We set the alarm clock to go off at 3:00am the day we were supposed to leave. Our flight was scheduled for 7:30am, and we needed 2 hours to get to the airport and 2 hours to check in and get through security. Of course, the alarm clock decided to malfunction at the very worst time possible.
Fortunately, Dennis woke with a start at 4:30am and said, "We have to go - NOW!" We threw our toiletries into the suitcases, dressed the kids and put them in the car, and sped away toward the airport.
We made it to the airport at 6:30am, with only one hour remaining before our flight. The line for Southwest Airlines was horrendous. There might have been a bit of panicking going on. We were in the line for security by 6:45am and a nice gentleman saw our small children and directed us to the "people needing assistance" security station - which had no line. Thanks to this happy occurrence, we made our flight. Barely.
It was a hectic morning, to say the least. Oh, did I mention the dog ate the shoelaces on my only pair of shoes? Yes, yes he did. On the plus side, my shoes were much easier to remove at security!
The kids did love watching the airplanes through the windows before we boarded. Nolan couldn't wait to "blast off."
We had "B" boarding tickets and arrived at the gate as they were allowing pre-boarding (this boarding is not for families with children, but for those traveling with a disability). I was just relieved that we had a second to relax! A nice man offered to take our family picture - we don't look too shabby for the events of the rushed morning.
We flew to Chicago, which is a really short hopper flight. We only had a 45 minute layover, and since our plane was slightly late in landing, we barely made our connecting flight. They were already boarding the B-ticket passengers by the time we arrived at the gate. The flight to Los Angeles from Chicago is about 4 hours long, so I was very happy we managed to secure seats next to the kids.
I brought an entire carry-on filled with toys for the kids. Our DVD player died a week prior to the flight, so the kids played with Color-Wonder coloring books, little transformer toys, and a few other things from the Dollar Store.
The flight was blissfully smooth, and Matt even fell asleep for the last hour of the flight. Nolan was content to play with his toys, so I was actually able to read something on my Kindle. I love "real" books, but the Kindle is wonderful when traveling.
Our flight landed in Los Angeles before 11:00am. I love flying to the West Coast - despite a long day of travel, the time change really works in your favor. The airport was extremely crowded, but we hustled to get our baggage and to meet my mom.
We were so excited to get into the car and head to our first destination: Mexican food. Living in the Midwest, we are sorely deprived of good enchiladas. Lunch was at Guido's El Indio near Santa Monica - a place we discovered when we were at the John Tracy Clinic in 2010. Half an hour later we were headed up PCH to Oxnard.
The kids were full of energy so my mom and I took them to the "Pirate" playground at the Mandalay Beach Park. There was a lot of spinning, playing chase with Grandma, and having a great time. The best part of it is we were able to stop by my Aunt Kathy's house and take her to the park with us!
Grandma and Nolan
We went to bed fairly early that night, ready to have fun at the Ventura County Fair the next day!
1 comment:
Oh my gosh! Malfunctioning alarm clocks are NOT the way to start vacation! So glad you made your flights!
And three cheers for you for keeping your kids pleasantly occupied on the flight :D
Julie G
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