Grand Adventure Part 1: Flying

Monday, April 6, 2009

Our trip out West started out pretty bad. Jon, James, and I were all loaded into the car at 4:15 a.m. and ready to go pick-up Jenni. The car would not start. You see the temperature had dropped about 40 degrees in a matter of hours. There was even an inch or so of snow covering everything that morning. Our car battery was really old and did not like the change in temperature.

We called Jenni, and were able to take their car to the airport. By the time we got there and through the long line to check our bags, it was time to board the plane. Security was not as bad as I thought it would be, but I had to hurry and get some water in James's bottles or he would not have been a happy boy. We barely caught our flight.

Then we sat on the plane for a hour and a half before we could take off. Since the weather had been so nice previously there was not the right amount of staff at the airport to de-ice all the planes, and there was two inches of snow on the wings. We had to wait in line to be de-iced before we could take off.

Once off the ground, things went a lot more smoothly. James did great! I do not know what I was expecting, but he was fabulous! Some did not even know there was a baby on my lap. There were other crying babies on the flight, but James only fussed slightly when the cabin was pressurized. The flight was also packed.

We landed in St. Louis, Missouri, but did not have to change planes. This was the reason I chose the 7:00 a.m. flight. The appeal of not having to change planes with a baby was stronger then wanting to sleep in. We were not on the ground long before taking off again. This time the plane was fairly empty, which was really nice. James was able to lay on the seat between Jenni and me. He enjoyed being able to sleep and the kick his legs. There was also a very nice family (woman and two kids) sitting in front of us. Her husband was a resident in St. Louis, and there were headed to Utah to visit family. They were also members of our church. It was fun to talk about the life as a med. student's/resident's wife.

Because of the delay, we were on the plane for 7 hours. Yuck! I am grateful we got there safely, Jenni was with me, and James did so well, but I do not think I want to fly again any time soon.

Here are some pictures of James enjoying sitting on the plane in St. Louis.