I arrived in Baltimore last night right on schedule at 30 minutes before midnight. JoAnn was waiting there ready to take me to her place where I'll be staying while in Maryland. The journey was long and tedious. My four-hour layover at Heathrow went by quicker than I imagined it would. I spent a while wandering through the terminal looking for something to eat and was surprised at the lack of eatery selections. I had been routed to the international terminal, so perhaps it is not as large as other terminals at Heathrow. There were two sit down restaurants: one was a loud and smoky pub and then there was a rather pricey French brasserie. I opted for a bagel from a deli. It wasn't bad. Then I broke down and got a latte from Starbucks as I was craving coffee and the latte I got from another stand was simply awful. Then I browsed through some of the many shops before settling down into a chair to continue reading my book. I'm really enjoying all the references to places in Baltimore.

I sat next to a woman from Yakima, Washington, on my flight from London to Chicago. We chatted pleasantly during our flight; she manages a horse rescue farm in Washington state. She rescues horses that have been deemed too old or ornery by their original owners and finds homes for them so the don't end up as food. Sounds like very rewarding work. Once we landed at Chicago it was a mad dash to claim my baggage, go through customs, recheck my baggage, take a train to my departure terminal, check in at the ticket counter and make my way to the departure gate. Whew. I only had one hour in which to do all that. Wish I could've had the four-hour layover in chicago rather than Heathrow. Then again, I think not! I really don't care for O'Hare airport.

Today JoAnn and I went shopping. We had a very productive outing. I bought a little black dress which I will wear to Brad's office Christmas party. I also picked up some jeans, stockings and sweaters.

Tomorrow I hit the road -- again! JoAnn, Domenica, Brenda and I will be driving up to New Jersey for the wedding. We will be attending the rehearsal dinner on Friday night, then we'll meet Mary Lou and Ed for breakfast on Sat. morning. The wedding takes place at 3 p..m on Saturday, reception is at 6 p.m. Then on Sunday we're back on the road again.