Gotta Travel On

Well, we made it to MA but certainly not without a hitch or three!  Let's see... here's how we started out.  Got to the airport late because of construction traffic and me being slow poke.  Got there and immediately got a wheelchair (requested in advance) and the young man at the counter says "Your late!".  Uh Oh... not a good sign. Then he says there is something coming up that wont let him check us in (I'd done online check in as well as online baggage check).  Well, he comes back and says its all ok, he got us checked in and we can be on our way. So the nice young man wheels me, Rach, the backpack & 2 carry ons to the security checkpoint.  And here is where the fun begins...
For some reason, security decided I posed some sort of risk... they proceeded to completely unpack and scrutinize every inch of all my carry-on luggage. Naturally, they choose to do this when I am ALREADY LATE!  I then hear my name go across the loud speaker... first time THAT'S ever happened.  I ask the security people what to do and basically they say nothing. They are not the least big sympathetic to the fact that my flight is almost ready to take off.  As a matter of fact, I truly think they took even longer than necessary.  It took almost a half an hour to get through security. Naturally, we got to the gate 5 minutes too late!  They had already closed the doors and there was no convincing them to reopen just for us.
They were actually very nice, even if I was falling apart.  They got on the phone & the computer and found us a new flight on US Air instead, and it would get in just 2 hours later than our original flight.  YAY... so, my new best friend the skycap, gets all our junk together and pushes us away from the Continental gate & "drives" us to US Air.  Now the fun REALLY begins!
Let me first say here and now that I will never EVER EVER fly U.S. Air EVER EVER again!!!!  I have never been treated so miserably on any airline!  It started with the gate attendant telling me that I could not take my carry on because nobody would want to help me put it in the overhead so I had to check it. I advised that I could probably do it myself, but they just grabbed the bag & checked it there.  Ok, fine... next comes the creep that was going to push me down to the plane.  He grabs the chair and starts taking off toward the door, while I'm YELLING at him to STOP because Rachel was busy playing with a little boy we met in the waiting area.  I'm telling him he can't go anywhere without my daughter and this MORON tells ME that he doesn't have TIME to wait!!!  EXCUSE ME?????  So I jump up from the chair (obviously) and this half wit finally let's me put my kid on my lap before he's shoving me down the gangplank.  I get onto the plane and realize they didn't give me back the boarding pass so I have no clue where are seats are. Well this certainly made a wonderful impression on the stewardess, who was now glaring at me like I was her worst nightmare. She then proceeds to SCOLD me like a CHILD for having packed FAR too much, considering I knew I'd be relying on "the courtesy" they provided in assisting me with the wheelchair!   Now my head is spinning.  This is the first time I've ever asked for wheelchair assistance at the airport. This is also the first time I was traveling alone with a toddler.  What would possess these people to treat someone so terribly! They have no idea what my "disability" is. But to tell me that I had no right to bring the amount of luggage that I brought?  The nice young man from Continental had absolutely no problem with it.  He never once told me how naughty I was.  He did NOT try to make me feel guilty for bringing even less than the allowable amount of baggage!  We checked one bag, and I had 1 carry on for each paid ticket and one "personal item" which was my backpack (this was used as both my computer bag & my diaper bag rolled into one). That's why HE got a tip. The others? They were nasty, mean, and down right obnoxious!  (Yes, I fully intend on writing a scathing letter to US Airways).

But I'm putting all that behind me. It's time to enjoy. We have been having a wonderful time here. Rachel is LOVING it, playing "Itchy Mints" (instruments) with her Uncle Daniel. She waits for him to come home from work so they can go make music. It is just adorable!  And since we are here, we have TOTALLY changed our schedule!  I am in bed before midnight... and Rach has been asleep around 8:30 every night too!  And since we are sharing a room, we are BOTH up around 7 ish.

Today, EVERYONE came over. Vana brought the girls over in late morning.  They played with horsies, ran around the yard, watched the incredible amazing hummingbirds enjoying a small feast,  went swimming, and just had fun. Then Bethany arrived and we all went outside to say hi and to see the snake that has taken up residence in the window well for a basement window.  Then Jesse & Kate arrived!  It was AWESOME seeing everyone together!  We all went outside and watched all the "kids" play whiffle ball and just have a random free-for-all in the yard... then everyone came in after playing in the rain a while, and it was time to go downstairs to play all the Itchy Mints again!!!  Way too cute for words folks, believe me!  After all the fun of the day, Rach came up to me with a book in hand, asked for a blanket, and less than 6 pages, she was out like a light... poor little thing was exhausted by 8pm!  Not looking forward to what time she will be waking up in the morning! LOL...