Vegas/Idaho/Montana Trip - Part 2

May 22: After the circus, we went back to Lyndsay's. There we attempted to figure out how to shove 6 people, 2 carseats, 6 suitcases and 3 backpacks into one car...thus decreasing the outrageous airport parking fees. During this struggle, we managed to lose track of the time. Absolute panic sank in when we realized that we had just over an hour until our flight left! Off we raced to the airport! We literally were grabbing kids under our arms and suitcases on our heads and running through the parking garage to the ticketing counter. If you fell behind, then you were left behind! With sweat dripping, we reached the counter only to be told by the impatient and annoyed ticket agent that we were not going to make our flight...but we could still try and run if we wanted. I kindly told her, "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! WE HAVE TO MAKE THIS FLIGHT!"

Seeing as we fly a very small airline into Idaho, it doesn't have the most frequent and accommodating schedule. They only fly there twice a week; one on Monday and the other on Friday. If you miss you're flight, you're screwed! So we paid an exorbitant amount to check our bags (which we had already prepaid but they "couldn't find it in the system") and then began the sprint through miles of airport terrain, trams, security, escalators, etc. Lucky for us, our airline happens to be about as far away as possible from the ticketing counters. So the second one of us was issued a ticket, they took off running. One by one we raced off like crazy frantic people. Lyndsay happened to be the first one. I threw her a suitcase and wished her luck on holding up the plane for the rest of us. Jeremy and I got the worst scenario; dragging suitcases while juggling unhappy squirmy uncooperative kids. I never knew the extent of our superhuman powers until then. I'm sure we made the "Home Alone" scene look easy in comparison. Of course I got held up at security for further prodding and investigation of the toxic water in Taylee's bottle. So I kept Anden with me and waved my farewells to my loving family who didn't think twice about leaving me behind. As I watched them enter the doors to the tram, I wondered if I would ever be with them again. My longing thoughts were quickly interrupted when the big black fume test machine (ya, who knew they had such a thing!) beeped that Taylee's water had passed and was now safe enough to enter. I shoved the strewn about contents of my backpack together and off we sprinted again. When I finally approached our gate, there stood my relieved family. We made it with minutes to spare!! Then I looked at our tickets and realized every one of us were seated in different rows. I secretly laughed knowing my children were going to make some innocent strangers day when they were seated next to them without parental guidance.