Vacation Day 8

Day 8 was our last day, off the ship and home.  Debarkation went well except for the part where they had each member of our group get off at a different time.  Kate and her kids were the last ones off and got through customs an hour after the first people.

Our shuttle was there to get us and took us to the airport.  We arrived at 1930 for our 1550 flight.  Southwest would not let us check our bags until three hours before our flight.  We found a corner with seats on two sides and flight displays on a third side.  We put our bags across the fourth side and the kids were trapped.  There was an outlet so we pulled out the toys and set up the DVD player and they were good to go for the couple of hours we had to wait to check our bags.

While we were waiting Tracy scoped out all the lines and realized that the curbside check was half as long as the inside check.  When we finally hit the magic three hour mark we headed out, one family at a time, us first.  We waited fifteen minutes and were done.  My folks walked up and checked in, done in three.  Kate decided to use the inside line and stood there for half an hour.

Security was a bit of a hassle with boys and shoes and electronics going in all directions.  We survived to get through though.  We found our gate and had nothing even remotely as nice to wait in.  The only spot we could find was right in the path of passengers getting on and off the plane.  Owyn curled up on the floor and went to sleep.  Tracy had to pull him in between two sets of chairs.  Rhys played.  We grabbed some salads for lunch.

The waiting went remarkably well.  We boarded and managed to save seats for Nana and Grandad (Southwest doesn't have assigned seats).  Tracy and Rhys were behind Owyn and I.  Nana next to O and Grandad next to Tracy.

They boys were great the whole four hour flight.  Playing and watching movies. 

It all would have been perfect if we had actually landed when we got to Denver.

There was a huge thunderstorm over DIA.  We circled until we ran out of gas, then we landed in Colorado Springs.  That airport doesn't handle 737's or Southwest.  We sat there, on the plane, for three hours.  They boys were still good.  We finally got clearance, after two false starts, and flew the twenty minutes to Denver.  Then we sat for another half hour while all of the planes that couldn't take off during the storm got out of the way.

This is when the boys finally lost it.  Off the plane, onto the train.  Get the bags, onto the bus.  Bus drivers yelling at passengers.  Boys completely done with us, each other and traveling.  Tracy and I biting each others heads off.

We finally got to the car about 2230.  I had left it unlocked.  Fortunately the lot has good security and my car is a piece of crap.  It and everything in it were still there.  Rhys slept on the way home.  Owyn did not.  Home, straight to bed.  Owyn wanted a story at 2300.  I was not looking forward to work the next day.

This was a GREAT vacation.  Thanks to Mom and Dad for taking us.  We had not had a real vacation since before Rhys was born and this hit the spot.  Even the last day was not bad, until the last hour.  As Tracy said, "I'd be willing to do this again."