So it's been a really long time since I posted and for this I apologize. Anna and I had a great trip and I couldn't imagine the flights or car rides going any smoother! Daniel drove us to OKC Airport early Saturday morning and after checking bags, Anna and I headed through security. I had borrowed a Snap'n'Go stroller that Anna's carseat fits into from a friend, along with a 'gate check' bag for the carseat and base so they wouldn't get filthy during the flights. These were 2 essential items! Thank you Allison and Jamie!
I 'wore' Anna using a Moby wrap which was great because once we were on the plane, it folded up easily and fit into my diaper bag. I was a little nervous about Anna and the plane ride, but she did wonderfully! I was able to feed her on both legs of the trip getting to Myrtle Beach Airport and she got some cat naps in during the flight from Dallas to Myrtle. The toughest part was eating for me! Since our flights were so close together, I grabbed a water bottle and fries (so healthy, right?) from McDonald's in Dallas (12:30) after eating some Cheerios for breakfast at 7:00am. Needless to say, I inhaled the Sonic combo I got in Myrtle Beach while Mom, Anna and I waited to pick up my grandparents at the airport.
The longest travel day for us was heading to Pittsburgh after a great week at the beach. It was a 14 hour ride (usually 12 but we hit some major traffic) but Anna only cried for 10 minutes of it! We stopped more than we usually do but that's because of Anna's eating schedule and who wants a hungry baby crying in the car? Not us! It was a tight squeeze and every seat was occupied in my Dad's Acadia, but we made it safely to Pittsburgh!
The trips to Chicago from Pittsburgh and then from there to Oklahoma City were smooth as well. Both of those flights were on Southwest and since they don't assign seats, we got to choose our own. This was great but we received a lot of unpleasant faces as the other passengers boarded- I'm sure they were thinking "Oh great, a baby. Let the crying begin!" But our little girl proved them all wrong! She was the happiest passenger on the plane, playing with Tigger and smiling at the flight attendents.
After three weeks away, Anna and I were both so happy to see Daniel back in Oklahoma. We stopped at Cracker Barrel where we had some great 'home cookin' and found Anna a cute little dress for the fall.
I'll be posting pictures and more details about the three weeks soon. But this post was just to fill you all in on how well Anna did on her first 4 flights (and one long road trip) in 3 weeks of travels.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Anna Grace's Big Trip!
A little background: So I finally became Facebook friends with my brother, Bobby, and was looking through pictures of him this evening. There were plenty of pictures of him running, hanging out with friends and going to homecoming and prom... plus a ton of pictures with our amazing cousins. Many of them were from the past several beach vacations we took as a family to Sunset Beach.
We have gone to Sunset Beach, NC for about the last 14 years. It was originally just my immediate family but after a few years, my Uncle Terry and Aunt GiGi with their girls (Megan, Hannah and Maura) as well as my Aunt Annie and Uncle Tommy with their boys (Zach, Patrick and Ryan) joined us. Also within the last couple of years, our grandparents have also become a part of the "Beach Crew." Daniel was welcomed into the crew last year when we joined the family after our honeymoon.
Knowing that Daniel would be in pilot training this summer, I figured that last year would be my last time at the beach for awhile since I didn't want to go without Daniel but our little surprise of a beautiful baby girl changed that. Since Anna hasn't met most of the family, I've planned a 3 week trip to introduce her to the family and the first stop is Sunset Beach!
Anna and I will head out from Oklahoma City and make our way to the beach by way of Dallas on Sunday and spend our first week soaking up the sun, the ocean and the salty sea breezes. At the end of the week, we'll drive back to Pittsburgh with my family where we'll get to see the rest of my extended family and some family friends.
Following our Pittsburgh visit, we'll head to the windy city: Chicago! In Chicago, we'll be visiting a few of my college friends including my freshman year roomy, Emily who is expecting her baby in early August. We'll also be staying with Anna's godmother, Sharon, and her husband. Hopefully, we'll also get to see Annaliese and a few other friends that live in the city. After our visit there is finished, we'll "follow the star to where the world begins" and head home to Enid!
I'm really looking forward to all of our visiting especially with our family. Anna is the first baby born far away from Pittsburgh and I'm eager for her to meet all of her great-grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts. There's nothing quite like family.
Cousin pyramid 2009!
