Summer Vacation 2011

It would be way too hard to blog 10 days of vacation into one post…so how about some baby steps?

Tom and I decided to take the kids to the ocean this year. We had heard great things about Destin, FL….not to be confused with the butt rash ointment.

The kids were so amped up. They couldn’t wait for the plane to arrive.

We arrived at the airport three hours early…because I inherited my mother’s EPG --- “Extreme Punctuality Gene”. I call it “The Jean Gene”. It is both a blessing and curse. At the airport…with three kids…antsy to get the party started….it was a curse.

Thank goodness for technology. It gave us a brief period of solace – between the machine-gun style interrogation of, “Where is our plane? Is that it? When is it going to be here? When are we going to leave? How much longer? Will we get to go to the ocean tonight?”

At the low point – we caught Bryce standing on the window sill…slowly walking along as he slid his tongue down one end of the window to the other. Thankfully it wasn’t an International airport.

Tom bought us dinner at Quiznos. While we ate, we told the kids about the man who once got on a plane with us. He was a large man – carrying a large pizza box. He put it in the overhead bin with everyone’s luggage. When the other passengers were boarding, one man said, “It smells like a Cheeseburger on here!” ------- The man announced “Nope….I gotta pizza up dare”, as he pointed above him. The plane took off and as soon as the fasten seatbelt sign was turned off – he stood up and helped himself to the first two slices. By the time we landed, he only had a couple of pieces left. I have often wondered if everyone’s luggage smelled like his pizza.

The plane finally showed up. We boarded first. One of the benefits of traveling with children. You can fill up an overhead bin before someone else has a chance to squeeze their pizza box in.

After take off, Bryce said “THAT WAS AMAZING!”

He breathed his “nigh-nigh” when the pressure started hurting his ears.

During the flight, I think I asked Tom, “Can you imagine if we had driven?” …. just 5 times.

To be continued….