Going on an Airplane

The nonstop flight from Charlotte to Salt Lake city is absolutely a killer because it leaves at 7:05 in the morning. 

Which means... 

if you have to be to the airport two hours early (5:05am)

and it takes 15 minutes to park the car (4:50) 

and 90 minutes to drive to the airport (3:20) 

and get up and get ready... 

that puts you at waking up at 2:40 am for your flight. 

However, we make it there in about 75 minutes, and since we were being dropped off and not doing long term parking that cut it down to 5 minutes, and we only give ourselves 60 minutes to check in and make it through security. With that in mind, we woke up at 4:00 am and left our house around 4:40 am to make it to the airport on time for our flight. But really, what's an extra 90 minutes of sleep when you're so excited and nervous that you'll sleep through your alarm that sleep eludes you and you stay up way too late packing the night before?

This flight is a killer on the kids too. It just messes up their internal clocks. Usually, Lily just sleeps.. but this flight she had so many wonderful entertainers surrounding her that she couldn't get enough attention!

I always get so nervous for flights because some other fliers can be downright rude about being on a flight with small children. They feel it is an inconvenience for them, and how dare I think to bring small children on a flight because it interrupts their 3.5 hour nap! I must be a terrible mother when my child starts crying, because I obviously don't know how to calm a child whose ears are hurting them. I obviously fail at keeping things quiet so they can fall asleep. It's not apparent to these ignorant fliers that there is so much over-stimulation, light, noise, and air pressure - that instead of taking all these factors into consideration. I just have terrible children.

When, in fact, my children are quite the opposite. They are, for the most part, angels on flights. They want attention, but they also want to move around. Containment is the only problem. The hardest choice is whether or not to hold them (and let them cry) or let them be content and crawl around on a dirty, dirty airplane floor. 

Anyway, I digress. I had the best seat companions on this flight. While going through security, I noticed a cute girl with a College Algebra book in her purse. I said to her, "Too bad you're not on my flight and sitting next to me, otherwise I could help you with all your Math homework." I explained I had a Math degree and she said it would have been so nice to get lucky to sit by someone that could help her. We then got separated in security and went our separate ways.

Fast forward 20 minutes.

I get ready to board and this same Math gal saw we were going to be on the same flight and approached me if I'd like any help boarding the plane with my kids, so I took her up on her offer. She then sat down with me to help me get situated, and said she was going to take her seat once there was a clearing to get to her seat. However, the true seat occupant came along: a cheerful, flamboyantly gay, beautiful young woman. She saw that I was sitting with "Math Friend" and immediately offered to trade places as my "Math Friend" said that she'd really love to sit by me and help. Of course, I'd help her with her math when we got the chance... it only seemed like a fair trade. 

However, I was never able to help her with her Math. Instead, I was fascinated with my seat companion and couldn't ask her enough questions. I found out:

~ her name is Liliana

~ she is 10 of 14 children

~ she is a twin (who is child #9)

~ she speaks fluent Russian: her father is from Belarus and mother from Kazakstan

~ she is 14 years old and has graduated from High School already

~ is in her first semester of college

~ was on her way back home to Oregon and once she got off her flight would be taking a math final

~ came out to North Carolina to help her sister, who has two children, for 9 months while her sister worked at getting her RN degree. Her family rotates and takes turns for 9 months at a time coming out to help her sister. So she won't have to help out again for at least another five years. 

~ is Russian Baptist and doesn't celebrate Halloween

~ and is the biggest sweetheart you'd ever meet.

She was so respectful of everyone, was kind and courteous, conscientious and thoughtful, and beautiful and smart. I don't know how her mother did it with 14 children, but I was so impressed with Liliana that I hope my little Lily can grow up and have as kind of a heart as she did.

The other companion who helped entertain my Lily was Cindy from India. It was harder to communicate with her across the aisle, but she had lived in Italy and spoke fluent Italian, but was now living in India doing mission work. Her mission work entailed yoga and helping enslaved women. What an inspiration.

I felt so guilty for feeling accomplished that I was able to keep my kids under control for a 4 hour flight, when I was sitting next to two extraordinary, exemplar individuals. Their stories were amazing and it made me feel sheepish that I didn't have an impressive resume like they did. 

And finally, when we were to land in twenty minutes - Lily fell asleep. She was exhausted from all the hard work she had been playing doing on Cindy's iPad. 

But once we landed and Lily saw Grammy, it brought tears to my eyes! I said to little girl, "Lily look who I see." She looked around and around and couldn't see anyone, but once she recognized Grammy, Lily's eyes just lit up and she took off in the direction in where Grammy was waiting for us. By the time I reached Grammy her eyes were full of joyful tears and Lily was in heaven. 

While waiting for luggage, I'm pretty sure Lily narrated our reunion twenty times: "I got on airplane to visit Grammy. Grammy cried. I got on airplane to visit Grammy. Grammy cried."

Reunions are my favorite. And even though there were no surprises behind this visit to Utah, I was so grateful to be home, have help, and see my children so excited to spend time with their Grandparents!