We NEED Each Other

Hello Everyone....

Today I would like to reflect upon yesterdays travels if I could for a moment. Bright and early...well maybe not so bright or early...but yesterday morning :) Matt dropped Dax and I off at the airport at approximately 10:00 a.m. Our flight with United Airlines departure time was 12:02 p.m. and we wanted plenty of time to get through security. Our arrival time in sunny Phoenix, AZ was to be at 3:15 p.m. As luck would have it...first our flight was delayed with mechanical problems...and then completely CANCELLED! Luckily some very kind people helped me with my bags that I later had to re-check to another airline. I ONLY brought one HUGE suitcase, a porta-crib, and a car seat....not to mention the stroller and a diaper bag which was already with me in the terminal. (I know....traveling with kids requires quite a lot of equipment.)

So, needless to say I did make it to Arizona. I just transferred airlines and waited in terminal A for SIX hours. I had the privilege to go through security twice yesterday, check my bags twice, and as luck would have it AGAIN---I was picked for the "SSS", translation for all you who are not TSA's, I was randomly chosen for the special screening. Yes, I was pat down...bags checked thoroughly for bomb paraphernalia and was later cleared.

Daxton spilled our water bottle all over his pants. Of course, I had forgotten to pack extra clothes, so I had a pant less baby during our entire delay. His little brown pants hung over the stroller as we walked through the airport terminal. I have to admit, he looked pretty cute with his long-sleeved shirt, onesie, nakey legs, and little Converse high tops.

Luckily, in the midst of the chaos of yesterday I had the time to enjoy good people around me. People are good. If they can help, they do. If they have had similar stories with their own children, they share and reminisce with you. Daddies in the airport showed us pictures of their children they were flying home to and talked and played with Dax. A sweet woman and her daughter who were supposed to be on the same cancelled flight watched Dax for a moment so I could run to the bathroom. The manager of a Chinese restaurant allowed me to switch my Free soda (with my rice bowl meal) to a water for no extra charge. :) I sat next to a wonderful mother and daughter on our flight, and they played with Daxton, helped clean up spilled apple juice, lifted him in the air to play with the air vent and lights, and loved every minute of it. The people of this world have compassion. It inspires me to want to be that extra pair of hands for others. I always say, "We were not sent to this world alone for a reason." We NEED each other to make our lives better and little easier.

Flight 277 arrived safely at Sky Harbor Airport (Phoenix, AZ) at approximately 6:20 p.m. We loaded up our luggage into Grandma's vehicle and made it without much damage to her home at a little past seven. Daxton and I will return home on the 9th hopefully without too much delay. But, for all you travelers out there I say, "Good luck on your next journey, and may your next flight be without delay and may you have safe arrivals."