Yes, We Actually Made It Home...Barely

Well, I have to say that I've been known to cut it close as far as getting to things on time goes, but this time I honestly thought I had plenty of time...wrong. Bo's sister, Azure, drove us to LAX and we got there an hour and a half before our flight. Plenty of time to check in and get to the gate...that is, if you don't accidentally stand in the security line when you're supposed to be in the check in line and if you don't accidentally stand in the on-line check in line instead of the normal check in line. That being said, we found ourselves in the middle of a huge check in line with only a half hour left until our flight was going to leave. The next half hour turned into a very stressful mad rush, but God put everything in place to help us through. First, He provided a kind manager who was willing to pull us out of the line and take us up to the front and check us in. Then, as we rushed over to stand in the long security line, a worker came and told us that there was a new security check point opening downstairs with no line. Blessing #2. So we rushed downstairs and that was when Azure had to leave me. There I was, left with a 3 year old and an infant, plus a stroller, a diaper bag and a carry on suitcase that has to be opened every time we go through security because it has a lap top inside. So after we get everything through and our shoes back on and Melia back in the stroller, God provides the next nice man to help us up the escalator with all of our stuff. He asks to see my ticket so he can tell me where my gate is and when he sees it, he lets out a moan. Well, that can't be good. At this point, I have about 10 minutes until our flight is supposed to leave and he tells me that my gate is all the way on the other side of the airport--a good 7 or 8 minute walk from where we are. Crap. So there I went, speed walking, pushing Melia in the stroller, carrying Naiya in the front pack, pulling my diaper bag on top of my suitcase behind me, begging God to help us make it there in time, and having the warning words of my mother ringing in my ears that I should have gotten to the airport earlier. A few minutes into this speed walk, I hear my name being called over the loud speaker saying I need to report to the gate immediately because it is closing in 5 minutes. Double crap. At this point, I take off RUNNING...Naiya still strapped to me, bouncing up and down. Double the prayers now. Making my way through the seemingly endless halls, charging up 2 escalators (blessing #3 is that we didn't fall down and end up in a big heap of stroller and suitcases), only running over one man's foot and giving him a flat tire, to at last see our gate number in the distance. We made it there--totally out of breath, sweating and disshevled--but we made it! Blessing #4! Once we got there, God blessed us with a really nice flight attendant who helped me with my bags and stroller and reassured me that I could relax and that they would take care of everything. He even asked the guy who was sitting in our row if he would mind moving so we could have the row all to ourselves. Blessings #5 & 6. Melia then decided to have a really loud meltdown, which made Naiya start crying too. Great. Oh, did I mention that we got almost zero sleep the night before because all 3 of us had to sleep in the same room which Melia is not used to at all so she kept getting up and doing stuff and trying to leave the room and almost waking up Naiya, etc. etc.? Yeah, so we were all very tired. Anyway, the meltdown didn't last very long and the rest of the plane ride went pretty peacefully. We got to San Francisco for what was supposed to be a half hour layover. That turned into an hour and a half layover. Let's just say that trying to keep tired kids happy and occupied isn't my favorite thing to do when I'm really tired too. But again, God blessed us with a nice mother and son to talk to and for Melia to play with. Also, another blessing was the lady in the bookstore telling us about a place in the other bookstore that had a section for kids with books and toys. Thank you! :) So our flight was finally ready to go and we got into Chico fine. More nice people who helped with bags, etc. Bo picked us up and Melia was so excited to see her daddy! I was happy to see him too. :) Then, we realize our suitcase and 2 car seats that we had checked in are not there. We spend about an hour there trying to see about them. Blessing #--I've lost count--was that I am able to breastfeed Naiya so I was able to feed her while Bo was trying to find our bags. The next blessing was that although they weren't able to find our bags, they lent us 2 car seats so that we could get the girls home. Later that night, they dropped off our suitcase and car seats to our house. What a day!