Pre-holiday musings

I am lying in bed at a hotel close to Gatwick airport ready for a 5.30 wake up call to get to our flight to Florida tomorrow morning.
The last few weeks, maybe even months have been extremely tiring and stressful and I am looking forward to some family time with my closest family, friends and hopefully some sun!
This morning I had an appointment regarding my daughter that I had been worried about for some time, the previous people we had seen were ignorant and pretty much a waste of time and I had been worried that today would be the same. Thankfully, the doctor we saw today was not the same and gave me some hope that although it will be a long road, finally the future may be looking a bit brighter. I can now go on holiday with that weight off my mind.
After a quick lunch we then packed our bags and drove up to Gatwick (around 3hrs). I was in agony most of the day as over the weekend I started getting the familiar pain in my back signifying another kidney infection. Typical just before we go away. So another trip to the doctor who immediately gave me an extra strong 14 day course of antibiotics (4 a day), painkillers and anti-sickness tablets. It will either kill the infection or make my immune system so weak I'll have a cold the whole time!!
I am now dosed up on pain killers after having a bath trying to sleep but my not so little one is wriggling about so much it is pretty impossible! 5.30am is going to be fun!! She is in fact so excited that she is driving me crazy but but at least she is safe, happy and next to me.
Last Monday, a little five year old girl was kidnapped close to her home in
To make matters worse poor little April suffers with cerebral palsy and needs daily medication to stop her being in pain. A day after her disappearance a local man and former friend of her family was arrested for her abduction and by Friday she still had not been found and he was charged with her murder. The search is now in its ninth day for poor little April and she still has not been found.
I have spent nights awake thinking about her and what her family must be going through, I can't imagine and it makes me sick to my stomach that somebody could want to hurt such a small and innocent child. I have woken up in the middle of the night just to check that Megan is still there and to hug and kiss her.
I found myself even more this weekend wanting to spend time doing our favourite things, so even though I was busy preparing for our holiday, we visited my Grandfather and then went to our favourite bistro/coffee shop/wine bar, Fino Lounge, in Whitchurch where we used to live until recently. I love the ambiance of this place, old sofas, games, music and black and white photographs. Megan also loves it here, she really relaxes which is unusual as she struggles out and about a lot of the time. They also do the best hot chocolate which I think helps! We spent a lovely couple of hours here, eating, drinking and playing scrabble before heading home to finish packing.

It has been a very mixed week and I am lying here grateful for my beautiful girl who is safe and cuddled up next to me, excited to see her, my niece and nephews so happy tomorrow morning at the airport and praying for the now unlikely safe return of little April Jones to her family and the strength for them to get through whatever is coming to them at the awful time.