Bottom: Me, Daniel, Bobby, Zach Middle: Megan, Hannah, Katie Top: Patrick and Maura
We have gone to Sunset Beach, NC for about the last 14 years. It was originally just my immediate family but after a few years, my Uncle Terry and Aunt GiGi with their girls (Megan, Hannah and Maura) as well as my Aunt Annie and Uncle Tommy with their boys (Zach, Patrick and Ryan) joined us. Also within the last couple of years, our grandparents have also become a part of the "Beach Crew." Daniel was welcomed into the crew last year when we joined the family after our honeymoon.
Knowing that Daniel would be in pilot training this summer, I figured that last year would be my last time at the beach for awhile since I didn't want to go without Daniel but our little surprise of a beautiful baby girl changed that. Since Anna hasn't met most of the family, I've planned a 3 week trip to introduce her to the family and the first stop is Sunset Beach!
Anna and I will head out from Oklahoma City and make our way to the beach by way of Dallas on Sunday and spend our first week soaking up the sun, the ocean and the salty sea breezes. At the end of the week, we'll drive back to Pittsburgh with my family where we'll get to see the rest of my extended family and some family friends.
Pittsburgh at night
Following our Pittsburgh visit, we'll head to the windy city: Chicago! In Chicago, we'll be visiting a few of my college friends including my freshman year roomy, Emily who is expecting her baby in early August. We'll also be staying with Anna's godmother, Sharon, and her husband. Hopefully, we'll also get to see Annaliese and a few other friends that live in the city. After our visit there is finished, we'll "follow the star to where the world begins" and head home to Enid!
I'm really looking forward to all of our visiting especially with our family. Anna is the first baby born far away from Pittsburgh and I'm eager for her to meet all of her great-grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts. There's nothing quite like family.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Easter in Pittsburgh!
Despite my swollen feet from travel, I had an amazing trip to Pittsburgh to celebrate Easter with my family. I got in on a Wednesday and spent the evening with my siblings and parents at home with a homemade apple pie to finish off the day. Thursday was a day spent with Gramma Irene (my dad's mom) who is on her way to recovery after having hip surgery a few months ago. She came to our house to make traditional Italian Easter bread- pasca. It was an incredible process to take part in and the little details were so important! The eggs had to be at room temperature, the milk had to be warm-but not too warm, and a small pinch of sugar had to be added to the yeast. The most amazing thing was how she mixed the ingredients- she did it right on the countertop with no bowl or mixer needed. Since the amount of ingredients (3 pounds of flour, a dozen eggs, etc) would overwhelm even the biggest bowl, Gramma formed the flour into a bowl shape and added the ingredients slowly while bringing in small amounts of the flour. After the mixing, we had to let it rise 3 times before braiding and baking it. I must say that it turned out very well and it was one of my favorite parts of our Easter brunch.
After taking Gramma home, we stopped by to meet the newest cousin on my mom's side of the family: Ryan Thomas. He is beautiful and such a sweet baby! It was great to meet him when he's still so tiny- only 6 days old! His big brother, Patrick, is precious to watch since he's only 2 and still a baby himself. My Aunt Annie is recovering well after her c-section and Uncle Tommy is doing a good job as husband and dad as well as host- he treated all of us to soft pretzels while we visited.
Friday was a pretty quiet day since it was Good Friday and the family doesn't do much between the hours of 12 and 3 in the afternoon. However, that evening after a dinner of Juliano's pizza (my absolute favorite!) we were joined by Aunt Annie, Uncle Tommy, Patrick and Ryan to dye Easter eggs. Gracie and Patrick had a lot of fun. Gracie enjoyed dying her eggs in multiple colors and to Patrick, every color was "Blue!"
Saturday was spent cleaning the house to get ready for hosting Easter brunch but I wasn't too much help since I was still sporting Fred Flintstone feet. After sweeping downstairs, I cleaned something else that didn't require being on my feet- the computer. I uninstalled lots of stuff that was unnecessary and slowing it down. Now it runs smoothly and without annoying programs that pop up whenever you log in. After a busy day, we all got dressed up and headed to the Easter vigil at my home parish, Holy Trinity. It was a beautiful service and I got to see some friends from home which was great.
Sunday was another gorgeous day- blue skies and plenty of sunshine! Looking for Easter baskets was fun though I had some trouble locating mine.... the bunny was tricky this year. Aunt Nancy came early to help with the cooking and by noon, the whole family had arrived and it was a great time to catch up with everyone. I finally got to meet little Penelope Ann (born 3/15/2010) and she is just precious! Her 3 year old big sister, Lilly, told me she helps mommy with the baby- even with diapers. Lilly and Grace enjoyed playing dress up and grocery store while Penny got passed around and Gramma gave orders in the kitchen. It was a delicious meal and a relaxing afternoon before we said good bye to dad's side of the family and headed over to Grandma and Pap's house to see mom's side of the family for dinner.
