Everything had been falling into place for the whole week leading up to the day we left, and then on the day we left, all of my visions of leaving in a peaceful, calm and collected way were smashed. It was a pretty chaotic exit from the house with my head swimming in all the loose ends being left behind. But we made it to Kristin and Abram’s and had a great night.
Every time I thought about what I was doing, and the reality of it, I would start getting little panic attacks or feel sick to my stomach. I spent the whole ride to the airport checking and rechecking that the passports were actually in my backpack, that I had my wallet and all of my travel info, etc. It was as if I thought a little passport gremlin was going to come and swipe them when I wasn’t looking. I’m still pretty paranoid about always knowing where they are—which means I’ll probably lose them tomorrow.
We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare, which came in handy when it took Ryan 10 minutes and everything but a full-body search to convince security he had no dangerous weapons hidden in a secret compartment in his pants. We’re going to make sure the little tags get cut out before we get on a plane again.
Our DC to LA blessing: This was our only leg of the whole trip where Andrew didn’t have his own assigned seat. I was beyond grateful to find out that we’d have an empty seat to use. It made all of the difference. If we had tried to have him as a “lap child” all of the way to Australia in back I would have slit my wrists.
Our DC to LA curse (is that the opposite of a blessing?): Sitting at the gate waiting to leave because of technical problems. It’s amazing how much longer that time seems when compounded by a factor of 3 (children that is). It becomes eternity and beyond. Andrew watched movies and the other kids colored, and we all survived.
Highlights of the flight: Andrew sleeping well, hours of Pokemon DVD’s for Mason and Katie, and the large pepperoni pizza we were able to snag prior to getting on the plane that saved us from the pleasure of purchasing $5 airplane sandwiches and $3 bags of potato chips.
Things we learned: We think Andrew realized as we were descending that we were not on the ground. All I know is that for the last 5-10 minutes of the flight he was clutching me like a crazed monkey. He wouldn’t look out the window (something he had been enjoying a while earlier) and only let go when we were on the ground and had shut the window. That should make for a really nice 14 hours tomorrow. He also spent that whole time clutching a handful of skittles, and Red Dye #5 sure does a number on the hands.
After landing we were able to get our rental car quickly, fit everything in the car (with not much room to spare) and find our hotel. I’ll try to post pictures tomorrow of what $80 will by you close to the LAX airport. It’s real sweet. I hope the pictures will do it justice. I didn’t feel bad at all letting the kids jump like wild animals on the beds. I don’t think I could have stopped them even if I had wanted to.
With that taken care of, we went off in search of our destination for the evening: In and Out Burger. For as many t-shirts I’ve seen with the restaurant’s name on it, I hadn’t actually ever been to one. Since Ryan served his mission in Southern California, he and In and Out know each other well. After a few “let’s just go five more block” decisions, we were rewarded with a very satisfying meal. Mason declared them to be the best hamburgers ever (which Ryan would not agree with—think Blimpy Burgers). The fries weren’t anywhere close to 5 Guys, but the shake was great. I was hungry enough that I was pretty easy to please, though.
Back to our deluxe accommodations, we did a little more bed jumping and wrestling and now the kids are in bed. It’s 10:30 pm east coast time, 7:30 pm here. What are the bets on when everyone will wake up in the morning?
We’re going to a church about 3 miles from here. I’m very curious to see what a ward is like in this area. It should be an adventure.
Every time I thought about what I was doing, and the reality of it, I would start getting little panic attacks or feel sick to my stomach. I spent the whole ride to the airport checking and rechecking that the passports were actually in my backpack, that I had my wallet and all of my travel info, etc. It was as if I thought a little passport gremlin was going to come and swipe them when I wasn’t looking. I’m still pretty paranoid about always knowing where they are—which means I’ll probably lose them tomorrow.
We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare, which came in handy when it took Ryan 10 minutes and everything but a full-body search to convince security he had no dangerous weapons hidden in a secret compartment in his pants. We’re going to make sure the little tags get cut out before we get on a plane again.
Our DC to LA blessing: This was our only leg of the whole trip where Andrew didn’t have his own assigned seat. I was beyond grateful to find out that we’d have an empty seat to use. It made all of the difference. If we had tried to have him as a “lap child” all of the way to Australia in back I would have slit my wrists.
Our DC to LA curse (is that the opposite of a blessing?): Sitting at the gate waiting to leave because of technical problems. It’s amazing how much longer that time seems when compounded by a factor of 3 (children that is). It becomes eternity and beyond. Andrew watched movies and the other kids colored, and we all survived.
Highlights of the flight: Andrew sleeping well, hours of Pokemon DVD’s for Mason and Katie, and the large pepperoni pizza we were able to snag prior to getting on the plane that saved us from the pleasure of purchasing $5 airplane sandwiches and $3 bags of potato chips.
Things we learned: We think Andrew realized as we were descending that we were not on the ground. All I know is that for the last 5-10 minutes of the flight he was clutching me like a crazed monkey. He wouldn’t look out the window (something he had been enjoying a while earlier) and only let go when we were on the ground and had shut the window. That should make for a really nice 14 hours tomorrow. He also spent that whole time clutching a handful of skittles, and Red Dye #5 sure does a number on the hands.
After landing we were able to get our rental car quickly, fit everything in the car (with not much room to spare) and find our hotel. I’ll try to post pictures tomorrow of what $80 will by you close to the LAX airport. It’s real sweet. I hope the pictures will do it justice. I didn’t feel bad at all letting the kids jump like wild animals on the beds. I don’t think I could have stopped them even if I had wanted to.
With that taken care of, we went off in search of our destination for the evening: In and Out Burger. For as many t-shirts I’ve seen with the restaurant’s name on it, I hadn’t actually ever been to one. Since Ryan served his mission in Southern California, he and In and Out know each other well. After a few “let’s just go five more block” decisions, we were rewarded with a very satisfying meal. Mason declared them to be the best hamburgers ever (which Ryan would not agree with—think Blimpy Burgers). The fries weren’t anywhere close to 5 Guys, but the shake was great. I was hungry enough that I was pretty easy to please, though.
Back to our deluxe accommodations, we did a little more bed jumping and wrestling and now the kids are in bed. It’s 10:30 pm east coast time, 7:30 pm here. What are the bets on when everyone will wake up in the morning?
We’re going to a church about 3 miles from here. I’m very curious to see what a ward is like in this area. It should be an adventure.
1 comment:
In and Out! Awesome! I've come to really enjoy their burgers 'cause Karen won't eat any other fast food. On your way back from Australia, you need to order your burger "animal style" for a great treat!
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