Travelogue

The Fourth of July, a day to relax with your family, cook out, have a Leinie or two, light some fireworks, and most of all, remember and honor the brave men and women who sacrifice everything to keep our country safe.

Our day started at 4:30 yesterday morning. Jen and I got up early to finish getting the car packed, followed by getting Peanut up at 5:30. We were on the road to Chicago's Midway Airport by 6:00. Peanut took a while to wake up (just like her father), but by the time we got checked in at the airport, she was raring to go.

Peanut was excited to watch the airplanes takeoff and land. While she was looking at the planes through the windows, her view partially obscured by the tunnel, Peanut would ask where the planes "eyes and nose" were. We were finally able to find an unobstructed view of the front of a plane, so she could see them.

I'm the first to admit, I'm not the best flier. Mainly, it's a control issue. If I were able to pilot the plane, I'd be okay. Jen will tell you I'm the same way in the car; I'm not a very good passenger. Anyway, being able to see this flight through Peanut's eyes, was definitely a great way to calm down, and enjoy myself.

The airport was not as busy as I had anticipated and our flight was right on time. After we boarded the plane, Peanut was eager to get strapped in and get moving. I'd like to say that she was excited to get to Auntie's house, but I think it was more about watching Mickey Mouse on Jen's iPod. I was a little bit concerned about how she would handle the noise and movement of takeoff, but she dealt with it well. She wanted to look out the window and see the ground falling away from us. I was so glad that she had fun. I was envisioning ears popping, crying, screaming, the works. Couldn't crack that nut though.

After we reached our cruising altitude, Jen and I settled into our books and Peanut relaxed with some "Mickey Mouse" and "Handy Manny". The majority of the flight was uneventful, which is a good thing for a variety of reasons. In fact, going into the second hour, I was starting to get antsy (I can't sit still for too long), and Peanut was starting to get tired, but refused to fall asleep.



She started to perk up during our descent, wanting to sit in Jen's lap to look out the window again. She got a little fussy, but I atribute this to being cooped up for a couple hours without a backyard to run around in.

We landed without incident and met Auntie at baggage claim. Peanut was very excited to see her and there were hugs all around. We also finally got to meet our newly minted niece, Stinkbug.



Apparently, there's a gas issue.

Tomorrow, more madcap adventures at Auntie's. Plus, fun with fireworks!!