dakjoskaimiksmom
"Your island? You mean Ireland?" "Yeah. It's MI
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2008
- Messages
- 144
To properly experience this TR, you really need to check out my pre-TR's (yes, I assume SOMEONE besides myself may be reading this.)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=38646465#post38646465
-and currently in progress:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2478132
You may also need a valium.
We've had major setbacks and minor setbacks in the last 2 years of planning this that can only be comprehended by those who know the background. It also clarifies why our family would split up for 2 trips. Let me just say, I would have liked to have all of us together on this trip. I really would. I'm sure it would have been cheaper, if nothing else, but it just wasn't happening.
Anyway, on to the trip report!
Starring 1/2 our current family unit:
Kai 8
Mike 5
-and-
Me 36
Our trip begins January 7th at 5:16 am (not my finest hour), with dh waking me up with an odd request. Well, odd for anyone else. Not us. And he's lucky I didn't bite his head off, as I am not a morning person. He was SUPPOSED to wake me up at 5, no later. Anyway, his request was that I finish registering him for his spring semester classes, while he headed off to build snowplows at work. He's starting school fulltime at the end of the month, on top of having a fulltime job. Fortunately they're all online classes this time, so we'll still get to see him occasionally.
Once I got done with that little favor (sorry about the astronomy class, hon), I made coffee, took the world's fastest shower, and started getting everybody ready for the airport. Everything was packed except my phone and the camera, which were charging.
My mother lives right next door, so it was her job to deliver us to the airport. We called each other back and forth a few times, and at 6:45 we were out loading up the car.
This is where I made my 1st mistake. It was about, oh say 10 degrees out. The kids were bundled up and in the car. I put my coffee on the roof (you see where this is going), and proceeded to load the suitcase and carry on's into the already-warm car. Everyone was happy and excited (well, I was. My mom was a tad jealous that she couldn't go, and worried about EVERYTHING. The kids were still half asleep in the backseat, sucking their thumbs.)
My mom was driving v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y for some reason, and kept messing with the wipers. She was also weaving around the road. I'm surprised we didn't get pulled over.
As I was about to start yelling at her to watch the road, I noticed some kind of frozen, brown, icy trails down the windshield. At the same time I said, "Oh, crap, my coffee!", she said, "What the heck is on my windshield??"
We had a good laugh.
It's only about 2 miles to Mitchell International from our house, so despite the coffee escapade, we still arrived by 7:05.
This was where it got interesting, and to the people behind us at the curb: I apologize.
Like most airports, Mitchell has curbside check in. This area is ONLY for the loading and unloading of cars, but my mother had different ideas. I got the luggage out, then unloaded the kids. They said their good-byes, and...grandma told them to get back in the car. They did.
Huh?? "Um, mom. People are beeping. The kids are coming with me, so... they need to be out here."
So back out they hopped.
"You're using curbside check in, right? Kids, hop back in the car while your mom checks in."
In they hopped.
Me, getting irate: "Ma, they have to carry some of this carry on. I can't just leave it sit here, and I can't carry everything at once!"
The kids got out of the car slowly, looking from my mother to me for further instruction.
I won.
Grandma finally drove away in defeat. To be fair, she only wanted to keep the kids from freezing outside while I checked in the suitcase, which took all of 2 minutes.
Next up:
If you want to sit there, fine! But you're holding a kid!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=38646465#post38646465
-and currently in progress:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2478132
You may also need a valium.
We've had major setbacks and minor setbacks in the last 2 years of planning this that can only be comprehended by those who know the background. It also clarifies why our family would split up for 2 trips. Let me just say, I would have liked to have all of us together on this trip. I really would. I'm sure it would have been cheaper, if nothing else, but it just wasn't happening.
Anyway, on to the trip report!
Starring 1/2 our current family unit:
Kai 8
Mike 5
-and-
Me 36
Our trip begins January 7th at 5:16 am (not my finest hour), with dh waking me up with an odd request. Well, odd for anyone else. Not us. And he's lucky I didn't bite his head off, as I am not a morning person. He was SUPPOSED to wake me up at 5, no later. Anyway, his request was that I finish registering him for his spring semester classes, while he headed off to build snowplows at work. He's starting school fulltime at the end of the month, on top of having a fulltime job. Fortunately they're all online classes this time, so we'll still get to see him occasionally.
Once I got done with that little favor (sorry about the astronomy class, hon), I made coffee, took the world's fastest shower, and started getting everybody ready for the airport. Everything was packed except my phone and the camera, which were charging.
My mother lives right next door, so it was her job to deliver us to the airport. We called each other back and forth a few times, and at 6:45 we were out loading up the car.
This is where I made my 1st mistake. It was about, oh say 10 degrees out. The kids were bundled up and in the car. I put my coffee on the roof (you see where this is going), and proceeded to load the suitcase and carry on's into the already-warm car. Everyone was happy and excited (well, I was. My mom was a tad jealous that she couldn't go, and worried about EVERYTHING. The kids were still half asleep in the backseat, sucking their thumbs.)
My mom was driving v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y for some reason, and kept messing with the wipers. She was also weaving around the road. I'm surprised we didn't get pulled over.
As I was about to start yelling at her to watch the road, I noticed some kind of frozen, brown, icy trails down the windshield. At the same time I said, "Oh, crap, my coffee!", she said, "What the heck is on my windshield??"
We had a good laugh.
It's only about 2 miles to Mitchell International from our house, so despite the coffee escapade, we still arrived by 7:05.
This was where it got interesting, and to the people behind us at the curb: I apologize.
Like most airports, Mitchell has curbside check in. This area is ONLY for the loading and unloading of cars, but my mother had different ideas. I got the luggage out, then unloaded the kids. They said their good-byes, and...grandma told them to get back in the car. They did.
Huh?? "Um, mom. People are beeping. The kids are coming with me, so... they need to be out here."
So back out they hopped.
"You're using curbside check in, right? Kids, hop back in the car while your mom checks in."
In they hopped.
Me, getting irate: "Ma, they have to carry some of this carry on. I can't just leave it sit here, and I can't carry everything at once!"
The kids got out of the car slowly, looking from my mother to me for further instruction.
I won.
Grandma finally drove away in defeat. To be fair, she only wanted to keep the kids from freezing outside while I checked in the suitcase, which took all of 2 minutes.
Next up:
If you want to sit there, fine! But you're holding a kid!