We had breakfast and a light lunch at the McDonald's in the airport and then proceeded to our gate. There was a flight that got delayed and then had to use our gate, so our gate was changed twice and we moved the kids and ourselves and our stuff to each gate like cattle being herded. When we finally arrived at the appropriate gate, I asked the agent at the counter about "wish-list seating" and they said that we should be able to ask the people that were sitting near us about changing seats with us for sanity reasons. They said that most people are happy to help out parents that are traveling with young children ("Friendly Skies" and all...). We attempted to get to the skywalk when our rows were called, but there were too many people standing right in the path and we ended up boarding when everyone else did.... lucky us.
We made our way to the last row of the plane (where they put people with young kids) and started installing the carseat. Not two seconds later, some jerk comes up and says that I am standing where he is supposed to be sitting. I ask if he would be willing to switch seats with me. Only if I had an aisle seat (I had a middle seat)... NO LUCK. He asked the flight attendant to be reassigned a seat. She informed him that the plane was full and that if someone didn't check in, he would be offered their seat. While I was installing the seat, a nice lady who was supposed to be sitting next to me (she had the window seat) was holding Burbles. Fundi was situating the bag and holding Captain. Good Grief. Captain's chair was finally in (in the middle seat on the other row. Fundi climbed over it to his window seat and Oscar (the grouch that was mean to us) was huffing and puffing about his assigned seat near the bathrooms right behind us. With Captain secured, Burbles and I attempted to get situated. I was seated and had all the bottles and sippy cups and was feeding Burbles when Captain started in that he wanted "Milk". We asked Oscar to pass the milk over to Fundi. He did so with great disgust and glared at us and the flight attendants about his assigned seat. Finally, the guy who was to sit next to me in the aisle seat arrived. He was late, close to hyperventilation, and a super-geek (he studied chemistry and formulas and those diagrams of elements and matter composition through the whole four hour flight). He sat down and we presented him with the Opportunity to sit in the middle seat so that Oscar could sit in the aisle seat and our family could be together. He was none too happy about that and chose to keep his assigned seating. Captain then needed a snack of some sort, so I asked Super-Geek to pass the snack to Oscar and then to Captain. Again, glares and stares.... finally all of the boarding was complete and the flight attendant let Oscar know that there was a seat open somewhere toward the front of the plane. At that point, I believed they informed him of the "children in back" policy on airplanes and that he should avoid these seats if he didn't like children. I joked with him that we were trying to convert him. He said "To want kids? Humpf..." and walked off. I quickly got up and asked Super-Geek to do the same so that I was able to sit with my family. He did so, but almost became out of breath again. Then we flew.
Captain had been so excited about the planes that were sitting at the airport. He had looked and looked. As soon as we started moving he started fussing becuase he was tired. Burbles happily nibbled on her bottle during takeoff and didn't act like anything was happening. We finally got in the air and were situated and Captain and Burbles were sleeping, and both Fundi and I were trying to sleep. They came around and asked if we wanted to buy snacks ($5 for a box, $2 for Pringles or Trail Mix) and then they came around with drinks. Captain woke up about halfway through the flight and we managed to keep him occupied. (Hey E, we got a Magna-Doodle for him and it was useful, but he didn't draw on it... it had a dish on the back that we used for putting his fruit puffs in so they didn't go all over.)
Everything else was pretty uneventful, as far as the flight went. We got our luggage and put it on one of those handy dandy luggage carts and went to find our rental car shuttle. We got on and off the shuttle with lots of help from the driver who was super-nice. I stood in line and waited to get our car while Fundi kept the kids occupied outside. Captain at that point was able to see planes pass closely overhead and was totally excited by this.
We got a Dodge Charger (Black, unfortunately) and were on our way (but not before installing two carseats and attempting to cram in all of our luggage into the trunk). And I was driving. We got out of the dealership, left on a one way street with an idea of where we were going when I noticed a big chip in the windshield. So, we had to make our way back to the dealership on a series of one ways in San Diego to let the know that there was a chip in our window. Then we also asked directions. They told us that to get to Balboa park, we would need to go straight on the road we had just turned around on. We made it back to that road and proceeded to the park. We were headed to the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Natural History Museum. We got there without trouble, but then had to find the place where we were supposed to be. We parked and waited for a while for a trolley, but then decided that it was getting late and that we should get going to the high desert town that my grandparents live in.
We got on 163 and then merged with 15N all while going less than 10 MPH. After about an hour of this, we decided that we didn't want to listen to the kids screaming in the backseat anymore and that we would be better off getting something to eat and then trying to hit the road again. Food was what we all needed and when we got back on the road after eating at Chili's we were all in a better mood and the traffic was moving much more quickly.
We got to Gummie and Guppy's house at a little after 8pm (it was 10pm our time) and the kids were ready for bed, so we settled them in and then we all visited for a while. I asked if we could go to the Wal-Mart so that I could get formula and diapers and a few things (like a blanket for Burbles because hers was left on the airplane in our rush to get off). Fundi stayed home with the sleeping kids and we went off for a quick trip to Wal-Mart that turned into a two hour adventure with my Grandparents. We got what we needed and then some... (good thing I packed an extra bag in our luggage to bring back the stuff we aquired in Cali.) We got back to their house and then visited some more (mostly about the fact that it had taken us so long and that Fundi had been really worried, especially when he had heard sirens and a helicopter) and then finally got to bed about 2am (4am our time).
Burbles woke up at 3am and I was in the chair with her for the rest of the night. She was hot and uncomfortable and not in her own element and we didn't have a blanket to swaddle her in (it was too hot to anyway) and she kept flailing around and waking herself up. Captain woke up at 5am (7am our time) and was up for the day, which meant that we were too.
Fundi and Captain watching the planes come and go with Puppy.
Fundi and Captain and Burbles on the plane after everyone woke up.
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