the plane + other drama

for all of those wondering about how the traveling alone on the airplane was going to go, then this post is for you. i must begin by explaining how i felt about traveling alone with the boys. perhaps i was a little nervous at first when i booked the tickets months ago, but the more i heard people say they were nervous for me to travel alone wondering how i would handle the boys i must admit it turned into a bit of a pride issue. i wanted to prove that i am very efficient at taking care of my children despite the circumstances. man, did i get the chance to do that!

we missed our connecting flight in denver because our original flight was late leaving. our 35 minute plane change just turned into a 5 1/2 hour layover until we could get out on another flight. the boys were perfect little angels on that short leg of the flight and almost just as good during the extended airport stay. thank goodness for sam holding me together. we thought there was a still a chance to catch our flight so we ran down 32 gates pushing will in the stroller and sam running full speed. however, we still missed it by 12 minutes; it was so disheartening to me that i couldn't hold back tears. that's where sam piped in assuring me that it was ok and that we could get on another airplane. his great idea was to call dad. little did sam know that we were actually going to get to see dad in the airport in a few hours. pete decided the night before to join us, but he couldn't get on the same flight as us. we did see him, and it did make me wish that we were traveling together. after 5 hours of entertaining the boys on the moving walkways and over-priced food court i was beginning to think some extra help would be nice. however, i was still prideful at this point still on a mission to prove that i was efficient even after an extended airport stay. thankfully we finally did arrive in okc, and the boys were very easily entertained on the flight by the beverage cart and the safety card in the seat-back pocket. :) since our flight came in only 1 1/2 hours before pete we just stayed at the airport and waited. talk about a long in the airport! i was feeling like i really proved something by completing that day alone.

the flight home was just about as successful. we still weren't on the same flight. we were offered $1200 in traveler vouchers and a flight together if we left a day later than scheduled. however, we turned that deal of a lifetime down; don't ask. the boys were fine on the plane but a little more rowdy for the 2 1/2 hour layover. they both decided it was no fun to listen to mother and that it was far more fun going the wrong way on the moving walkway. i still managed fine though. i certainly proved to myself and to anyone else that needed the proving that i can handle my children efficiently even during travel adventures. however, i proved a much bigger lesson to myself on this trip; while i can certainly do things alone, i know i would much rather have pete around doing it with me over doing it alone. i'm glad you were there with me all week, pete. thank you. :) i'd do any trip i had to alone with little anxiety, but i would much prefer to do it with pete there with us.