My cousin, Mary Kate, definitely had the best reaction to my surprise visit and it was so good to see her and the rest of the Kelly clan. The little kids enjoyed a wild egg hunt in the backyard and I enjoyed catching up with my aunts, uncles and cousins. I'm so glad I got to travel home for the week- it would have been hard to go for more than 6 months without seeing everyone. I am planning on bringing the baby to Pittsburgh this summer during Daniel's first couple of weeks of academics of UPT (undergraduate pilot training) since it's very rigorous and he could use the calm and quiet as he begins his pilot training..... and because I don't think I could go more than a few months without having Juliano's pizza!
After taking Gramma home, we stopped by to meet the newest cousin on my mom's side of the family: Ryan Thomas. He is beautiful and such a sweet baby! It was great to meet him when he's still so tiny- only 6 days old! His big brother, Patrick, is precious to watch since he's only 2 and still a baby himself. My Aunt Annie is recovering well after her c-section and Uncle Tommy is doing a good job as husband and dad as well as host- he treated all of us to soft pretzels while we visited.
Friday was a pretty quiet day since it was Good Friday and the family doesn't do much between the hours of 12 and 3 in the afternoon. However, that evening after a dinner of Juliano's pizza (my absolute favorite!) we were joined by Aunt Annie, Uncle Tommy, Patrick and Ryan to dye Easter eggs. Gracie and Patrick had a lot of fun. Gracie enjoyed dying her eggs in multiple colors and to Patrick, every color was "Blue!"
Saturday was spent cleaning the house to get ready for hosting Easter brunch but I wasn't too much help since I was still sporting Fred Flintstone feet. After sweeping downstairs, I cleaned something else that didn't require being on my feet- the computer. I uninstalled lots of stuff that was unnecessary and slowing it down. Now it runs smoothly and without annoying programs that pop up whenever you log in. After a busy day, we all got dressed up and headed to the Easter vigil at my home parish, Holy Trinity. It was a beautiful service and I got to see some friends from home which was great.
Sunday was another gorgeous day- blue skies and plenty of sunshine! Looking for Easter baskets was fun though I had some trouble locating mine.... the bunny was tricky this year. Aunt Nancy came early to help with the cooking and by noon, the whole family had arrived and it was a great time to catch up with everyone. I finally got to meet little Penelope Ann (born 3/15/2010) and she is just precious! Her 3 year old big sister, Lilly, told me she helps mommy with the baby- even with diapers. Lilly and Grace enjoyed playing dress up and grocery store while Penny got passed around and Gramma gave orders in the kitchen. It was a delicious meal and a relaxing afternoon before we said good bye to dad's side of the family and headed over to Grandma and Pap's house to see mom's side of the family for dinner.
My cousin, Mary Kate, definitely had the best reaction to my surprise visit and it was so good to see her and the rest of the Kelly clan. The little kids enjoyed a wild egg hunt in the backyard and I enjoyed catching up with my aunts, uncles and cousins. I'm so glad I got to travel home for the week- it would have been hard to go for more than 6 months without seeing everyone. I am planning on bringing the baby to Pittsburgh this summer during Daniel's first couple of weeks of academics of UPT (undergraduate pilot training) since it's very rigorous and he could use the calm and quiet as he begins his pilot training..... and because I don't think I could go more than a few months without having Juliano's pizza!
There and Back Again: A Lady's Tale
It started as a wish, then a dream and thanks to a healthy pregnancy, my husband’s blessing and an “OK” by my doctor, it became a reality: I got to go to Pittsburgh for Easter! With Daniel still in Colorado, I wasn’t sure what to do for the holiday until he suggested that I look into flying home. After anxiously waiting for my appointment with my doctor, (and trying desperately not to get my hopes up in case he said no) I asked Dr. M if I would be alright to fly. He asked some questions: have you had any contractions yet? Where are going? How long will you be there? My answers: No, Pittsburgh, 6 days. His final verdict: YES! But please, don’t go into labor while you’re that far away. I assured him that I would do my best to avoid having the baby in Pittsburgh and that mission has been accomplished.
