Since Craig and I got married, we decided then and there to decide holiday plans. His family is here with us in Georgia and my family is in Texas. That way, once kids entered the picture, we wouldn't have to make the difficult decision on where to spend holidays. We will flop back and forth for Christmas every other year for as long as its feasible. I'm sure there will come a time when we'll want to have consistency and wake up in our home with our children, but with one kiddo (who still flies free), we're flip-flopping. Since this was a flop year, we spent a week in Texas.
Preparing for a flight is always daunting to me. Planning what to pack, accounting for weather, toiletries...it is daunting. Add in what a toddler needs and I'm way over-thinking things. She'll need her dolls and extra outfits and entertainment and on and on. I've always been a checked bag type of gal and with the ever-increasing fees the airlines now clobber us with, it just adds to the preparation stress. How do I fit everything into my suitcase and still be under the weight requirement? To help lessen the fees, Craig and I decided to cram everything into one bag. We didn't have an inch to spare. And I knew on the way back this would be an issue since we would have gifts to bring back. But cram we did and that sucker was full! I think I may ship some things home in the future. If it's $25 to check a bag, I can get a flat-rate box from the USPS or ship via UPS for probably cheaper than a checked bag and have one less thing to deal with at the airport (although Craig was my strong husband and I didn't touch the bag once it was packed :-) Being sick leading up to our trip didn't help either. It's all a blur now, but I remember just piling clothes and junk on the bed to pack and not counting out days or clothing items.
I have to admit that I was concerned with how Madeline would react to the actual flight. We bought a portable DVD player, new books and some comfort toys and a slew of snacks. Since we were running late getting to the airport Christmas Eve morning, we were some of the last ones to actually board the flight. I had wanted Madeline to run around the terminal to burn off some energy, but we didn't have time for that. We settled into our seats, waiting a bit on the tarmac, and then we were off. Madeline did beautifully. Seriously, she deserves a pony for how well she handled the flight. I think if it had been longer than two hours, I'd be telling another story, but she was seriously wonderful. We kept her entertained, gave her food and water and she was fine. And she was just as wonderful on the way back! (And we had to have two bags on the way back...grrrr).
Now, if I can only get over the fact that our plane was struck by lightening, I think I can brave another flight with Madeline. Craig called his dad (a retired pilot) and confirmed that we were probably struck by lightening. Scared the living daylight out of me when I saw the flash and heard/felt the "BOOM!" It takes a lot to distress me in-flight. I've ridden on so many types of planes and even been on one that had an engine problem so we had to divert somewhere else (this was an air force flight and the pilot let us know that the engine had to be shut down). No biggie. We had three other engines and it was a fun diversion. But the lightening strike did me in for a little bit. I think it was because I had Madeline with me. I know it's safe for an airplane to be struck by lightening, but boy was I scared there for a bit!
I'm still back-dating these for a while!
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