Off to Dublin!

After putting in a half day at the office, Mama Rosie dropped me at Philly International yesterday evening. This time around I left Tucker at home and instead brought Freddie Apple Bear! He was, as you can see, very excited about his first airplane ride. Freddy Teddy was a sweet lil' bibbed bear from the mid-1970s and my childhood BFF, Michele, had one. I always wanted an Apple Bear, as I called him, and on my 26th bday, my wish was granted (thanks, Mum!). Tucker has seen so much of the world, so this trip to Ireland I decided it was time for my Freddie Apple Bear to get out there and live it up!

My seatmate on the flight was a lovely Argentine gal who lives in New York but caught a cheaper flight with a layover in Philly. I'm not one for gabbing non stop on a flight, but I like to be polite and she was instantly a sweetheart. We hit it off like gangbusters. I was immediately endeared to her when the flight attendant SLAMMED into the back of my arm rest as though she were traveling at Mach 12. I was just about to drift to sleep and Natalia was already snoozing. The sound scared the bee-geezus out of us and like a shot, Natalia came back to the waking world and said, quite loudly and like a true New Yorker, "FUUUUUCK....." Who doesn't love an outspoken gal?

It turns out that Natalia and I were born only a few days apart and are both Geminis. She is funny and thoughtful and we had such fun chatting on the flight that we exchanged email addresses and Instagram profiles, just in case she has some free time to wander out on her own  and wants to meet up - the friends that she is staying with will sometimes have to be at work, therefore leaving her alone for most of the day. I had to travel all the way to Ireland to meet a lady from Harlem. Go figure!