It's been a little over a week since we returned from our whirlwind trip back to the states for Christmas. It has taken me this long to get back on track with sleep, routine and schedule, and sanity. Not that our visit was hard or difficult...it was just FULL. We didn't expect anything less, and actually it exceeded my expectations. Our family had very little jet lag on the front end, we got to see so many family friends...maybe even more than I expected, and all in all, it was thoroughly enjoyable. And while it took me a week to write all of that since I had to get over the worst jet lag I have ever had coming back...we would all say it was well worth it!
Of course leaving on December 19th, the day after school lets out, means that you have to work ahead of the game. There are no "free days" for packing because not only are the kids in school...but so am I! We had Emma's chapel and multiple Christmas choral and band concerts, as well as classroom parties. I have learned this lesson the hard way, so I started a good 5 - 6 days in advance. It's also good to note that I still pack for myself and all five children...Andy packs himself...AND...he was "out of town" all week in Shenzhen and didn't get back and "available" until Thursday night before we left:)
So, by the time the taxis came to get us around 7am on Friday, I was ready to leave, and have a little break...but that break comes after toting 10 carry ons, 10 check-ins and five kids through check-in, security and passport control. We finally made it on the plane, and here is one of the best gifts I got this Christmas...a business seat ALONE. My sweet, dear, sacrificial husband gave me his business seat and he sat in coach with all five kids. I went back and got everyone settled, then took my seat and finally took a breath!
Now, I don't sleep great on planes, usually needing some medication assistance. And, honestly, I think part of it was I didn't want to sleep my beautiful gift away, so I didn't take anything and only got a 20 minutes doze in between movies:) I did check on the family, and the kids did great. Apart from kicking a couple seats in front of them, and Sarah's melt down 20 minutes from landing, they were super on the plane. Thank goodness, since Andy said I could have his seat on the return, too. I was also grateful for the peace I had...knowing that we were all safe in God's hands...and not feeling this hyper sensitivity to be right with them, given the recent circumstances of flying in Asia.
We arrived in Newark...I waited for the crew by the plane exit. Everyone was excited to see me, but were not happy when I told them that out of our 16 hr flight, I only slept 20 minutes...oops!(What a waste of a business seat, they said) We are generally the last ones to passport control, since we always need to wait for our gate check-in stroller, and then Andy needs to do "the count" and make sure we have everything and everyone before we can proceed. This step I have gained patience for...especially since by the time we get to the long line, it has shortened significantly. After getting through passport, we then get to claim our baggage, recheck our baggage, and go through security again...this is my least favorite part!!!! This is a big reason I dislike making connections anywhere after flying internationally (esp. 16 hrs with 5 kids). But, we didn't have any issues and went on to find our gate about 90 minutes before boarding...by now it is around 5pm, so we had enough time to find some Auntie Anne pretzels. Our gate was at the end of the terminal, so it was like a culd-e-sac of gates. We werent able to sit right near the gate, but could keep an eye on it...or so we thought. At one point I was walking by and heard over the loud speaker "blah blah blah, party of 7, please report to the gate" I thought, "who else could be a party of seven?" so I went and checked, and sure enough, they were about to close the gate and were waiting for us! AAAAH!! I ran over to the family and let them know...we grabbed everything and ran to the gate...luckily not forgetting anything or anyone:) This may have been the most awkward and embarrassing boarding our family has encountered. Not only was it a very small plane (we were headed to Dayton, OH), but everyone else was seated and staring at our large number of children and belongings...I can't imagine what they were thinking! We got settled relatively quickly, trying to figure out who was sitting with who, and where to put everything. By 10 minutes after take-off, I think everyone was asleep...and they slept the entire 90 minute flight...it was beautiful!! We easily got off the plane, collected our baggage minus 2 (left in Newark), and found Andy's parents without problems.
I could go into a similar detailed picture of our two weeks...but that would take too long...so for my record's sake...here are the highlights...
We spent a lovely 5 days in Ohio, visiting Andy's parents, sister and family, and two nieces...Katie, her husband Nate and their new baby, Jackson...and Brittany, a sophomore in college. It was so great to be with them all, meet Jackson, enjoy some wonderful food, see Kate and Nate's new home, and as a culmination, get to meet Josh's favorite OSU Buckeye football player, Jalin Marshall...thanks to Brittany, who is a friend.
We then flew to Philadelphia on Tuesday, Dec 23rd. After our 2 hour delay, we got to our accommodations around 11:30pm...exhausted. Our friend, Jerry, was gracious enough to open his home and he was there to welcome us. By the time we unpacked a bit and got the kids to bed it was closer to midnight...I think Andy and I got to bed by 1am. We were up early (6am) wanting to see Jerry off, get a rental car, and had a coffee meeting and shopping to do...all before going to our favorite Christmas Eve service at Willowdale Chapel...which even though we were late...we got front seats!!!
Of course we were up to 3am wrapping...but everyone slept until 10am Christmas am. This was a Christmas miracle! Andy and I got some very unexpected sleep, unfortunately we got over to my brother's house much later than expected, but they were gracious to understand. We had a lovely day with my family, then drove to Mechanicsburg and stayed at my parent's house until Saturday...getting to visit my sister and enjoy my parent's hospitality. Saturday we drove back to Jerry's, dropped off our stuff, went to a friend's house for dinner, then home by 9pm.
Sunday AM we were up early for church, a wonderful lunch and visit with more good friends, then back to Jerry's in time for our very dear friends, Ron and Rebecca's, arrival from Detroit. They love us so much that they came, knowing they could only stay until Tuesday. We had some wonderful quality time...and it was such a gift for them to come since they know what our lives are like in HK. We did a lot of planning, playing, discussing...and then it was time for them to go. After they left, our final three days were filled with getting together with more friends, New Year's Eve fun at Isabella's, dentist appointments, and culminated with a wonderful Buckeye Sugar Bowl win versus Alabama...which we all stayed up for on Thursday night (of course, we packed all day so we could watch football by 5pm). Somehow, we still managed to take 30 minutes to pack the van that came at 9:30 the next am.
Then, it was a 2 1/2 hour drive to Newark, 45 minutes to check-in all our luggage (that's without a line), and then the longest security line I know. We finally made it to our gate, with enough time to get some lunch, bathroom break, and a few squabbles to make everyone nervous around us:)
As we got on the plane, I settled everyone in...kissed them and said I would see them in 16hrs...and went back to my sweet business seat. I sat down in amazement at all that we packed in our two weeks...everyone we got to see, things we got to do, and just in general, the wonderful Christmas it had been. Sure, there were some people we didn't get to visit (it's the holidays and people travel:) But we really were able to have some sweet quality time with friends and family, and that was such a gift. My return flight was filled with gratitude... and this time I had a wonderful coctail of melatonin after my meal and slept for 6 hours. Didn't want to disappoint the kids:)
Did not know about almost missing your connection flight:). Miss you <3
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