Leaving on a Jet Plane

Saturday was the big day.  Hubby took the kiddos and I to the airport, where I met my Momma. We arrived around 11am and waited for our flight.   We didn't board until 1:20pm.  From there we flew to Cleveland.  Lucky for me, Handsome slept almost the whole way.   Princess entertained herself with an ipad.   Momma and I played Scrabble across the aisle.   It was a tiny plane.   One seat on one side of the aisle, and two on the other side.  I had to keep both kiddos with me because my side had an extra oxygen mask.  We had an hour and a half layover before the next flight.  There really weren't any kid friendly food places nearby, so I was an all-star mother and fed my offspring a dinner of Teddy Grahams, Nutrigrain bars, potato chips, PB crackers, milk, and apple juice.  It looks like a lot typed out, but they shared everything.  In addition to feeding my kiddos, we also tried to let them burn off some energy. This is where I am EXTREMELY thankful my Momma was along.  One of us could dash after Handsome while the other could watch the bags.   Handsome was always trying to dash through an open door or make the automatic doors open.  He almost made it into the President's Club.  It was also necessary to have two people for bathroom breaks.  I can't imagine trying to wrangle two kiddos, three bags, and diaper changes by myself.  Thank Heaven's for family bathrooms.  At one point, my Momma was waiting in the hall with Princess while Handsome and I were finishing up our business.  I could hear my child screaming for me.  I'm sure my mom was hoping no one would think she was trying to kidnap her.  Oh, and in the middle of all of this, I lost my boarding pass.   Not just mine, but my kiddos too.   And didn't realize this until 5 minutes before we were to board the plane.  We waited for the end of the line before I hung my head and confessed to the ticket taker what had happened.  She then asked to see my ID, and of course I couldn't find it.   A few minutes later my Momma found it at the bottom of my purse.  Seriously, I don't know what I would have done if she wasn't with me.  I would have had an emotional breakdown.
The second leg wasn't too eventful.   Princess fell asleep for the last 30 minutes.   Handsome flirted with the flight attendant. Once we landed, the captain announced the ramp was closed and we couldn't get off the plane.  We had to wait until it was re-opened.  Now my kiddos were upset.  We had to sit for another 15 minutes.  Once we were allowed off, it didn't take too long to get to the car and get on the road.
We decided to head to my Momma's house in SC instead of staying in her apartment in the city.  We drove through one of the most hellacious thunderstorms ever.  I mean, I love thunderstorms, and this one was awesome.   The lightening strikes where so bold and bright you could see a darker black outline where it used to be.  I think it burned my retinas.  The rain came down in sheets.  We pulled over for a bit, then decided to keep going.  We drove 30 mph for about 30 minutes. We could barely see the lanes, most people were driving with their hazards on.  I love a good thunderstorm.   It was like a welcome home present.
All in all, it really wasn't a bad trip.  Somehow I managed to get through it functioning on very little sleep and being emotionally exhausted.  Next time I decide to move across the country after working 8 days in a row while frantically packing and cleaning until midnight or later every night, please kindly remind me that isn't a good idea.  In fact, slap me in the face and tell me I'm insane.