Houston - Day 6

Friday morning we slept in a bit, then had breakfast and packed up to go home.

Tessa and I were scheduled to leave about 45 minutes before Matt and Asher, and arrive in Salt Lake about an hour and a half after, thanks to a lovely layover in Denver. So we all checked our bags and went though security. This time I was determined not to be weighed down by 150 pounds of baggage, so I had packed only what we HAD to have into Tessa’s Hannah Montana carry on. I carried that plus her booster seat and blanket. Much more manageable than the mess I’d carried on the way out.
After we went through security we got Tessa a frozen yogurt and me a pastry and Matt a coffee from Starbucks inside the airport. I bought a new book for the flight home and it was time to board.
Our first flight was the longer leg – just over 2 hours. We were seated in the very last row of the plane, which meant no recline option on the seats and a LOT of extra noise. The beverage cart was in the back and was rattling around quite a bit during takeoff and some turbulence when we first got started. It scared Tessa a bit, but she calmed down pretty quickly. She listened to her Ipod, colored and eventually napped for a bit.
In Denver our already long layover was extended because our connecting plane was behind schedule. On top of that a flight from Chicago to Las Vegas had an emergency landing because of problems with the plane, and they put them in at our gate, so we had to switch to another. The first gate had been only a short distance from the gate we arrived at. The second gate was, of course, miles from the first. Luckily I had only a few things to carry. It was a much easier trek through the airport this time.
All told we ended up hanging out at the airport for about 3 hours. During that time we had nothing to do. No computer for Tessa to watch a movie on…just the airplane activities. They didn’t keep her busy for long, so instead she spent the layover running back and forth in the 15 foot area in front of the windows that I designated safe, and rolling on the floor. I asked her to get up, told her it was dirty, begged her to sit down nicely…for about 30 minutes before giving up and letting her roll around. I don’t know what she was doing, but I’m sure it was part of some elaborate pretend game.
Eventually Tessa told me she wanted snack. We were getting close to boarding, so we went to the bathroom – I really wanted her to wash her hands and I was determined to avoid her having to use the airplane lavatory. Then we stopped into a candy shop and I let her pick two chocolates. I also picked two…and paid $5 for 4 chocolates.
Then we went back to board, and ended up being the last two on the plane! We had excellent seats, the second row behind first class. The flight to Salt Lake was quick and uneventful. I colored with Tessa for a while, then read for the rest of the flight. When we landed we were off like a shot. The people in front of us were elderly and ridiculously slow. Luckily, I had a 6 year old with me to blame my impatience on. I kept prodding her forward while telling her, “I know your tired and hungry baby, we’re going as fast as we can, try to be patient” – hahaha!
We were the first ones off the plane (which took some serious effort, pushing through half a dozen senior citizens!) and the first ones to baggage. I set up camp at the slide, tucking Tessa behind the big mechanism where no one can catch bags, anyway, and then proceeded to wait 20 minutes – tapping my foot the whole time – until bags finally started coming out. I grabbed our two without much effort and we headed out front. Matt and Asher were all ready for us – he grabbed the suitcases and threw them in the back and we were on our way home!
We got to the house at about 6pm. Matt fed both kids and bathed them while I unpacked and sorted laundry. Then we put Asher to bed and Matt cooked dinner while I vacuumed through the family room area and hallway. As exhausted as I was, I HAD to vacume. Jon brought his dog, Rogue, over to hang out for the week, so there had been 3 dogs inside all week (thought I am pretty sure Jon vacuumed at least once, because the filter was full when I started and the amount of hair that came up was considerably less than I had expected.) On top of that, vacuuming is like therapy for me.
When the floors were clean enough that I could relax we ate dinner, then played guitar hero (we really missed it) until bed time. We all slept like the dead in our own comfy beds.

We had a great time in Houston, and I feel very lucky that we were able to go! Vacations are hard with the economy so bad, Matt having work there really made it possible for us to go. The break from routine was much needed, and the time together as a family was really nice.
One of the best things about vacation, for me, is how happy I always am to come home. This was no different. :)