**I was going to post pictures of our travel, but the computer that I’m using won’t really let me. Bummer. So, I’ll post them later.**
Friday morning dawned bright and clear. Everything was going perfectly according to schedule, in fact, it was going even better than what we’d scheduled. We got to the airport with tons of time to spare, there was literally nobody in line at the check-in, the security line was almost empty. Brad and I decided to take a few extra minutes and just hang out in the main lobby. This was going to be smooth…I could just feel it in my bones.
It was finally time to go through security. I was traveling with a huge backpack, a diaper bag, and Zoe’s everyday stroller. I felt like a semi-truck, but I was more than sure that I had enough books, toys and snacks to make it through the day. The only way to describe the tension that I was feeling that morning is that it was subconsious, but my nerves were on edge. I was especially nervous about the security people. The guy behind the conveyor belt told me that I had to break down Zoe’s stroller and put it on th belt. I wasn’t prepared for that. I looked around unsure of what to do with Zoe. The only available option was the conveyor belt. She may or may not have been plopped down on top of it. I may or may not have received confused looks from people. I could’ve cared less. I only cared about getting through security. We breezed through the metal check thing and they cleared everything I had with me. Hallelujah. The lady helped me take my 2 bags, stroller, and 2 bins over to the benches, and tears of relief started flowing down my cheeks. Pull yourself together, Rebecca, pull yourself together.
Next up. The gate. I wasn’t boarding first like I anticipated, so there was a nice little line at the door to the plane where I was told to fold my stoller. Again, not anticipated. A man offered to help, but I was already in the process of doing it one-handed. I thanked him, and then just skipped him in line. He didn’t mind. We made our way to the back of the plane, the guy was still behind me, I asked him where he was sitting and he informed me that he was sitting with us. I said that was great…he was really nice, and very helpful. We get settled in and I look for my wallet. Immediately I remember that I left it in my stroller. I literally threw things into the guys lap as I shot up to find a flight attendant. That was the first time panic was in my voice. I made my way through the oncoming passengers back to the front of the plane where we had to wait for a while, then a man went up and down 3 times to the bottom to find my wallet. Honestly, I wasn’t too nervous really…all my money was in my bra. 
After single-handedly holding up the flight, I made it back to my seat and settled in. Turns out, the guy beside me has 9 kids. Couldn’t have had a better seatmate. Zoe fell asleep before we took off and woke up as we began our decent. Flight #1 got an A+.
As we exited the plane I asked the gate lady where the flight to Detroit was leaving from. Gate D4. I repeated the gate to make sure. That was in a different concourse, I had to go on the little train and walk about a quarter of a mile. We make it to our gate and we still have time, find food, come back to check the gate, nobody’s boarding, so we leave to use the restroom and come back. We just got settled in to wait for boarding when I realize that the gate attendants have actually left. What? I look at my clock 1:12pm. Our flight leaves at 1:25. I ask my fellow gate attendants if they thought it was weird that the plane wasn’t even at our gate yet. They said our flight didn’t leave til 3. I said, “No, it leaves at 1:25″. They said, “Ma’am, what does your ticket say?” I look at my ticket. It says “Flint, MI 1:25pm”. I start cussing. I grab everything I just unpacked, throw Zoe under my arm like a football and take off RUNNING through the Atlanta airport yelling for an Airtran person. The lady I got was on a very important call to her boyfriend. I almost started jumping up and down and waiving my arms. She finally got off the phone. I got out, “I have an emergency” before I started sobbing uncontrollably in front of her. I managed to sob out my flight details. She told me that they’d already closed the flight. I sobbed. She told me that she would get me on another flight. I sobbed. She asked me why I was crying. I said, “B-b-b-bec-c-cause I’ve n-n-nev-v-er flown with a b-b-baaaaby before”. She told me to pull myself together. I cried for the next hour. My 1 hour layover turned into a 6 hour layover, and I was going to miss a very special birthday party. Mercifully, Zoe has an exceptionally laid back personality. I laid her stroller seat back and she took her afternoon nap. Numerous times, in the middle of our adventure I was so thankful and so full of love for this sweet child that I’ve been blessed with. If you’re wondering what we did during the layover, I sat my happy little butt at the gate that I was leaving from, and left it for only 15 minutes for another drink and one last bathroom run before the plane boarded. Finally it was time, and we boarded our plane, again I was in the back, this time with a family of 4. Again, a very helpful seatmate. Awesome. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Instead of taking off the pilot pulled us over to the side of the runway. That’s when he told us there was a problem with the takeoff computers and they had to do it manually. I started praying they paid attention in school. It took a while, but then we were off…and that’s when Zoe had explosive diarhhea in my lap. And right when the plane started tapering off, she went for round 2…in my hand. I just started saying, “She’s PEEING ON ME!” And I’m sure it wasn’t quite. I finally got to get up to change her diaper, and then right when I started back to my seat we hit turbulence. As I lost my balance and slammed my head into a luggage compartment I thought, “I’m DOOOOOOOOOOOOONE! I’m Done! Does anybody care? I’m done!!!!!” We sat back down, I fought back tears and Zoe fell asleep again.
By 8pm, a solid 12 hours after we’d left our house that morning, we finally pulled into Erynn’s house. It had been one heck of a long day, Zoe had refused to eat anything since we started traveling, was ridiculously miserable but still in really good spirits, and I was numb from stress. It was another 48hrs before I was really unwound from that day. And all through the day I had one thought that continualy went through my mind, “I can’t wait to write a blog about this!”
Happy Monday Ya’ll!
