The Airport

Our big trip is on. I have packed the boys and myself. I wait for Tom. Of course he wants to be early to the airport but waits until the last minute to pack. I load the car with our bags. My sister asked us to pack light so she can fit everything into the car. I have used the boys sport duffels. It does mean we have to carry our bags but they squish so they fit in tight spots. Tom has his roll away bag. I am a little jealous of the wheels, but the decision is already made. I am not going to repack everyone.





Mom and Dad are taking us to the airport so we swing by their house an hour earlier than they expected us. We have sandwiches and a drink. I stick to diet cola. I have brought the pictures from camp to show them. Tom mentions he would like to be at the airport early so we get back in the car with my Dad.





The bridge by the airport is under construction. Traffic has been horrendous recently so I suggest going an alternate way. The traffic turns out to be bad that way also. We get off the freeway and slowly wind our way across town on the city streets. It is one of the less desirable neighborhoods. But at least the traffic is moving, unlike the freeways.





Tom needs his tobacco for the trip. He wants to find a mini mart before we get to the airport. Finally he sees one he feels looks safe enough to stop, no bars on the windows. The biker dudes in the parking lot look innocent enough.



After stocking up on the tobacco products, he is content. We reach the airport and unload. Dad hugs us all and wishes us a good trip. We enter through the glass doors. Tom is pulling his bag easily while we lug ours over our shoulders. I can see already I should have repacked into the roll aways. Especially, when we get to the check in and find we are so early they are not even open yet for another 45 minutes. We are stuck wih the bags.





Tom heads to a restaurant and gets a drink. I leave our bags with him and take the children shopping. My nephew is having a birthday party while we are visiting, so I want to pick up a gift. He is an avid reader so we stop at the book store to see what is available. The boys need books to read themselves for the trip. They find books and I get a gift card. The card had a picture of Mt. Hood on it which I liked. My nephew can save it as a souvenir after the money is gone.





I had bought the boys flip flops to travel. Security makes you remove your shoes so everyone travels in easy to remove shoes or sandals these days. Riley likes his, but Trevor is already complaining about his feet hurting. The piece between his toes is uncomfortable. I am not going to travel successfully with the boys if their feet are not comfortable. We stop at the Nike store in the airport concourse in hopes Trevor can find some comfortable shoes. I have my doubts whether we can find something. I ask the sales clerk for the widest shoes they have in Trevor's size 12. He has a couple to choose from. Trevor finds a pair he likes and $130 later he is now comfortably shod for the trip. He has brought his old shoes but they are with his father in the bar and they are his only pair of shoes, so I don't mind too much having to buy another pair. Having a spare set is a good thing. He needs a spare set for school. They are the most expensive shoes though he has ever owned, by far. He is very pleased.





We head back to Tom having killed the 45 minutes. Taking our bags we head to check in and try to get our seats. Tom and I discuss who is in charge, I gracefully allow him to take over. Much easier than arguing. There are no seats available for us all to sit together. Tom asks for more leg room and gets the woman to up grade the seat space for free. It is normally a $50 upgrade, but she takes pity on us when Tom plays the sick child card. We will each take a child so the boys can't sit together, which would be a bad idea anyway. They will spend enough time in the back seat of the car together.


We decide to check our bags. They are just too much hastle to carry. I wish again we had done our roll aways. Riley's pills though stay in the backpack I have as carry on. Riley has the computers in his back pack. Everything else is replaceable if lost. We then head to security and get through it quickly. I go first and Tom brings up the rear. Riley and Trevor join me. I hear Tom conversing with the security guard after the x-ray machine. Tom calls out to Trevor that he has forgotten something really important.





Trevor goes back to the security guard who is holding Trevor's boarding pass. Trevor had left it in the bottom of his bucket after putting his shoes back on. Tom's conversation with the security guard was when the guard asked aloud who's boarding pass it was. Tom had piped up he would bet $1000 the name was Trevor McGuigan. Trevor looked very sheepish.





We have a lot of time on our hands. The red eye flight is not until 10:30 pm. It is only 8:00 pm. Tom says he knows a good restaurant, but it is on a different concourse. Gustavs is a German restaurant with sports TVs, which is Tom's criteria for a good restaurant. The boys order burgers and Tom and I get lentil soup. After eating, Riley's phone alarm goes off. It is time for his pills. Tom looks around and sees a store that has yogurt and races across the concourse to get the yogurt before the place closes at 9:00pm. The gate has started to come down, but the clerk allows Tom to get the yogurt.





It is not Riley's favorite brand but he gives it a try. He tries it and gages. He finally chokes his pills down with some of our soup. I am grateful he is now doing the fewer pills, even if they are bigger.





We head back to our gate and wait to load. Our seats are in the front, I want to load last and Tom wants to stand in line, get on early. By the time they call our row we are last. Its a win win. I get to sit next to Riley and Tom sits next to Trevor. There are mini TVs at every seat. I purchase the movie for Riley and me, Clash of the Titans. Riley is giddy at being able to finally see that movie he has wanted to see in forever. We start the movie at 11:00 pm. It lasts almost 3 hours. Riley curls up against me and tries to sleep. I flip through finding that purchasing the movie allows me to see the other available movies, a double feature. I watch Invictus. I see no point in trying to sleep when I know I wont.





As the sun comes up I finally feel tired and catch a quick nap. The flight attendants come by with orange juice and coffee. We land an hour later. I call Jen. Its 6:45 in the morning and I can tell I woke her. I tell her we will see her in an hour.



Tom wants to know where we are meeting, I say downstairs outside baggage claim. We are hungry and Tom needs his coffee. There are lines everywhere. Its New York. I hate waiting in lines. I go to stand in line for coffee and a muffin and Tom heads to baggage claim. He calls my cell to tell me there is a donut shop downstairs with no line, but I already have his coffee and committed to this line. It does go quickly and I am able to join the boys and him at the carousel just in time to catch our bags.





It is warm outside. An indication of how hot it will be later.


Jen arrives in her legacy station wagon to pick us up. All the luggage fits. But it probably would have fit if we had used roll aways. Leason learned.