crazy about him because when he comes in, she opens her mouth in a 2-tooth grin, goes BOUNCE-BOUNCE-BOUNCE and says "SQUEEEE!"

In other-other news, this Saturday is Peace and Fuzzy's wedding (congrats, you crazy kids!) and while they're in Hawaii on their honeymoon, we're DOTi-sitting for 2 weeks. DOTi is a very cool little dog and always has a good time here at Camp Windy Woods. This time she will love the strained peas, carrots, green beans...