Once I got the green light to go, I searched for flights and found one that got me there pretty directly with a more round-a-bout way back to Oklahoma. I booked it and then called my parents who were very happy to hear that I’d be home for the Easter. We decided to keep it a secret from the extended family and my little sister, Grace, who at 5 years old doesn’t keep secrets very well. Since gabbing to my cousins about my trip home and not sharing my exciting news through online networks (Facebook and here), I was bursting to tell someone- anyone who would listen- so I gushed about it to my college friends and to my new friends from Vance, who can relate to the excitement of a trip to see family.
As the time drew nearer to my departure, I got everything together- packed my bag, asked a friend to get our mail, and called Airport Express for a ride to the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City, an hour and a half from Enid. I was due to be picked up at 7:00am and was enjoying my breakfast of a granny smith apple when I got a call: “Uhh, ma’am? This is Airport Express. They won’t let me on to the base.” Well, chalk another one up to learning through experience- as a newbie military wife, I assumed that security forces would just call and confirm that I had called the cab and then let them on base- that obviously was not the case. I would have called a friend for a ride to the visitor’s center which is right outside the gate but since it was “O-dark-thirty” (military speak for the early hours when pilots must wake before reveille and report to the flight line), I decided to just walk (or rather, waddle) the half mile to past the gate to meet my cab driver. Thankfully, the weather was warm, the breezes mild and the outbound lane mostly clear. After that unexpected morning walk, the trip to Pittsburgh was smooth and I was greeted by my mom and Gracie, who was speechless when she saw me walk up to the car.
It was so good to see my family!
The visit to Pittsburgh was wonderful and I’ll post more specifics about what happened there, but the purpose of this entry to detail my travels… so you know how I got there and now here’s how I got back to good ol’ Enid, Oklahoma…
With a later departure time and a much shorter drive to the airport (15 max), I didn’t have to wake up with the sun and enjoyed an quiet morning with Mom and Gracie as I packed and ate some breakfast. After a trip to the bank to make some deposits, we headed to Wojanis Supply Company, where I worked from 2007 until I moved to Oklahoma last November. It was wonderful to see all my former coworkers and show how much the baby has grown since I left- which has been a lot considering I could still fit into my regular dress pants back then!
After “good byes” and “see you soons,” I headed to check in and then off to my gate. Everything seemed to be fine until I handed my boarding pass to the woman scanning them. It kept saying “Incorrect Seat Assignment.” I start to have a mini-panic attack since I had to make 2 connections before landing in OKC and needed to arrive on time in La Guardia to do so. It turned out that they had a last minute plane switch and rerouted me without letting me know beforehand. They told me they got me a seat on a direct flight to Dallas/Forth Worth which left 30 minutes later and that I could make my connection there to OKC. Since there wasn’t much I could do, I just went along with it and gladly accepted a ride to terminal D on one of those little carts usually reserved for elderly and handicapped people- apparently a big belly and swollen ankles qualify me as “handicapped,” but I’m not complaining!
Once at my new gate, I checked in with the man there- he asked, “Flying to Detroit?” “Uh, no, I’m trying to get to Dallas.” (Cue small panic attack.) Apparently, US Airways considers a “Through Flight” from Pittsburgh to Detroit to Dallas a direct one, but as long as I got to OKC eventually, I wasn’t going to fuss. I enjoyed the 37 minute flight with a row all to myself and then deplaned in Detroit only to board the same aircraft 40 minutes later. I wanted to make sure that I had a seat since it looked like it was going to be a full flight and the lady at the counter checked and told me I had the same aisle seat and that I was fine. When I tried to board this time, there was trouble again but it was quickly taken care of since it was just a small hiccup in the computer. The flight went well and I sat next to a nice woman who is hosting an exchange student from Finland. They’re visiting a friend in Dallas for spring break and had travel troubles of their own. Today just isn’t the day for plans to go accordingly!
After a dinner at Friday's and a purchase at Hudson Booksellers, I boarded my final flight of the day. It was just a hop to OKC and I was back on the ground and headed to find a cab. I had a wonderful driver and we had a pretty smooth ride to Vance despite the free light show God was putting on for us- I've never seen lightning like that before! It's so flat out here, it was quite a sight. Thankfully, no rain or tornadoes came our way and I made it back to our house safe and sound. I am so happy that I got to visit everyone in Pittsburgh, but I'm also glad to be back in Enid and that Daniel is almost back here with me!
