Blessings... some in disguise

Sorry for the lack of posts lately... Chase and I flew up to SC last week for my aunt's wedding, and then this past weekend I was really sick, so I haven't gotten around to writing anything. But I do have lots to write about...

Our flight up to Charleston was pretty uneventful. I've lost count, but I think it was Chase's twenty-something-ith plane ride, so we're all getting pretty used to the routine by now! The only tough part was trying to figure out how I was going to get from the car to the ticket counter with a huge car seat, suitcase, diaper bag, and stroller by myself (Eric couldn't join us because of work). I have a great car seat travel bag with a shoulder strap... but the seat is just so large and awkward that it's tough to keep it on your shoulder while pushing a stroller forward and pulling a suitcase behind you! I managed to get from the car to the elevator in the economy parking garage, but getting onto the elevator proved difficult. I asked an older couple if they could please hold the door for me, and to my surprise the lady stepped out of the elevator and wheeled my suitcase in for me! I was so grateful for the help, but fortunately that wasn't where their kindness ended. This couple proceeded to help lift my suitcase onto and off of the shuttle that takes you from the parking garage to the terminal, and then even walked with me all the way to the ticketing counter! I was so, so thankful for their help and I wish that I had gotten their names so I could send them a thank you note! But I know that "thanks" is not what they were after... they were just a pair of good samaritans who wanted to help out! I wish that I could "pay it forward" and help someone else out in this way, but unfortunately I'm always the crazy, overwhelmed person needing the help! So if you're ever in an airport and have an extra hand, maybe think about paying it forward for me, and find an single mom to help out!

Our 2 flights went well (we always have to connect through Atlanta when flying to Charleston) and we had a great time with my family once we were there! We went to the rehearsal dinner on Friday night, ate lunch downtown with extended family on Saturday, and then went to the wedding and reception on Saturday night. Everything was beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing all of my aunts, uncles and cousins again, and of course, dancing to "Love Shack" with my family was fun too!

My Aunt and her new husband, leaving the church:

At the reception... the decorations were amazing! It looked like something right out of a magazine!


My sisters and I, acting crazy


The rest of my time in Charleston was spent shopping with my mom, staying up late to watch movies with my dad, catching up with Amanda (who was home from college for the first time!), walking the Cooper River bridge with mom and Jessica, hanging with my good friend Kristin, and taking Chase up to the park and the pond to feed the ducks. I even got to see my friends Bec and Jeremy from DC, who just happened to be in town that weekend for a wedding also!

My mom ("Mimi") with Chase and Joey:

"Papa" with the boys (Chase is sporting his Halloween pajamas!):

On the bridge with Jess:


I wish I could say that the flight back to Tampa went just as smoothly as the previous one, but I can't. In fact, it was the worst ever. I knew it was going to be a long day when I got a call on my cell phone from Orbitz telling me that my flight was delayed (this a great service they provide, by the way)! I didn't think too much of it because it turned out that the extra time gave us a chance to meet my dad for lunch. But when we checked in at the airport, I found out that it was even later than I thought. Then, once we boarded the plane, the pilot informed us that all flights into Atlanta had been placed on hold due to weather, and they would update us in an HOUR. Have you ever been stuck on a plane on the runway for an hour? It's bad, but not half as bad as it is to be stuck on a plane on the runway for an hour with a toddler! Fortunately, there were some empty seats in the back, so after Chase ran up and down the aisle a few times, we found an empty row next to another frazzled mom and baby, and had a snack. The plane took off after an hour as hoped, and Chase ended up falling asleep in my arms during the landing! So he only got about a 10 minute nap. When we got to Atlanta, we found out that we had missed our connecting flight, of course; so we ran through the terminal, caught the train to another terminal, and ran to the gate where the next flight was leaving to Tampa. I got on the standby list, got some water, and tried to relax. I was standing in front of the monitor where the standby list was displayed when I heard a bunch of people speaking in a language that sounded similar to German. They sounded frantic so I asked them (in English, since I was sure they weren't actually speaking German) if they needed help. The lady said that they were wondering if they missed their flight to Tampa and wanted to know if their names should be on the list that we were all looking at. I explained that this was just the standby list and they could still board the plane if they had an actual ticket. They did, so they boarded. Finally my name came up and Chase and I got on the plane! Hallelujah! I think I would've really lost it if we had to wait for another flight! As I was walking down the aisle, I spotted the lady who I had just talked to and discovered that my seat was next to hers! She was so friendly and so happy to see us! She loved Chase from the very start and was talking to him and playing with him right away! I asked her if they were late arriving at the gate because of the weather and laughed and said, "no, no, we were just at the bar and lost track of time!" Turns out that they (a group of 4 friends traveling together) were from the Netherlands and were speaking Dutch. Of course, we talked about Europe and I told her where my family and I had just gone this past summer, and somehow it came up that I spoke German. Well then her husband perked up and started speaking in German to me very rapidly! He explained that they live near the German border and he speaks German every day at work, and he was so excited to have someone to talk to! I struggled quite a bit, but I really enjoyed trying to talk to them. Well, good thing that I was sitting next to some friendly people because wouldn't you know it... the pilot came on and said, "Folks, looks like we're going to be sitting here a while! I'm putting in a movie for y'all!" And we sat on the runway for an hour, again. This time the flight was completely full, so I let Chase run up and down the aisle a bit, but in the end we had to return to our seat, which he was not happy about. It was dinner time and we were both hungry and tired of the same old Cheerios, granola bars, and raisins that we'd been snacking on all day. I really didn't think we were going to make it through that flight without a major toddler meltdown. He was so antsy and fussy by that point. Here are the things that saved us: "fingerpainting" with water on the fold down tray table, "cleaning" the seats with baby wipes (not sure why he thought this was so much fun!), and yummy Dutch cookies from our new friends! Eventually we made it to Tampa, about 4 hours later than planned. Then the trip got even worse: our bags, including the car seat, weren't there. I finally had to cry, and then I felt better. The nice lady at the Delta counter told me that they had a loaner car seat I could borrow, and they would deliver our bags later that night. Finally we got home, where I announced to Eric that I was never flying again! But to end the story on a positive note, here are the "blessings in disguise": extra time and lunch with my parents, a nice conversation with a fellow mom on the plane in Charleston who I would never have met otherwise, and new Dutch friends, good cookies and an opportunity to speak German, which rarely happens!