The Events of Monday, March 7, 2011

                Managing to sleep in this morning until 6:30, I awoke and for a brief moment wondered where I was. Then it all came flooding back to me. Today was our last morning at home, and we were leaving for Europe TODAY! Yippee! There was still so much to be done‼ Since it is the last morning in their own beds, we let the kids sleep in as much as possible. Given our travel itinerary, it is hard to predict when they will sleep next. Soon, breakfast and showers were completed, beds stripped and remade, the laundry started and the day officially began.

                Our flight left at 4:11pm, and the relatives would all be coming over to say good-bye. So, my goal was to have everything completed to enjoy a leisurely lunch at 11:30, and try to leave by 12:30. That way we would be sure to leave by 1, and get to the airport by 2, thus giving us the two-hour leeway time required by international flights. However, as the devil is in the details, my stress level was pretty high for most of the morning. There just seemed to be so much to do‼

                Our friends, the Herscowitzes, who are staying in our home, dropped by with some luggage locks and a brief check-in about the house. My brother Scott took Caitlin by the dentist’s to pick up a new retainer case and get gas for the van so we’d make it to the airport. When my sister Pat arrived, with family in tow, she helped by folding laundry, and her husband Erik moved boxes, while little Timothy faithfully followed Ben around “helping” vacuum and empty the trash. Soon, my parents arrived amidst all the activity. After packing up our backpacks, the kids and Jim picked up and cleaned the house, while I started preparing lunches. Not knowing what we would be fed and when, I packed bagels, sliced cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, granola bars and crackers and, of course, some chocolate for me. Later, we would be very glad to have all this food available.

                All too soon, it was time for lunch. My parents said their good-byes and headed off. The rest of us cooked up leftovers in a futile attempt to empty the refrigerator. Uncle Scott came to the rescue, offering to take off our hands anything we were not able to consume or take with us. I tried to eat, but the butterflies in my stomach prevented much ingestion. When lunch was over, everyone pitched in to help with clean-up, final preparation of the house, and loading the suitcases in the van. Uncle Erik had to leave for class, so everyone said good-bye to him. All too soon, it was time to go. We said our good-byes to Pat, and little Timothy and Claire. Then we all climbed in the van, driven by Uncle Scott. As we drove away, I realized that we had met my goal; it was just before 1pm.

                Surprisingly we arrived at the airport around 1:15. We unloaded, took pictures, and sadly said good-bye to Uncle Scott for eight months. Once inside, the check-in process was quick and painless. However, for some reason, only Lindsey and Abby could get boarding passes for all three of our flights: Sacramento to Phoenix, Phoenix to London, and London to Geneva. We checked our three bags – two big and one small and were pleasantly surprised to learn there was no $25 fee, as the US Airway’s website had led us to believe. We will probably be checking more bags on the return trip!

                Then we leisurely made our way through security, which, after some of the security we encountered in Washington D.C., was a piece of cake. Strolling down to our gate, we settled down to wait. Jim plugged in the computer and connected it to the airport WiFi, and, while one person blogged, the rest of us read and roamed the terminal shops. Soon, the plane arrived, and Abby excitedly spied our luggage being loaded. Next, it was our turn to load, and we were on our way – to EUROPE‼ Abby fairly bounced down the passenger loading bridge. At the door of the plane, the pilot, noting all the kids’ Stanford sweatshirts asked Lindsey where she was from, a question that we received frequently as we toured the US. So, it was no real surprise to hear her answer “California”.  It took her a minute to realize her mistake, and we shared a chuckle as she stammered her way to a better answer. Our seats were all in a row, Abby at the window, Lindsey in the middle, myself on the aisle, Jim on the aisle, Caitlin in the middle and Ben at the window. Take-off was a bit bumpy, and we hit a bit of turbulence that flipped my already stressed stomach, but much of the flight was unremarkable.

                Arriving in Phoenix, we realized that it was dinnertime according to our body’s time clock. Discussion ensued about whether or not to eat our PB&J sandwiches, but the vote was cast for more interesting fare. Jim, Caitlin and Ben set off down the terminal to find some food, and soon returned with pepperoni pizza, buffalo chicken pizza and cheese bread from Pizza Hut. This proved to be a satisfactory dinner for us all. While the kids took turns brushing their teeth and watching the luggage, Jim and I, armed with passports for the entire family, approached the desk to arrange for our boarding passes and ensure our luggage would arrive in Geneva when we did. While we were being helped, the crew arrived and was loaded, and the butterflies in my stomach started again.

                Soon, our row number was called, and we headed down the passenger loading bridge. Again, the similar attire of our maroon travel shirts with the Taylor Travels’ logo attracted attention. Only the Brits thought we were a traveling sports team. We soon set them straight, and, after a bit of heavy lifting by the boys to store our carry-on suitcases, we settled in our seats. This time we were one row behind the other. Jim and I again enjoyed the aisle, and Caitlin had her turn at the window, but Lindsey let Abby stay in the window seat. There was a bit of settling in, as there were blankets, pillows and headsets to be juggled, as well as our backpacks and coats. Prepared for departure, we took off with a smoother take-off than we had experienced previously. Now it falls to Caitlin to share “the rest of the story”.