After completing my obligation to my former employer, I was facing a 4-day weekend before tackling the first day at my new job. I was on the phone with M and we started talking about how I was facing Thanksgiving alone, and how they would likely leave for the return trip on Saturday, driving all day, an arriving that night, which would leave only Sunday for us to catch up and to get things back into order before my new schedule started.
Granted, it’s a normal working schedule like the Average Joe has, but I haven’t had a schedule like that in a L-O-N-G time.
M’s sister was having a similar discussion with her husband, and we all started checking online for cheap flights to New Jersey. We found the cheapest available, and got two one-ways flying out on Thanksgiving Day. I packed up and cleared the driveway again, and my dad came by the next morning. Dad is interminably early for things, and doesn’t like waiting, either. Those two personality traits have made for some interesting, yet stressful, situations over the years.
When he arrived, I was clearing the driveway again with the blower, and was otherwise ready. we sat and talked for a while, waiting for R to arrive. I packed the dogs, their gear, and my bags in the truck. When R arrived, we hopped in the truck and headed downtown. we decided that it would be better for Dad to drop us at the train station, and we could ride the train to the airport. This would allow him to avoid a lot of traffic on the holiday. We got off the freeway following the signs for the train station, but the signs stopped pointing out the way. We ended up going to one of the stations downtown that we knew. Dad headed home with the dogs, and R and I got on the train after fiddling with the bill acceptor for MARTA tokens for about 20 minutes. (It simply would not take the fiver I had).
After getting to the airport, we checked in and had plenty of time to spare. The security checkpoint has changed considerably since the last time I flew. they require you to take off your shoes now. If I’d known this, I would have worn something that easily slips on and off. It seems that no one else was prepared for this either, because right on the other side of the checkpoint, large globs of people were trying to get all of their things together, and find a place to put their shoes back on, stooping to tie them, etc, all while security people are trying to keep everyone moving along at a steady and orderly pace.
I love to fly. I’ve been in some planes of different sizes, but this flight was on an MD-88. It was the smallest jet I’ve ever been on. I just have to say that when you have turbulence in a larger plane, you hardly notice it. Turbulence in the small ones will get somebody hurt! 🙂 Right after takeoff, I caught a sleeve of Styrofoam coffee cups that bounced out of the flight attendants’ area. We had a really strong tailwind the whole way, and the skies were incredibly clear until we got all the way over Maryland. We landed about 30 minutes early.
The arrival was dampened to me. M stayed at the cabin with A, who was barfing all day with a 24-hour virus that had been going around. K was at the in-laws’ waiting, and being a “huge big helper” in the kitchen. So R and K and their 2 kids got a little reunion, and we drove back to the in-laws. When we got there, K latched on pretty well to me.
We had some Thanksgiving dinner, and packed a bunch of leftovers to take back to the cabin with us. We got back to the cabin, and A was sacked out on the couch. M was having some time with her best friend, who she hadn’t seen in a couple of years.
I was so glad to be with my little family, no matter where we happened to be. we stayed through the next day, taking walks around the lake, and building gigantic fires in the fireplace, and left in the wee hours of Saturday morning so that the girls would be sleeping while we got many miles closer to home.
We got home on Saturday at about dinner time. We were all very glad to be in our own element.