As Scott was preparing to leave for another trip on Tuesday morning (New Years Eve), I suddenly got an itch to go somewhere. This happens to me every so often - the need for a getaway of some sort.. Anyway, by the time I finally figured out that only a trip to Fort Smith, Arkansas was plausible (and I was excited for the opportunity to visit with the Measons!), we needed to leave for the airport in one hour. Frantically, I packed for the four of us girls, stopped by my parents' house for an extra booster seat and made it to the airport in plenty of time. A record I'm sure.
On the airplane enjoying our "Delta" cookies.
My sweet baby sleeping on the airplane - thank you, Lord!
We (thankfully) were able to travel with Scott as he commuted to Cincinnati and then headed out to NW Arkansas by ourselves. The flight was fantastic - Julia even slept the last twenty minutes. :) Cindy met us at the airport and together we drove (one hour and fifteen minutes) to our dear friends, the Measons' house. All 5 of the girls were WIRED by then ( at 9:00 pm) and played hard for a short bit. Grace, Shelby, Julia, Mia & Audrey are truly best friends and instantly reconnected and were playing. It's a beautiful thing to watch. :)
Audrey and Shelby - BFF.
Grace & Mia - BFF.
The trip home didn't go quite as smoothly. The flight from Fort Smith was delayed 3 hours. The weather in Atlanta was crummy and messed up everything in and out. Guess who surprised us at our gate when we finally did arrive in Atlanta?? Scott!!! (Praise the Lord!) We were thankful for the extra company (and the extra set of hands) when we subsequently missed all 3 of the remaining flights to Huntsville that day. We rode the shuttle to an airport hotel and spent the night - without anything but Scott's t-shirts since I had checked our only suitcase in Fort Smith. Julia woke up that morning throwing up (thank goodness for those t-shirts!) and with the numbers available to us, it was obvious that the 5 of us were not going to make a flight home on that Sunday. Thankfully, Mary K & Gene came to the rescue! They live 45 minutes from the airport and drove down to loan us a car that we could drive home. After Julia threw up a few more times, we completed the 4 hour car trip at the Huntsville Airport where we picked up my car and checked on my suitcase. Of course, it had made a detour to Myrtle Beach and wasn't yet available to be picked up (it arrived on Tuesday night - 2 full days later!!). 
My pooped out family in the Atlanta airport. I'm the pack horse bringing up the rear with my stroller full of 3 car seats, my carry-on and Grace's backpack. :) Thank goodness for Scott's help!!!
Shelby sleeping in the car on the way to Alabama. Her Daddy's solution to the "head bob".
All in all, the trip was fantastic. I would do it all again in order to spend such precious time with the Measons. I'm thankful that Cindy is such a great friend that I can call her with 3 hours notice and tell her that I'm bringing my 3 children to her house to stay for 4 days. :) I'm thankful that we don't feel like a crazy house full of folks when we visit with the Measons (as we do most anywhere else - and probably are!!). I'm thankful for Delta - that though the trip might be crazy and NEVER run exactly according to plan, allows me to indulge on my spontaneous road trips via airplane on a budget that my family can handle (read free). Thank you for your hospitality, Meason family! We appreciate you and the friendship that we have been blessed with!!! Thank you, Lord!!!
2 comments:
oh my stars! what a trip! i'm not sure i know anyone else that could've handled that trip or enjoyed it quite as much as you! glad y'all had a good time! what's up with shelby and the belt? she just bobs her head a lot in the car seat? she's funny with that belt tied across her forehead! :)
I laughed out loud (more than once) reading this!!!! You are truly blessed with humor. I can picture the whole airport thing...been there!! Miss you!
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