As we left Washington early yesterday morning, I left my Facebook status with this: "Three Boring Words: Back to Ohio. On a happier note.... Happy Birthday, America!" If I only knew.
{Abby, Brooke & Lauren in Leavenworth, WA}
It was another great trip to Washington. This year was different than the last; we added new adventures, and while we didn't get as wild and crazy out on the deck this year, we still had a great time. But our two weeks were over and like all good things, this trip had come to an end. I was regretting having eaten way too much. I think we all were.
The Phillips house was bustling early on the morning of the Fourth; we all enjoyed breakfast together and the last few minutes of each other's company. And according to plan, the four of us took off at 7:30, heading for the airport in Seattle. The two-and-a-half hour drive is breathtaking through the mountains. But, it was too long to make it without a bathroom break, so we stopped at a hole-in-the-wall grocery store in Easton. Last night's eat-a-thon had finally caught up with me.... deviled eggs, bean dip, cherries, ribs, corn-on-the-cob, coleslaw.... And when we left the establishment I left myself refreshed. It was only temporary.
Just outside of Seattle we stopped to gas up the rental, and shortly after returning to the road we noticed that the directions Geoff had instructed me to print out at the last minute were not taking us to the right part of town. This is where our real adventure began. Navigating the road and his cell phone GPS (yes, we know this is illegal in Washington), Geoff got us back on course and to the airport with our two hours before departure to spare.
The routine looks like this: Drop Brooke & the girls off with all of our luggage, car seats & golf clubs at the curb. Geoff takes the rental back, then meets us inside where we have found a safe little corner to use as our holding area. We then finagle our way to check-in upon Geoff's return. Booked through Delta, we started there with the check-in process. However, since they have rerouted us to an Alaskan flight, we were forced to drag our goods there (a good 1/4 of a mile away--or so it felt). Once at the Alaska counter we were met with another problem: Alaskan Airlines does not have a grievance with Comair (the carrier Delta put us on from our Mpls. to Dayton flight). This means our bags will not get to Dayton. Big Problem! So back to Delta we trek with all of our stuff in tow. Lauren broke down twice, stopping in the only narrow space in the shoulder-to-shoulder filled airport to cry "I can't do it." Pulling a suitcase and carrying a lunchbox is a lot to ask of a little lady for this long under these conditions. Lucky for us, a nice man helped us to Delta's Special Services counter. We waited in line.... again. By now there was no way were were going to get on our 12:25 flight. We were rebooked on Delta for 1:05, but didn't notice that the gentleman at the counter had only booked me and the girls; we picked up on that while standing in line for security. A LONG line at security. Geoff left us to revisit Dennis, Delta's semi-helpful counter attendant. By this time I was sweating buckets in my hooded sweatshirt, which I bring on the plane to save space in my bag. It can be chilly on those flights, so it does come in handy. But let's be honest, when you have no room in your hands, you have no choice but to wear the bulky garment. Then I got frisked. The security woman told me she was going to have to give me a pat-down. Honestly, go for it, chick. I am sweaty, I am tired, and as long as I get on my flight, I don't really care what else happens to me right now. Lucky for her I was not wearing a diaper filled with my Easton deposit. But the adult diaper is a whole other story.
That's pretty much it. Geoff pushed his way to the front of the line at the Delta counter and got his ticket, then quickly advanced through security. Dennis was kind enough to check our bags at no charge, so we carried minimal weight through the airport. Our flight to Minneapolis was smooth. We ate our lunch Grandma packed us and Lauren passed out for much of the flight. We had just enough time in Minneapolis to get to our gate on the other side of the airport. The girls loved the moving walkways, as we took those all the way from terminal F to A. Geoff sat by Lauren on our flight to Dayton. She was quite squirrely from being so well-rested. I snickered about that as Abby & I quietly enjoyed the fireworks display below.... the happiest part of America's birthday.
I often joke about our quiet life in Ohio. The truth is, minus the heat and humidity we came back to, I love our simple Ohio life, especially after what we went through in Seattle. Having said that, I already miss our family in Washington and we're looking forward to next year's adventures.
But for now, we rest.
