The One Where We Fly To John Wayne

Saturday we had lunch at Spaghetti Factory for Rita's 80th birthday. Sunday, the 20th, was Preslie's offical birthday. It was laid back and relaxed, and mostly filled with everyone finishing their packing for the trip we were taking the next day. But there were presents, and cupcakes, and Preslie had a good time.

Monday morning we got up early, got everything packed into our van, and went to the Portland airport. I LOVE the Portland airport, it is beautiful, and there is so much to do there. If you ever have to get laid over in an airport, make it the Portland airport.

Parker had such terrible ears when he was little, that planes were not fun for him. We always dosed him up on Benadryl so that he would sack out before we even got on the plane, and then we crossed our fingers that he would stay asleep the whole plane ride. This was the first plane trip where he had his own seat, and he did great. When we walked onto the plane, the stewardesses put him up in the cockpit and let him sit with the pilots for a bit. I am SO sad that we didnt' get a picture with him up there. Maybe he will be a firefighter AND a pilot.

Eric and I didn't have seats together on the ride down, and Horizon kept telling us that the flight was completely full an that there was no way we could move people around and sit together. I was so scared to have Preslie by myself and try and take care of her by myself while I was smashed in between (because yes I had the middle seat) two people. You always hear horror stories about people who had a plane ride and there was some baby on there that just cried the whole way and blah blah blah. People ALWAYS complain about screaming kids on airplanes and how annoying it is.

But it's like the don't think of it from the opposite side.

As a mother, I am PETRIFIED of my children being massive inconveniences on other people. So a plane ride was a nightmare for me. I just kept having these ideas that Preslie was going to freak out when the pressure change made her ears pop, and that I wouldn't be able to comfort her, and it's not like I can stand up anyways to calm her down, but especially when I was inbetween two people. And it's not like you can never expect little kids to get on planes. I mean, we can't drive EVERYWHERE with them.

So anyways, we start walking back to our chairs and we get to Eric and Parker's row, they have the middle and window seat, and there is already this guy sitting in the aisle seat. I walked past them and started to sit down in the row right behind them and then this amazing man says, "Do you guys want to sit all together?"

It was incredible! I literally almost cried. I was so relieved that Eric and I would be sitting together and that he would be there to help with Preslie if she got out of hand. A weight had seriously been lifted off my shoulders.

The guy started joking about how of course he would wind up witht he middle seat now, and Eric and I just kept thanking him.

Then down walks this family with a little boy about Preslie's age and they walk to the row with the guy who just gave me his seat and say, "Would you like to sit on the aisle? We would love to sit together." Which made me want to cry again because this guy had been so nice to us and given us his seat, and then he was rewarded for it. But then it got even better when they announced that although all the seats had been purchased, that a flight had been delayed and consequently our plane woudl only be 1/3 full. The family moved to their own row, and this sweet man got his own row, and the people in front of us kept turning around to play with Preslie and talk to Parker about flying, and it was just the nicest group of poeple I think I have ever been around, and the best flight we could ever ask for.

And we didn't even have to knock Preslie out with Benadryll!