Thursday, August 26, 2010

Day One

San Diego: Day One & Two

I managed to get all my junk and all my kids onto the flight. The Husband got a pass to go through with me and we decided to take the "Expert Traveler" route. I'm sure there were more than a few raised eyebrows but, between the two of us, we were able to fly through the security check faster, even, than some of the single travelers around us. So, uh, take that, eyebrow raisers. I was also able to move to the back of the plane and take the car seat on. This made life exponentially easier than it would have been if I'd been wrangling a kid who is threatening to hit the eighteen month mark.

My mom drove up to Long Beach and picked us up at the airport. Have you ever been to the Long Beach airport? It was like flying in to somewhere small. Somewhere tropical. Somewhere small and tropical. Like Kauai. Or The Bahamas. Or a lesser known airstrip in El Salvador. We got off the plane outside, walked through a teensy little room, and walked back outside. That's where the luggage was. Underneath a metal roof. In 108 degree heat. That somehow felt very humid. So again with thinking I'd ended up in El Salvador.

Anyway.

We stopped at a McDonald's on the way home and I got to meet a fellow blogger who lives in Colorado but is visiting her family in San Diego. Or, well, she was visiting but now she's just waiting for her broken car to get fixed. It's a long story. She was so sweet and if we'd known each other while we were attending the same college, at the same time, we'd probably have been good friends. Except I was a lot more dramatic then so it's really anybody's guess. Matthew hadn't had a nap so he was a real peach but other than that the visit was great. I've got pictures to prove it happened but for the time being they are stuck on my camera.

Today we spent the day at my sister-in-law's house. I came home to put the boy down for a nap and The Rock Star is still enjoying time with his California Cousins. He has four of them. He knows Kian's name because he's the only boy. When I asked him who had gotten him a water bottle he paused and then finally whispered, "One of the girls." Apparently we need to quiz him on their names a little more frequently. He's having a blast and I know there will be tears when I go retrieve him in a few minutes. After all, he's been carting around dead lizards all day. They're dead because my sister-in-law's golden retrievers like to tote them in their mouths. They're being carried around by Garrett because he thinks they are, "just sleeping." Terrific.

It's hot here. But it's home. And I love it.

6 comments:

  1. Haha, oh but they are sleeping, don't you know? Lol that's funny.

    I've flown in and out of Long Beach a few times & it's comically small. Everytime I've had to wait at the gate in what appeared to be two mobile homes shoved together. My favorite part tho was the luggage. There's no need to call anyone to let them know you have your bag, because they can see you from the curb, 15 feet away.

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  2. Hooray for a successful flight!

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  3. "I managed to get all my junk and all my kids onto the flight." Two kids and their stuff may seem like a lot, but I dare say you verbalize that sentence to someone with more kids than you and they'll roll their eyes, or give you their thoughts on the matter. :)

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  4. Joanna,

    Yes, indeed. I was using hyperbole and hoping the quiverfull crowd would see it as such. :-)

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  5. Nothing better than flying solo with your tribe (no matter the size). It is always good when you all manage to arrive safely on the other side with all items and children still intact.

    Speaking of arriving intact... I just read a blub in the paper abot a JetBlue flight from Long Beach to Sacramento yesterday whose wheels caught on fire when they landed. Any chance that was a continuance of your flight? Good thing you got off when you did.

    Enjoy your time at home!

    - a new reader who is IN LOVE with your blog. :)

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  6. It was so fun to meet you, Lori! And now we're HOME! yay! :)

    Enjoy the rest of your trip!

    Renee

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