A few months ago I got the crazy idea to travel to Wyoming with the girls, by myself. It seemed like a great idea when we booked the flight but on Saturday morning I was dreading the trip. There is so much stuff to pack and take with two little ones and the thought of navigating the airport by myself with all of that stuff with dreadful. We had to take 2 carseats, 1 stroller, my bag, their bag, the diaper bag, and my computer bag. Oh yeah...and TWO KIDS. Here's a picture of the craziness: Hayden in the stroller, Ellie in the Baby Bjorn, carseat perched on top, computer bag in the bottom of the stroller, and diaper bag on my back. Total Craziness.
Matt drove us to the airport and we planned to ask the airline if he could get a pass through security so he could help me get to the gate. They offered the pass before we could request one! Getting through security went smoothly, although it took some time, and we were even able to stop at Starbucks so I could get a decaf peppermint mocha latte. Mmmmm...the holidays are here! Anyway, when we got in line to board the plane Matt told the attendant that he wasn't traveling with us and that it was just me with the two babes. The attendant told Matt that he could get me on the plane as long as he came right back. How about that?! He was able to carry Hayden's carseat down to the plane, get it strapped in, and get us settled. I could have done it but it would have been a complete nightmare. And, I might have needed a strong drink before takeoff.
We ended up with an extra seat in our row so we were able to stretch out a little bit. The girls were wonderful on the flight. The plane was packed with kiddos so any crying or yelling that they would have done wouldn't have been a big deal, but they were both so good. When we arrived in Denver a wonderful man across the isle asked if I needed help. I gladly accepted his help and handed him the heaviest bag I had. He carried it out to the terminal for me and from there I was able to throw it in the stroller and not think twice about it.
My dear friend Melanie and her husband Ryan agreed to meet me at the airport to help me get all of my baggage and get out to the rental car building. They were both so amazing...seriously amazing. Ryan lugged around our bags, Melanie brought gifts for the three of us, they both held Anabelle, Melanie took Hayden to the bathroom, they watched Hayden while I took Anabelle to the bathroom (after a major blowout, by the way), they packed all of our stuff into their car, and stayed with us until we were ready to drive off of the rental car lot. Did I mention how amazing they were?! Plus, it was so wonderful to catch up with them a little bit too.
The drive from Denver to Laramie went pretty well. I even managed to remember the shortcut around Ft. Collins and we made pretty good time. We stopped at McDonald's on the outskirts of Ft. Collins for a bathroom break, to feed Ellie, and to get a little apple pie and vanilla ice cream treat. We got back on the road and made our way to Laramie.
We were about 15 minutes from town when I got pulled over...of course. He said that he clocked me going 82 in a 65. Darn speed limit! In Phoenix it's 75 almost everywhere and I guess I just wasn't paying attention. I told him that I was traveling alone with the girls and that Hayden had to use the potty. But, both girls were totally silent and I couldn't squeak out a tear so I got the ticket. However, he said he reduced my speed to 79 so that it won't end up on my record, but we'll see if that actually holds up. Boo.
In the end though we made it to Pop and Susan's house safely so that's all that really matters. I don't think that I'll travel alone with the kids again (at least not any time soon) but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be. What an adventure!
