The adventures since we first left home are worthy of a TV miniseries. Possibly on The Travel Channel... but The Weather Channel, Discovery Health, CNN or TRU TV channels might be more appropriate.
Now it's almost Dec. 22nd and we are at home. Again.
Tanya summed up our adventures pretty well using the 12 Days of Christmas methodology:
12 or more hours at the airport
11 hives on Alexia
10 dollars for a personal pizza
9 trips up four flights of stairs
8 dollars of water in the garbage
7 pieces of luggage
6 more inches of snow
5 hours to retrieve our luggage
4 upset family members
3 hours standing in line to book a new flight
2 canceled flights
1 puppy needing a pee break
Let me elaborate just a bit on some of the details for you. I have to be selective because otherwise this will just go on and on.
It all started out with the snow. The snow that we NEVER get. You may recall that it never snows here.
We left the house 3 hours earlier that we normally would have. We did this because we already have a lot of snow at our house and a blizzard was forecasted to becoming in. Yes, they said that on the news: blizzard. It was scheduled to hit Seattle an hour or two before our departure time. That 80 mile drive sucks in snow and ice.
We go through security and buy $8 of water bottles... and dinner: chowder and two pricey personal pizzas.
We board on time... about 6:30pm or so.
We off load 90 minutes later back to the Seatac terminal. Can't take off because runways are icy and crosswinds exceed the capabilities of the aircraft.
Tanya gets into the customer (dis)service line while also calling her father to rebook the flight.
I take the girls, and the dog, for a 3 mile walk to the baggage claim, with all the carry on luggage, in our Arizona attire, so the dog can make yellow snow in a blizzard with 60 mph blowing snow. Let the fun begin. The baggage claim area is the only spot for animals to take a pee break.
Expecting the flight to be cancelled, we wait for Tanya near the baggage claim area. With all the stranded passengers there weren't any seats, so we found some real estate on the floor, next to a wall, with a territorial view of a unicyclist.
We waited. We bought two muffins and a cinnamon roll and a coffee. We waited some more. The girls played. The girls fought. Daddy almost cried. The dog had to pee, again.
Tanya called and claimed "They might be loading the plane! Come back over here! Quick!".
We pack up and rush to security. I got busted for trying to bring over our $8 of water (now in the garbage).
We pause momentarily to witness numerous police / TSA people approach an individual and when they talked to him he got up and tried to escape. Weapons were drawn, the suspect has three laser points on his head/body. He still wasn't willing to cooperate and we then heard a loud POP... and the guy dropped to the ground: Tasers!
Can't stick around... gotta go board the plane... we find Tanya still in the same line, in the same location... and no one is boarding any planes. False alarm.
We make ourselves as comfortable as possible, waiting for the final word on whether we will fly or get cancelled. Meanwhile, the blizzard continues.
Alexia starts itching.
Alexia breaks out in hives... from head to toe.
Tanya calls the doctor (yes, speed dial).
Doctor suspects she's having a reaction to her antibiotic and informs us that we can't get on the plane in case she begins having breathing difficulties... so we just need our luggage so we can go home. Can't get luggage until flight is officially canceled.
Tanya asks a stranger for some Benadryl for Alexia (and was successful on the first inquiry)!
While waiting the girls watched a movie and read books, but finally just conked out.
Flight is officially cancelled at 2:05am (now early Sunday morning). Next flight will be Monday.
Head to baggage claim to wait for the luggage... with 5,000 other stranded passengers and their 10,000 pieces of luggage.
Finally... at 3:15a.m. we are in the car and ready to drive home through a blizzard. All the hotels were full with stranded passengers.
Arrive home at 6:05am. Unload car, go to bed.
2:00pm Sunday: Make the snowy/ice 80 mile drive to Seatac again. Lucky to get a reservation at La Quinta. Starts to snow again.
Hotel room has chocolate covered raisins on the floor. Chocolate and Raisins are poison to dogs. Mikayla is in hysterics. Dog survives. Mikayla survives. Watch in-room movie and go to bed. Snow continues.
3:45am Monday: Wake up call so we can return to airport for a 7:20am flight. Find out flight has already been canceled due to the fact that Alaska Airlines has run out of de-icer. Our internal clocks are all screwed up and no one can go back to sleep.
Breakfast in the lobby and a lady had her purse stolen, right next to us.
Repacked the car and left to make the snowy/icy 80 mile drive back home.
17 inches of snow at home... too high for even the Pathfinder... more snow coming Tuesday night... and we're scheduled back at the airport for attempt #3 Wednesday night.
It's too bad I don't have the stamina right now to give you the full details because it really is quite a tale.
"One day we'll all look back on this and laugh!". I hope so.
In the meantime, thanks to Tanya, the kids and of course, Sue & Steve, for their determination, persistence and dedication in making this trip work one way or the other.
~E
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