Well, I am sitting in the lobby of Schiphol airport waiting to board the plane to Seattle. We are visiting my wife’s parents since her dad suffered a massive stroke last sunday.
It all seems more than a week ago, but it has been hectic. Right after the news of my father-in-law’s condition it was decided we would fly over as soon as possible. Unfortunately there were quite a few hurdles to take.
First of all, we were just starting to baby-set (or pet-sit) the hamster, rabbit and dog (chihuahua) of a friend of mine that left that very same day for Japan. We had to find sitters for them, as well as for our own dog.
Calling my friend’s brother seemed a good move. They started organising a search for a good home for the chihuahua. Just after a few hours he and his wife managed to find a good home.
Then there was my work. As a project manager your work needs to be taken over by someone else, and it’s not quite as simple as walking away and asking to take your seat. Aside from that, at such short notice one never knows if something can be arranged.
Lucky for me I work at a good company that values their employees very high. Not only did I get the time off, I also got onoe week of leave outside of my vacation time. Such a generous offer moved me immensely.
Well, a week of planning and calling is behind us and now all we need to do is get on the plane and not worry for the next 10 hours.