I survived!!

Wow, what a long six days! I must say though that even though at times my kids were crazy with their schedules all out of wack we enjoyed the time there with Family. The funeral was good and I am SOOO glad I went, more about that later.

Where do I start.....We almost missed our departing flight on the way out there. That was exciting running through the air port with just me carrying lots of bags and hauling two kids through security and then to our terminal, it was insane. All I have to say about this is I was at the air port with plenty of time to be checked in and be at the terminal before boarding but the air port workers decided to take their sweet time checking my bags, then checking my itinerary before security, then slowly searching my diaper bag at security! Of course they saw a woman with two kids and thought "hey maybe we can make her trip even harder" Thank you, thank you so much PEOPLE! As I was running to our gate this is how nice the man was at the gate..... him yelling "Harkers, Harkers, last call for boarding!?" as he's looking at me four or five gates down running with all my stuff. Then I yell out "I'm coming!". When I get there he seriously said this in the most rude tone ever as if I had hurt him personally... "Well we almost just left ya and closed the gates!" I was ticked! So I said to the jerk "well if your air port personelle didn't take their SWEET TIME getting me through checked baggage and security and actually offered to help me I would have been here twenty five minutes ago just in time for boarding." Needless to say he didn't know what to say to that so he scanned my tickets and said "just go" then I said "umm don't I need a tag for my stroller?" "Oh yeah I'll bring it down". Don't yell at me for being late when no one in that air port knows how to do their job! Okay I'm done ranting about that, it was just an aweful way to start off my trip.
The kids did okay on the flight out considering the early morning hours they were awake to get there. The flight back was MUCH better and they actually both slept the first hour of the flight, it was SO nice! I have decided, though, people at all the other air ports we went to (Chicago, Phoenix) were so much nicer than at my own air port here. I had people after people offer to help me, not always air port personelle but random nice people and once I was at home not ONE person offered to help. Shows how nice people are in my area! I survived it though, round trip with two kids and I survived!
I have a lot to document about my trip, it'll most likely be on several posts. Did I mention I was going to Phoenix/Mesa Arizona?! No I don't think I did. Well did you know that place is so BLESSED HOT there in August?! Yeah I forgot how hot it gets there too. The first day there it was 115 degrees, oh but it gets worse! The second day there (the day of the funeral) was 118 degrees! I felt like my face was melting off. My kids cried and cried when I tried to get them in the car that was 125 + degrees in there after sitting in the sun for a couple of hours. The bad thing about this hot hot heat in the day is that there is no relief at night. Their lows are 85-95 degrees, not too cool if you ask me.
One question for you AZ people....WHY? Why do you live in such heat for so many months out of the year, WHY?! For those who don't know, I grew up in Mesa until I was about 8 years old when my parents decided they couldn't take the heat any more and moved up to Washington. I grew up running on hot pavement, no prob. I grew up getting into hot carseats with out thinking twice. I grew up thinking this was normal, until we moved to a wonderful state where it doesn't hardly ever get over 100 degrees and that is when I realized, what were we thinking? Here is an example of how noticably different it is in Arizona at first sight for my children.... As we are getting close to landing in Phoenix my son was looking out the window of the plane down at the ground below and yelled out in excitment "DIRT!" all the people around us started laughing. Yep that's what this place is, one big giant sand box! E thought it was cool that there were so many "palm palm trees" as she calls them, here. I said "sweety you've never seen Palm trees before have you?" she quickly corrected me and said "yes I have mama on Blues Clues." Oh sorry I didn't know that animated palm trees counted :) She loved those Palm trees and pointed them out where ever we went.
Like I said my kids and I had fun and it was good to be able to see so many of my family I haven't seen in years. I have so much more to document about our time in the HOT state, about family and the nice funeral service but I'm tired, my house is a mess, the luggage still unpacked, and the kids are begging for attention and love since now there are no Aunties or Grandma to spoil them with endless attetion :) Later this evening I will put up pictures and posts on the good times we had these last six days, because all I did in this one was complain. Sorry I'm just so tired right now. Until then.....