A long day ...

Today was a long day.  For whatever reason last night I just could not fall asleep.  I was in bed by 10:30 pm and quickly dozed off.  I eventually woke up thinking my alarm would be going off soon (6:15 wake up).  It actually felt like I had been sleeping for hours.  However, my alarm never went off.  And here I was staying awake thinking I had to be up soon.  I give a glance at my clock and see it was only 1 am.  Damn it.  I was wide awake.  Then began the hours of tossing and turning.  It went on and on until close to 4 am (last I checked my clock).  I finally fell asleep and woke to the sound of my alarm at 6:15.  It was time to do a final pack check and get ready for work.  I was exhausted.

I was leaving the office at 1 pm to head to NJ for dinner with my brother and good friend Vinny.  It was a great time.  The only negative was the long drive due to all the traffic I hit.  Maryland was terrible.  The NJ Turnpike around exit 7 was no better.  A commute that should have taken four hours was closer to five and a half.  Once I arrived we spent some time catching up before heading to dinner.  A fun night that I was a bit sad to see end (unfortunately, also pictureless)

I'm at my sister's now.  It's 2:08 am.  It's been a long day.  As per the normal routine every time I arrive at my sister's house, she, Rich, my niece (Stephanie), nephew (Richy) and I sat in the kitchen for a couple hours talking about family issues and gossip.  That's always fun.  And now I'm ready for bed.  

We're leaving at 10 am for the three hour drive to Providence.  Road trip!  We'll check in to the Providence Biltmore downtown and then head to the Expo for my packet.

Update tomorrow night with plenty of pictures from the road and Expo.  Good night.