The flight home

Ill post the airplane trip first, it seems the funniest now that Im not dealing with it anymore.

We (Nana, Papa, Kaylee and I) get to Gulf Port Airport, which is 2 hrs away from their home, and check in. My bag is EXACTLY 50s, and yes I snapped a photo with my cellphone lol, and we get the tickets and off we go. As we are waiting the monitor displays 'delayed' and my flight goes from a 410 departure to a 510. I only had a 45min layover to begin with so obviously this means Ill miss my plane.

I call Matt, he at first thinks Im kidding, but no its really delayed. I check with the ticket desk and the plane hasnt even left DFW to come to Gulf Port and its a 1hr30min flight plus 25 to clean and refuel, so no time to make my connection. They said the may be able to get me home, so they started checking. Papa had to work the next day, Nana would have to take off, and then there would be the 2hrs of gas there and back to waste, it was just not fair to have a second day Nana was going to have to say good-bye too. I was already packed, already ready to be home and knew Matt was missing us.

So we spent 30min searching other airlines (remind me to call AA and tell them Dimitri was awesome), other connections, other airports and found one leaving in 30 min from another airline. I go to Continnental from American and there is a line, then they cant find me, then a supervisor comes out and finds my new reservation and I can get my tickets. Papa took the second diaper bag of toys and stuffed them down into the pack n play bag so I didnt need to drag around 2 bags, so that was amazing. During this whole time Kaylee is running around the airport with Nana (she got on the baggage scales and weighs 22.5s) and wearing herself and Nana out!

I get to security and we hug and kiss and wave because my flight is boarding and I have only a few min. I get to the Xray and am taking things out and all is about well when Im 'selected' for additional screening! I have to do the puff jets to see if we have chemicals on us and they swab my bags and stroller and car seat for chemicals too. Im standing outside of security waiting for this to happen and seeing my gate, doors open, empty, the flight attendant waiting for me. We make a run for the gate (obviously I passed security) and make it on the plane as the last passengers.

I should add Kaylee has her own tickets, so we have her car seat, and a small hand cart Matts mom picked up the day before we left, its not made for it so it was difficult at times, but came in handly so I didnt have to lug that thing around the airports. I also had the diaper bag that was stuffed so full with everything we may need, and luckily so because it all came in handy. Also I had her stroller and obviously the baby. Im sure this was a sight to see me dragging this all around the airport, pushing her in the stroller with the diaper bag over the handles and dragging the car seat behind me.

So this first flight is an hour to Huston and I have 25 min to make my connection, Im worried my bags wont make the connection, Im worried I wont FIND my connection, but I get there in time, and its a flight to LAX and too many people are confused about the 1st class boarding and the people with special needs (wheelchairs and strollers) getting to board first... *sigh*

I get on the plane, get her seat installed (first plane to MS I tightened it too much and it took three of us to figure out how to uninstall it) and I was sitting and life was good. Nope, some teenage kid comes and says Im in his seat. I tried to explain we are B and C but the A is a window seat and she is in a car seat and there is only 4 inches between her and the seat in front of her and she HAS to be in a window seat in the event of an emergency (or he wants to use the bathroom) because he couldnt get past her. He calls someone, Im thinking his parents, and in another language starts to bitch about me. I can tell its a latin based language because I know some of those words... moron. Anyways he hangs up and asks if she can sit in the middle, and I tell him again, matter-of-factly, that she cannot sit anywhere but in A and they must not have know she was in a car seat when they made the asignments and to take it up with a flight attendant. He spots one and waves her over, shes the young girl about 25 and had already been smiling at Mickayla and helping me so I knew this was going to go easy. He showed her his tickets, I re-explained why I put her in A and she told him I was right and he argued with her that it was HIS seat and kept pointing to his ticket. She was trying to be so polite and said the assignments didnt always have to be followed if there is outstanding reasons (such as someone in the exit rows who is unable to perform the duties and must be switched) and I said "if the window is so important to you, why dont you see if someone will switch with you". And luckily someone did!

I ended up next to a girl, who had just turned 21 and been at her sisters wedding in Alabama and was headed home to LA. We talked and we watched the movie and it was a wonderful flight after that. I get off the plane, find some coffee and wait for my flight to home. Oh but it couldnt be that easy! The flights to SB and SM are being cancelled and re-routed because of fog and Im freaking out that I wont make it home, finally we are told to board, but we may be re-directed to SLO, which is fine I would have gotten a cab to Kims lol and waited for Matt. I get some help boarding from a fellow passenger and we are ready to go!

So Mickayla fell asleep on the third plane as well and I carried her in her seat off the plane. So Im carrying the diaper bag, the stroller and the carseat with the baby and somewhere I have the roller cart looped through my arm as well. I finally see Matt, hand him the baby and wait to see if my luggage appears. And yay something went right and there it was, one of the first things off! Matt gets the car and I sy goodbye to the person who helped me and we go HOME, I get a shower and Kaylee gets put to bed and Im do glad to be home and sleep after that trip!