Travel Plans

It looks like Taylor and I will be in Utah for the Parker Family Reunion the weekend of Sept. 19 and then the next weekend me and the girls will be taking a trip to California. Living as far away as we did while in graduate school I didn't get to show off my new babies very often so I am very grateful to be taking baby Jasmin to visit. Although Colorado isn't around the corner air fair is much cheaper and it is so much more convenient to fly out of Denver then it was out of Syracuse where I had to change plans twice. It took all day to travel to get to my families in Sacramento and that is if everything runs smoothly which is a perfect seg-way to my travel horror story. I was traveling with a little boy (Jordan) barely walking and an infant(Dale). We were on our way home when in Chicago our 5:00pm plane was delayed, delayed, changed gates which I had to run to catch, did I mention that I in my stupidity decided not to check my bags so I had in addition to two kiddies a stroller (thank goodness) the car seat, a carry-on back pack loaded with everything heavy and a roller suitcase. Well I made it to the plane which was delayed and delayed again and at 11pm finally it was cancelled. They didn't want to put any one up in hotels they wanted you to camp out at the airport so when it was my turn in the very long line I demanded a place to stay after I was given the arrangements it was 1am. I then was told I had to be back at the airport by 6am to catch the flight home. Now anyone who knows my kids can vouch that they are early to bed kind of kids if you don't have them in bed before eight-thirty or nine at the latest they will start to tell you or any one that they are so tired and ask you where they can sleep. So you can imagine how this was going. They kept lying down on the ground at the airport begging to sleep. But I finally got them down to the shuttle area to find out that the last shuttle left at 1am. Now I am a mess with tears and the whole thing, Jordan was a trouper I took the boys shoes off and let them run around barefoot as I looked for a phone to call a cab, I remembered hearing if you need to get a few more good minutes out of your kids let them take there shoes off and feel the ground under their feet. Well someone took pity on me, a limo driver offered to take me to my hotel (looking back maybe I should have been scared out of my mind but I was to tired and I know that he was sent by my Heavenly Father to help my desperate self out!) I got to the lobby of the hotel where Jordan promptly laid down on the carpet and fell fast asleep, I got checked in then pushed a stroller with Dale in it, carried a car seat, a backpack Jordan, and pulled a piece of rolling luggage to my room (the guy to help with luggage was supposedly busy helping someone else). It was 2:15am when I laid the boys in bed washed their feet (with a very white wash cloth that I am sure they had to throw away after that) and fell into bed only to have the alarm wake me up at 5am to get back to the airport and find out that I wasn't on the 6:15am flight I was on standby for that flight. Well they told me there wasn't room for me, I could no longer defend my self I was totally exhausted, it makes me want to cry just remembering how I felt that morning, I had no words that I could speak I only had the strength for tears. I was saved again by a Good Samaritan who demanded they find me away home. Put her on another airline they said she needs to get herself and kids home! Well they did and I made it! I have never been so totally worn out, not to mention sore!!! Every muscle in my body hurt from lugging all that awkward stuff all over the airport. So again Denver with a direct flight to Sacramento is easy traveling for me. But I would like to tell you all how much I love my boys, they do great in all sorts of crazy situations, they have never let me down. In honor, here are a few of my favorite pictures of them.