Sleep Away Camp

For the past two weeks, my children and I have been adventuring in the West.


It began with an, "I could vomit it's too early," type of flight out of South Carolina. Traveling to the airport, I privately reprimanded myself for breaking my personal promise to quit the practice of scheduling 7:00 a.m. flights. But alas, my resolve failed me when it came time to book our tickets. Rousing children from sleep at 5:00 a.m. feels cruel. Eliza, however, being blessed with a cheery, and somewhat unnatural, disposition no matter when she is awakened bounced out bed. Henry was more human (a.k.a. ticked off) in his response.


Usually, it's cheaper to fly on a weekday. Having celebrated Henry's second birthday in March, we now have the privilege of paying for FOUR round trip airline tickets; which means you do what you can to cut costs. Wanting to utilize his vacation days wisely, Andrew followed us to Utah the weekend following our departure.


I now return to the story of our flight... because you know, sometimes the most memorable moments of a vacation occur en route.


Mustering up a batch of bravery, the children and I made our way through the airport's security without the helpful arms of my dear spouse. I maneuvered our belongings confidently and praised the children for their obedient behavior. The looks of pity and/or worry from strangers no longer phase me. In fact, one travel worn teenager looked up from her IPOD as we approached our connecting gate out of Atlanta.


"You are so brave!" she offered. CLEARLY, judging from the expression on her face, she meant, "Lady, you are insane." Perhaps I'm setting myself up for a disaster of an experience, but I have to say that after successfully completing several (as in 15 +) flights with children, I feel competent in this arena. I may not know how to sew a cute apron and have zero ideas on what color to paint our front entryway; but I do know what to pack when traveling with my children and how to make the experience exciting while ensuring that they feel secure. There, I said it. Now wait and watch as I lose (heaven forbid) someone at an airport or find the lot of us stuck on the tarmac for five hours with non functioning restrooms.


A few bright moments came from Eliza as we prepared for our first flight. It's 6:45 a.m. The estimated flight time to Atlanta is a mere 45 minutes. It's still dark outside as my daughter finds herself seated across the aisle from her Mother and younger sibling.


"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" I worry aloud. Not wanting to frighten her I follow up by saying, "I mean, we can still hold hands, I can pass you your coloring books," etc.


"Sure, Mom" she chirps. However, as the minutes pass, she begins to look concerned. The seat next to her was vacant. This would not do.


"Excuse me," she hollers to the boarding passengers, "Who would like to sit by me?" Singling out one person in particular she points at them and continues,


"How about you? You can sit by me." Smiling at her, they continue on to a different seat. Finally, her suspense breaks as a middle aged man approaches her row. I make some lame comment about his luck in having additional leg room. Eliza, thankfully, interrupts my lameness with a short introduction and brief biography on her four years of life.


Noticing the smell of the man's coffee, she takes a break from their one sided conversation to inform me,


"Mom, I do not like the way this man smells." Certain the man heard the insult, I reassure him that she isn't used to the smell of coffee and that I was positive the he smelled absolutely fine - which made my total of awkward remarks jump from one to TWO. Awesome. We weren't even off the ground yet.


Speaking of that particular moment, as the engine began to hum, Eliza began her countdown... Little Einstein style.


"5...4...3...2...1..." she whispered. And then, as the plane began to take flight she SCREAMED. I mean like, totally bellowed,


"BLAST OFF!!!!" And the sleepy plane erupted in laughter.


My favorite Henry comment occurred as we waited for our stroller after arriving in Atlanta.


"Mom, I'm ready to go home now." He was totally serious.


The rest of the morning passed without incident; other than being surprised when a member of our ward boarded our same plane to Salt Lake from Atlanta. Since our arrival, the children and I have been playing musical beds as we've hopped from my Mom's guest room, to a houseboat in Lake Powell, to my in-laws home and back again to my Mom's. And while they haven't been perfect, I'm certainly pleased with my traveling companions and the flexibility in their behavior.


I've attempted to recap the first of our 14 days away from the South. I ought to conclude for now and wait to detail the rest with the aid of pictures. And while our flight here was smooth, that certainly wasn't the most memorable of moments that have passed. With my husband back in the South, I'll continue to relish being in Utah with Eliza and Henry.


Each day, I find myself soaking in the view of my parent's backyard. It serves as a reminder of the happy memories that are made each summer with our family. My mother in law's beautiful rose garden symbolizes on the cheesiest of levels, the beauty that has been our welcome this year. And finally, for one last view...We were lucky enough to enjoy this scene during the first week of our stay. When I told a friend in South Carolina that we'd be spending time on a houseboat while in Utah, they replied with a naive,

"I didn't know Utah had lakes" type of comment. So, dear friend, consider that photo your first piece of evidence.

The countdown is on until we board the plane and rejoin my other half. In the meantime, we'll keep squeezing in as many visits as we can while Andrew paints and touches up our walls to his heart's content (HINT, HINT Andrew!).