Home Again

Our trip home from Alabama was like a polar opposite to the trip there. On the way there, everything was smooth and easy. Coming home ended up being quite stressful.

Our car rentals didn’t have GPS so we were relying on our phones GPS to get us to the airport. We started off fine, but midway there our phones lost internet connection and we were in a panic trying to find our way to the airport. My phone picked up signal at one point and I started to give Tony directions, but the directions I was getting lead us straight to a runway, not the actual airport! It was crazy! Then, I asked Zoe if she could get a signal (she was with Mema, Umpa and Landon in a different car) and she said she could, so we began following them only to be led back in the crazy direction my phone had been going. Zoe’s phone did route us back to the highway though and just as we came off an exit ramp Tony realized where we were and thought things were going to be fine, but Zoe was telling Mema which way to go and they exited back onto the highway. Tony was yelling “NO! NO! Come back!” But it was too late as they had already gotten on the ramp. So, we raced ahead of them, got ourselves turned back around and onto the right road headed towards the airport. It was a mess and I’m pretty sure everyone’s blood pressure was through the roof.

We had left the hotel around 7:15 or so to get to the airport and we made it to the rental car drop off sometime right after 8am. Tony got our car checked in and took off with the kids to the desk to check our bags while I hung back with Mema and Umpa waiting to get their car situation settled. We didn’t have a wheelchair for Umpa and we must have looked pretty panicked because the car rental guy offered to drive us up to the front doors right where we needed to check in. So he zoomed us around to the front and as soon as I got out I ran to find a wheelchair for Umpa. I found one right inside the doors, but the brake was on and I couldn’t figure out how to unlatch it so I just pushed with all I had to get it to them and Mema figured out the brake and got him and their stuff settled while I tried to find Tony and the kids.

I didn’t see Tony or the kids at the check-in counter so I thought they must have already taken care of the bags and gone through security, so the three of us got in line at security…and then my phone rang. It was Tony saying he was waiting for me with the bags because he didn’t have the boarding passes to check our luggage! GAHHHH! So, I jumped back out of line, ran to meet them (they’d been waiting for us downstairs where they came in different way) got our bags checked & then we all took off for security once again. The kids and I made it through with no problems, but one of the diaper bags had drinks in sippy cups for the two littles. I packed them intentionally that morning for the dive to the airport and had intended to dump the contents once we got to the airport…but, with all the extra drama, I forgot about them. So, security had to have me open the cups so that they could check the contents, and once they saw that everything was okay we were allowed to go.

We made it to the gate with about 10 minutes to spare. I can only imagine how crazy the 8 of us looked running back and forth through that tiny airport! We were such a mess! But, we made it and vowed to never do it again! :)

We made it back to Baltimore about 5 minutes ahead of schedule, got our bags then met the limo outside to take us home.

This one was even bigger than the first and boy was I happy to be heading home! The two littles were so happy to be home too, and they were content to play with their toys like they’d been gone for months! Landon couldn’t wait to jump on the computer to play Mine Craft and Zoe was excited to get her bags packed to head to Towson the very next day.