A month ago tonight I was crying to my husband because I was about to board an airplane with a 9 week old and a 22 month old. I was asking him what frame of mind I was in when I bought tickets to do this by myself. Here I was with a baby in my Bjorn, backpack loaded to the gills strapped to my back (I think the only in there for me was lotion, chapstick, and an ipod...who am I kidding that the ipod was gonna be for me), stroller with a car seat attached via bungee cord with a toddler strapped into it, camera case, and mini backpack full of goodies and boredom busters. I was CRAZY or "had my hands full" as everyone who encountered me seemed to comment. I had to hide the tears bc I was making Monkey nervous!
Fast forward 3 weeks later and a round trip from Anchorage, Alaska to Omaha, Nebraska under my belt. The airlines have completely regained my respect. You know that line "come fly the friendly skies" that we used to always hear. Well, I don't know about your experiences over the last few years but they have been anything but friendly. I take it all back now. Everyone from flight attendants to gate crew to passengers themselves were so helpful and friendly. Maybe they were just taking pity on me. But it was wonderful! The friendly skies were back.
A special thank you to my two guardian angels that flew with me from Minneapolis to Seattle. Not only did they change their seats so that I could have 3 seats for the kids and I, but they ran through the Seattle airport with me and my kiddos to make sure I would make last connection home (fyi~never leave yourself only 40 minutes to connect in Seattle.....IMPOSSIBLE). Steph ran ahead to the gate to let them know I was coming, and Deb stayed with me fighting the crowds with Monkey in his stroller. By the time we got to the gate they were minutes from closing the door on us. I couldn't have done it without their help! I know you'll never see this, but I'm eternally grateful for your generosity!
Needless to say, I have decided that we won't be able to make the trip back home to visit as often as I'm used to. At least not until the kids are old enough to travel a tad easier. Don't get me wrong, they were wonderful on the flights. It's just a lot of work to entertain and get in between flights. Finding bathrooms to change diapers...yuck. Eating on the run. Hand sanitizer up the ying yang. Makes me sad that this is the case but that's what I signed up for moving up here. Thank goodness for Skype, right!!!
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