The day started way too early! We were up and out of the house by 6:30 a.m., heading to Kansas City Airport. We had booked "cheap" tickets since we're a big family, which meant we had to pay for each checked bag. We decided we could manage with four bags. Well, it turns out we overpacked—crazy, I know! You wouldn't have expected that, right? The night before, at 10 p.m., Robb and I were still weighing suitcases and figuring out what we could remove or redistribute to lighter bags. I think all the bags ended up around 48 lbs each. We like to live on the dangerous side, with not much margin for error. Call it luck, fate, or possibly the lack of care from the airline staff, but all the bags made the cut.
We boarded the plane for our 3-hour flight to Florida. A couple of rows ahead of us were two girls headed to a bachelorette party. One was the bride, wearing a white cowboy hat with a veil. They were goofy, having a good time, and a little loud. Not a big deal. About 90 minutes into the flight, the older lady sitting by the window in their row had had enough of their shenanigans and started complaining. The flight attendant wasn’t sure what to do, and honestly, what could she do with two drunk girls mid-flight? As the older lady grew more upset, I offered to switch seats with her. They ended up finding her another seat. Caleb got a huge kick out of the whole thing. We probably should have put him in their row—he can put up with goofy behavior, in fact, he thrives on it! Other than that, the flight was smooth, and we arrived to a balmy 93 degrees.
Bryce and I went to get the rental car while everyone else retrieved the luggage. While checking in, I realized I needed Robb’s ID, so he ran it over to Bryce. As I paid, I ended up putting the rental in my name because the credit card we used was in my name. I then asked if Robb could also drive. The lady nervously looked up at us and asked, “Is that your relationship?” Bryce and I both started laughing as I over-explained that Bryce was way too young for me—he’s my son, not my husband. Awkward!
And then, we were off. We picked up the groceries we had ordered from Walmart and then went to Costco, where we were all starving. Traveling with someone who has celiac disease can be tough—you can’t just pop into a drive-thru. We bought a Caesar salad kit and a rotisserie chicken, and Abby ate that at Costco for dinner. We weren't allowed to leave with our half-eaten salad and chicken, though, because Robb had taken the receipt to the car. I’ll admit, I wasn’t my best self and complained about the person who didn’t realize that the salad and chicken on the receipt weren’t in the cart when he left the first time. What can I say? We were hot, tired, and hungry.
Now that we had an entire car packed with us, our bags, and a week’s worth of groceries from Walmart and Costco, it was time for the 2.5-hour drive to the house. It might have been the longest drive of my life. The speed limit decreased to 45 mph at dark due to animals crossing. In Nebraska, we deal with animals crossing too—but we just hit them and go on our way. Apparently, it’s not the same in Florida.
We arrived at the house at 9:30 p.m. The owner, Norman, met us to give us a tour. He was an odd guy—older, eccentric, and had a goofy sense of humor that I could appreciate. Robb, however, didn’t share my enthusiasm. We got the instructions and a tour in the dark. We brought all our stuff inside, and the temperature inside the house started to feel like the outside—muggy and hot! Caleb couldn’t cool down, so he wet his shirt and lay on the cool tile floor with it. The accommodations were fine, but not spectacular. I had to remind the kids that any place we stay in probably won't be a 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom house like they are used to. Now, it was time for bed so we could start the fun part of vacation tomorrow.
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| Shuttle from the parking lot to the airport |
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| Eye patches on the plane so we don't look tired when we arrive. |
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| Girls row |
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| Boys row |
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| New state, same ole Costco. |
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