7/6 - Seatac to Johne Wayne with Bleary Eyes
So I mentioned that I decided to just stay up at 3am. Our shuttle to the airport was scheduled for 4:30am for our 6:55am flight. I am glad that I decided to just stay up. I was super tired, but even though we had only been there about 12 hours, it took us a bit to pack up and get ready. As we ran out of time (after I got everyone else up and ready) I ran out of time to do my hair. I decided we would have plenty of time at the airport and to just do it then.
We had a super nice driver. He got us to the airport in no time. My only complaint was (and this is on me...I forgot this is how it worked) that we were not dropped off right at departures and ended up needing to cross a roadway of sorts in order to get to the airport. We all had a piece of luggage so it was a bit tricky to navigate since we were all tired and didn't quite know where we were going.
Once we got inside the airport we went to a kiosk and began our check in process. This was a bit new to us since we had a person in the military to check bags. I was confused at first so I didn't check Zach in and went to an agent who then told me that I needed to go back and check him in at the kiosk but put that he has 0 bags. Then I would need to go back to see her. Zach as an active service member gets up to 5 free checked bags.
Guess what? We checked one for each of us.. under his name. That was quite the savings!!!
After we sent our bags on we went to find our gate.
Unlike our nice gate that was near a bunch of restaurants in Decembe, it was a small gate in an area with barely anything near it. However this remoteness made it so that using the bathroom to do my hair was not so embarrassing since few people were coming in. Course, then again maybe it was because no one else was up that early.
After I was ready, I didn't have too much time to take many pictures. I was able to get this of the boys though.
Soon it was time to board and we were on our way to Orange County. The seats were comfy and roomier than the ones we had on our United flight back in December.
We flew over this
Mt. Rainier is not too far from where we live. I am not sure what side of the mountain we are passing over, but I assume we passed right over our house.
Steve slept almost the entire flight as did Zach. The rest of us snoozed a bit here and there.
Our seating was Steve, myself and then Zoe at the window with Alex directly behind her and then Zach behind me. (oh what fun that is to have a nearly 200 pound male using their table as a head rest to sleep on.
)
In front of us were two children. (I suspect twins - boy and girl) They were about Zoe's age and their mother was in front of them. Now, I try not to judge. My kids can be grumpy and snippy and even entitled. They are by no means perfect nor am I a perfect mom. However... these kids and their mother.
I have a feeling they do not fly often. Zoe may have bumped their seat a time or two. The seats were kinda bumpy for a while (yes, turbulence can make your seat jostle who knew?) and ultimately when I retrieved my bag from under their seat, they started complaining. Now, a simple could you not touch my seat would have sufficed. (and even then really?) However, they wouldn't let it go. I said ok and they kept up with "really, don't don't my sisters seat again". I wanted to say "or what?" and just when I was about to get a bit snippy they flipped up the seat divider as if slamming a door in my face.
Meanwhile mom was catering to them in weird ways. When they had to use the rest room she instructed them to climb over the stranger in the seat next to them (who was asleep) Then when snacks came round, she all but told the flight attendant to give her monsters the sleeping person's portion because she wanted to make her kids feel like they had a lot. Even the flight attendant gave her a funny look like "are you kidding me?" At another point in the flight, they were unhappy with how Zoe had her table down and it was bothering them again. Mom told them to climb up to be with her if they wanted personal space. The persons next to her put a stop to that though...they didn't want to have one of those kids climb over the back of their seats to get to the mom. (how rude of them to not allow it
) Another point in the flight Zoe began to sing to herself. Now, I love my dd but she isn't the best vocalist. Not bad for a 7 year old, but not a disney star. The two children started pointing back at her and laughing and huddling in close together. I assumed that it was because of the singing and the huddling was to whisper to each other. Shortly after we landed. All of a sudden Zoe could not find her head band (which apparently was special to her
) I suspect that is what the children were laughing at. By the end of the trip we would learn something else that was very important was not longer with us...and it very well may have been on this flight that the item was lost...but then again maybe not. In any case, these kids were overly entitled and little brats!!!
We deplaned (not fast enough to get away from the monsters) and Zoe and I headed to a restroom while the boys waited for us. It took Zoe a bit of time to cath. Once out, we went to baggage claim. Wouldn't you know it? In the half hour we took the bags had not only arrived, but ours had lingered too long and were not locked in an office.
Not sure why these things happen when we are tired..but they do. We paged someone from the airline to come and open the office for us (I knew they were in the office because I could seen them behind the glass)
Once we had our luggage in hand it was time to go to.
Now, we made the mistake of crossing the road to where all the other shuttles were. We then had to back track and find this odd little space under an over pass of some kind...and when we got there, we found we JUST missed the last bus and we would have to wait nearly an hour for the next one.
So after checking in and getting our "return ticket" we waited. We used the restroom again. Zach bought some snacks and we waited and waited.
Finally, this showed up.
For those of you curious, this bus ride was quite nice and really comfy. The cost was about the same as taking any other mode of transport. I was able to pre purchase a family ticket (that is good for up to 5 people) There is only one that comes to collect passengers and we all rode to each resort until we came to ours. You would think this would make for a long ride, but I think we only stopped at two other hotels before stopping at ours.
Next Chapter:
7/6 - With Our Room Not Ready, What do we do?
Seriously though, she is such a neat girl. I think it will be fun to work with her. And... it is funny cause Zach works with her dad all the time.
Asparagus and bacon = yum! That looks really good.
That is how I have always been too. I was even carded at the liquor store just before my last birthday 
Sadly, from what I have read. (and also what I saw a bit of) the Disneyland Express is no longer allowed the disney wraps on buses that service LAX. (so you will not get the disney feel... but the bus will remind you of a really clean DME bus inside) I am not sure why the buses from LAX can't have them. We flew into SNA...so the wraps are still on those buses. I am jumping to the end of my report a bit here... but when we were picked up at our hotel to go to the airport. The only bus coming to the non disney hotels that day at that time was one going to LAX. Just as I had read about (and noted here) it did not have the wrap. When we were then dropped off at DLH to transfer to a bus going to SNA, the wrap was on the bus.
