Holy Craparama.....and the Buffet is Open

Never again am I flying anywhere with Canyon. Iit is just way too much when it involves driving 4 hours to a bigger airport. Going to the vet for a health certificate that no one ever looks at (but if I didn't have it somehow they'd ask for it). Stressing over whether or not to put the vacuum sealing water bottle in the kennel becuase somehow it never vacuum seals and Canyon ends up drenched, but if not, then she might die of thirst. Stressing out about whether its too hot, too cold, the airplane too small. What if she doesn't make the connection? What if they switch us to another airplane and it is too small? Then what? Geeezzzus.

Anyway. We made it.

20 hours door to door. I swear....getting to Alaska is worse than getting to Korea.

Some of you may know that John calls me "The Buffet"...because I'm breastfeeding pretty much on demand. Becca had about a 12 hour all-you-can-eat-buffet on the trip. It was the only way she would sleep while on our THREE different planes (for a total of about 9 hours in the air). It is SO much fun to try to nurse discreetly on those stupid coach airline seats that have the wrong level arm rest. Its like I had to hunch over and my back and arms are just killing me.

Overall, it went great. But, here are a few of the highlights:


1. The night before I left, I decided to just double check my flight info on the Internet. I noticed that my flight out of Houston was on an MD-90. Then I went to the Delta website to make sure I had all the stuff I needed for the damn dog three ring circus. It said that the 500 series kennel (which we have) was not accepted on MD-90s. Spent the night freaking out and planning my hissy fit I would throw if anyone pulled any shit on me. I spent TWO HOURS on the phone with some dude in India making SURE I could get a plane that would accept Canyon. It is hard to find flights that accept a 500 series kennel. That is the whole reason we had to schlep all my shit to Houston, for goddsakes!!! [It apparently DOES fit on an MD-90 and no hissy fit was needed].

2. Driving four hours to Houston. Becca started screaming in her carseat. I actually pulled out "the buffet" and hovered over her to let her eat while the car was in motion. What a sight. She was so tightly strapped in and crying so hard that she was making these awful sounds. So I quit.

3. At the Houston airport, after we got all loaded on the plane, and settled...Becca decides its time to poop. It was during that quiet time on the tarmac when the air conditioning is turned off and its all silent. And she hadn't gone in over 24 hours. She let it RIP. Loud explosive juicy noises. I was horrified. However, I was not as horrified as I was when it started leaking out her diaper and down her leg. Thank GOD the woman next to me was a grandmother and understand and let me change Becca across both our laps. I can't imagine what the guy across the aisle thought as I was lifiting this monstrously poopy butt in the air. It got everywhere and was lots of fun. You should have been there.

4. We got to see Great Aunt Kunky and cousin Meg for a little bit in the Seattle airport...that was fun!

5. While packing up the car at the Fairbanks airport at 1 a.m., Andrea notices that one of the tires is going flat (this is our car that hasn't been driven for three months). So, we finally get everything packed--which was a picture in itself...Canyon getting her ass and tail all in Becca's face because it was too cramped--and limp along looking for gas stations. We stopped at a few and couldn't find ANY with air hoses!!! [ I called some places today and learned they bring them in at night because people steal them. Nice]. So we just drove like grannies on a partially flat tire. I am going to try to get it fixed sometime. When I recover, that is.

I was totally excited to walk in the door when we got here. But about five minutes later I felt totally sad because its so weird to be here without John! MOOD SWINGS! And Becca seems REALLY huge to me now. I associate this house with her teeny newborn days or something...because everwhere I put her: the crib, swing, activity mat....she looks so old!!

There's not a whole lot of snow left and its dripping and melting now..its much warmer up here than I thought it would be! Which means.....its time for the worst season in Alaska. Break up. Mud. Canyon has already tracked mud all over the carpet.