A Debaucle of a Day.

Our big trip to PA began this past Wednesday. Monday we seemed back to health, finally, after 2 weeks of illness. UNTIL Will began throwing up Tuesday morning. But he slept well after throwing up the last time around 9 p.m., and we decided to head to the airport first thing in the morning. At check in we were informed that Eleanor was on the TSA WATCHLIST and that we would have to wait in another line to get her checked in. Eleanor on a WATCHLIST?? What are they thinking, deadly weapons in her Hello Kitty underwear?! Anyway, we waited in the other line, only to be told that we actually had to go all the way to the gate to check in our little would-be criminal. And at the gate they told us that they had NO SEAT for her! What happened to that seat we (my parents) paid big bucks for, I ask you that? They asked for a volunteer to stay behind. And they asked, and asked, and asked...until just about everyone had boarded the plane. So my own dad had to stay behind and get a late night flight into Philly. By this time there were no seats all together on the plane, so we all split up....Todd and Eleanor, my grandparents, my mom, and Will and I. We got into Philly on time (3:30 p.m.) but could not pick up one of our rental cars because it was in my Dad's name and apparently my mother could have been an imposter. After 3 hours of haggling, pleading, crying, trying to rent other cars, ETC, we crammed everyone but my mom (who stayed in the airport until my dad flew in at 11:00) into one car. After a 2 hour drive made longer because of a dinner stop, a baby food stop, multiple potty stops, and an oops-we-went-the-wrong-way stop, we arrived at my uncle and aunt's house. Actually, almost. We got pulled over first for running a stop sign (it sure looked like a merge) and speeding (Todd is not usually a maniac driver, but it was a long day...). And THE COP HAD MERCY. We got to Hazleton and took a 30 minute late-night tour as my grandparents directed us in an attempt to find the right house. And eventually, it worked! We stumbled in and got the kiddos -who had really been troopers - tucked in at 11 pm. Dad and Mom arived at 2 am. It was a debaucle of a day, but I have to say, it really wasn't that bad.