We got up early and had a leisurely morning, leaving very early for lunch at Spice in Fort Mill, a pan-Asian place. We shared kimchi fries [crispy French fries with kimchi and spicy mayonnaise on top] for an appetizer. I had a bulgogi burger, which was a cheeseburger with kimchi and spicy mayonnaise. I could have used more kimchi on the top, as the cheese overpowered it, but it was still decent. Nata had drunken noodles with tofu.

Continue reading At @natalunasans house, July 5: Lunch and Douglas International Airport

I had some travel troubles last night. I was originally supposed to fly to @natalunasans house on July 3, but I received an alert on the afternoon of July 1 from American Airline, warning that my flights could be cancelled because of “severe weather.” As a result, I booked a one-way ticket from Burlington to Charlotte in the evening of July 1. I didn’t use my originally purchased ticket, so both parts of the round trip were cancelled.

I thought that both parts of my originally purchased ticket were cancelled due to the ambiguous “severe weather,” so I booked a one-way ticket from Charlotte to Burlington on Friday. After figuring out that my original ticket was cancelled because I hadn’t used the first part, I cancelled the Friday trip back and bought a one-way ticket back on Thursday.

This morning I talked to customer service and got a credit for the originally booked ticket that I didn’t use. Then I used part of that credit to purchase a flight from Charlotte to Burlington tomorrow, July 5. All other tickets that I had purchased from Charlotte to Burlington were cancelled.

Now I know that I can get “store credit” with airlines. I’ve never rescheduled flights before, and I probably should have turned my original itinerary into credit to purchase my July 1 flight from Burlington to Charlotte, but I did not know that I could. At least I used some credit on my July 5 flight from Charlotte to Burlington, so I didn’t waste that money. I also didn’t spend as much extra as I originally worried that I would.

All of this is to say that I really dislike air travel. I scheduled my return for July 5 instead of July 6 because I had arrived earlier. I didn’t want to overstay my welcome at @natalunasans house. All my flight changes and uncertainty worried me, and I felt a desire to return home as quickly as possible. Hopefully no “severe weather” fucks up my travel plans tomorrow!!

I took some pictures of @natalunasans dining room to illustrate what a comfortable, friendly house she has. There are lots of Colombian things around [as that’s her husband’s country of origin], Jewish things [as she’s Jewish], and cat things [because one-third of their family is Gatin!].

Continue reading At @natalunasans house, July 4: The dining room and projects

We hit a few stores that I don’t have up in Vermont, including Books A Million, Five Below, and Big Lots, this morning. At Big Lots, I picked up one set of Super Impulse Sugar Buzz minis in minis. Surprisingly, I got two options that will look great in my snack and sweet shop, even if I think Necco wafers are repulsive: Necco wafers and Mentos, both decently detailed and scaled for 1:6 scale.

At Five Below, I picked up a Mattel BTS Jimin doll for $5.00 just for the outfit. I have a Mattel Barbie Princess of South Africa doll on an articulated Mattel Barbie Looks body that @natalunasans assures me will look striking in that suit!

@natalunasans gave me a Kenner Bride of Frankenstein [on left in first pic] and a ThreeZero Michonne [character from The Walking Dead, on right in third pic. I hope to move the Bride onto a matching body and make her Fay Pompion, an original character who’s a voice actor and self-styled scream queen. The ThreeZero Michonne got a dress, yarn wig, and bright orange slides from @natalunasans stash. I think her name is Petra.

Continue reading At @natalunasans house, July 3: Projects [and bonus miaou!]

The dolls have multiplied since the last time I visited, and they have taked over @natalunasans doll room! Proof below.

Continue reading At @natalunasans house, July 3: The doll room

We didn’t do a lot because I was recovering from my exhausting travel. I slept late, wrote peacefully in the morning, and napped in the mid-afternoon.

Continue reading At @natalunasans house, July 2: MGA Make It Mini Cafe series 2

Trying to avoid bad weather projected for July 3 [my original arrival date], I hopped on a plane a few days early and arrived at @natalunasans house on July 1st. My flight left Burlington International Airport at 7:30 PM and arrived in Charlotte at 9:50 PM. With lots of traffic in the passenger pickup lanes, @natalunasans took a while to find me and rescue me from the airport, so I didn’t get to bed until about midnight.

Continue reading At @natalunasans house, July 1: Guest bedroom

Pictures below. Continue reading At @natalunasans house, July 5-7th: Day 2 with @natalunasans — Working with the Villa!

Photos below. Continue reading At @natalunasans house, July 5-7th: Day 2 with @natalunasans — Ruth Doctor, Missy, and the Spymaster

Photos below. Continue reading At @natalunasans house, July 5-7th: Day 2 with @natalunasans

Photos below. Continue reading At @natalunasans house, July 5-7th: Day 1 with @cosmomoore