When I consulted Kent about our plane tickets, there was some debate about when we should leave and what flight to take. We wanted to avoid a red eye going because we didn't want to be miserably tired on top of being hot and having sore feet. So we spent the better part of a day getting to Florida. For the return, we opted for an early departure, short layover time, and getting back to Provo in the early afternoon.
What we didn't realize when we made all these plans was that the Miami airport is over an hour away from James and Alisa's house, and there is a closer airport in Fort Lauderdale. Who knew? We've only got one major airport in the whole state of Utah, so I didn't even think there might be two airports within half an hour of each other, and the one we decided to fly out of was further away. I called American to see what it would cost to change our tickets and nearly choked when the woman told me it would be $280 PER TICKET to change anything. So we changed nothing and go up super early this morning.
By "super early" I mean that the alarm went off at 4:10AM, and we were in the car by 4:30. Obviously, I had packed everything last night, the bags were ready to go, we just had to stick jammies in the outer pockets, put on regular clothes, take a bit of time in the bathroom, and get in the car. SO EARLY!! It was ridiculous. James and Alisa did not get up to see us off. I wasn't sure I had Blythe's swimsuit, and when I asked her about it, she said, "I think I left it in James and Alisa's bathroom. I'll just creep in and get it." No. No you won't. Turns out I had packed the suit, so it's good she didn't creep in to find it.
When we looked at how long it takes to get to the airport, Google Maps showed an hour and ten minutes. We left in plenty of time to catch our 7:15am flight, and we even had more time than we thought. When we put directions into the phone, it said it was only forty minutes to the airport. Amazing how much time you can save if you travel when all sane people are asleep. About twenty minutes into the drive, Brandt asked if he could have a treat from the treat bag and pulled out a cloth grocery bag full of cookies, granola bars, and chips that we had been taking to the beach. It was on the kitchen counter where it was meant to stay, but Kent thought it was supposed to come with us. We had way more treats than we needed, but both the kids were delighted. Should we feel guilty for stealing the bag?
The drive was smooth, the car rental return was smooth, security was smooth, and we made it to the gate after a stop for breakfast at Burger King shortly before they were set to begin boarding. Our flights went well, and I even got to sit all by myself, not in the middle hump suck seat, from Phoenix to Salt Lake. Kent sat between the children for the hour and thirteen minutes. Sharon picked us up at the airport, and we were home about 2:30pm. Before we had even pulled all the way into the garage, both kids had leapt out of the car and were on their way to friends' houses.
We had a wonderful trip. I am happy to report I didn't yell at the children even once, everyone behaved remarkably well and had a good time, we were patient, saw interesting things, and all in all, loved it. We all felt good enough to contemplate doing it again. Not going to Orlando again, but going on vacation again. It was nice to be away from responsibilities, to be together as a family, and take time to relax. Here's to a marvelous Floridian vacay!
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