Once I got the green light to go, I searched for flights and found one that got me there pretty directly with a more round-a-bout way back to Oklahoma. I booked it and then called my parents who were very happy to hear that I’d be home for the Easter. We decided to keep it a secret from the extended family and my little sister, Grace, who at 5 years old doesn’t keep secrets very well. Since gabbing to my cousins about my trip home and not sharing my exciting news through online networks (Facebook and here), I was bursting to tell someone- anyone who would listen- so I gushed about it to my college friends and to my new friends from Vance, who can relate to the excitement of a trip to see family.
As the time drew nearer to my departure, I got everything together- packed my bag, asked a friend to get our mail, and called Airport Express for a ride to the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City, an hour and a half from Enid. I was due to be picked up at 7:00am and was enjoying my breakfast of a granny smith apple when I got a call: “Uhh, ma’am? This is Airport Express. They won’t let me on to the base.” Well, chalk another one up to learning through experience- as a newbie military wife, I assumed that security forces would just call and confirm that I had called the cab and then let them on base- that obviously was not the case. I would have called a friend for a ride to the visitor’s center which is right outside the gate but since it was “O-dark-thirty” (military speak for the early hours when pilots must wake before reveille and report to the flight line), I decided to just walk (or rather, waddle) the half mile to past the gate to meet my cab driver. Thankfully, the weather was warm, the breezes mild and the outbound lane mostly clear. After that unexpected morning walk, the trip to Pittsburgh was smooth and I was greeted by my mom and Gracie, who was speechless when she saw me walk up to the car.
It was so good to see my family!
The visit to Pittsburgh was wonderful and I’ll post more specifics about what happened there, but the purpose of this entry to detail my travels… so you know how I got there and now here’s how I got back to good ol’ Enid, Oklahoma…
With a later departure time and a much shorter drive to the airport (15 max), I didn’t have to wake up with the sun and enjoyed an quiet morning with Mom and Gracie as I packed and ate some breakfast. After a trip to the bank to make some deposits, we headed to Wojanis Supply Company, where I worked from 2007 until I moved to Oklahoma last November. It was wonderful to see all my former coworkers and show how much the baby has grown since I left- which has been a lot considering I could still fit into my regular dress pants back then!
After “good byes” and “see you soons,” I headed to check in and then off to my gate. Everything seemed to be fine until I handed my boarding pass to the woman scanning them. It kept saying “Incorrect Seat Assignment.” I start to have a mini-panic attack since I had to make 2 connections before landing in OKC and needed to arrive on time in La Guardia to do so. It turned out that they had a last minute plane switch and rerouted me without letting me know beforehand. They told me they got me a seat on a direct flight to Dallas/Forth Worth which left 30 minutes later and that I could make my connection there to OKC. Since there wasn’t much I could do, I just went along with it and gladly accepted a ride to terminal D on one of those little carts usually reserved for elderly and handicapped people- apparently a big belly and swollen ankles qualify me as “handicapped,” but I’m not complaining!
Once at my new gate, I checked in with the man there- he asked, “Flying to Detroit?” “Uh, no, I’m trying to get to Dallas.” (Cue small panic attack.) Apparently, US Airways considers a “Through Flight” from Pittsburgh to Detroit to Dallas a direct one, but as long as I got to OKC eventually, I wasn’t going to fuss. I enjoyed the 37 minute flight with a row all to myself and then deplaned in Detroit only to board the same aircraft 40 minutes later. I wanted to make sure that I had a seat since it looked like it was going to be a full flight and the lady at the counter checked and told me I had the same aisle seat and that I was fine. When I tried to board this time, there was trouble again but it was quickly taken care of since it was just a small hiccup in the computer. The flight went well and I sat next to a nice woman who is hosting an exchange student from Finland. They’re visiting a friend in Dallas for spring break and had travel troubles of their own. Today just isn’t the day for plans to go accordingly!
After a dinner at Friday's and a purchase at Hudson Booksellers, I boarded my final flight of the day. It was just a hop to OKC and I was back on the ground and headed to find a cab. I had a wonderful driver and we had a pretty smooth ride to Vance despite the free light show God was putting on for us- I've never seen lightning like that before! It's so flat out here, it was quite a sight. Thankfully, no rain or tornadoes came our way and I made it back to our house safe and sound. I am so happy that I got to visit everyone in Pittsburgh, but I'm also glad to be back in Enid and that Daniel is almost back here with me!
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