Travel Day - Christmas Eve

We have had a long day that started at 5:30 am Utah time. Hyrum and Owen were the family alarm clock. H started us off with a quote from Veggietales: "Attention little people! I have an announcement!" Time to wake up! We had a repeat of last nights dinner (aka cereal and milk, compliments of my mother, no one complained) and then kids grabbed their bags and we were on our way out at 6. Car arrangements were: 

• our van - me driving CTHDK
• Mel's car, Abi driving MAOL
• Ethan and Bella's car - EBSNP

In our car, we listened to "Welcome to Fabulous" as we drove into Vegas at sunrise. We went to the airport to unload people and suitcases, then Corey and I checked our luggage while H took the van to where it will be for the next week, and Mel followed Bella to where she was leaving their car (at a friend's house), then they went to where H was parked, and Mel left her car there and the three of them took an uber back to the airport. Our cars at some hotel for $7 a day. We rearranged stuff in the luggage  while we waited for MHE to come back. Owen played football with Ethan and the other kids watched a movie on the ipad while we tried to finish things up. Abi is there with her hands over her face. She had a headache and didn't feel well.

We had too much food leftover. Oranges, 2/3 a flat of tomatoes which Corey mocked me for bringing on this trip. In my defense, I forgot they were in the car, and that is why they were left there and we didn't finish them off last night. And I had to buy the tomatoes cause we got together with his family on Sunday, and that was one of the things we were in charge of. Then I teased him for bringing a full thing of Greek yogurt, which we did NOT forget about last night, nor leave in the car. We hauled it around and just didn't use it. So Corey and I are a perfect match.

So there was some waste as we threw that perfectly good yogurt and the tomatoes in the trash, and Bella poured the milk down the sink for me as I left with Hyrum back to the van, cause he locked the key in the van, and his carry-on with his laptop. And we patted ourselves on the back with a congratulatory "this is why we gave ourselves that extra hour from the time change! Just to give us time to allow for errors like this. Good job, go team." So after MHE arrived, H and I turned right around for a quick Uber roudtrip back to the van, got the key and backpack, then we caught up to everyone. They were in line for security, except Ethan and Bella, who were behind us cause her birthdate was entered at 2022 instead of 2002, so they had to go somewhere to verify that she was not a 2 year old. And then we were at the gate! Hooray, I was glad and felt like the first major hurdle and most challenging part of our trip was behind us. We boarded the plane for our flight to Atlanta. 

I sat with Katharine and Mel for the 3 hour flight. K and I watched Bluey in sync for the first 2 hours, and then she kept watching that while I watched a little bit of a Super Man documentary about Christopher Reeves. I really liked it. Overall that was was a nice flight for me. Not as nice for Corey - he sat by Abi, and she threw up and fainted. Owen Daniel and Peter were in a row together, which Hyrum didn't think was a wise idea, but none of them wanted to switch. During the layover in Atlanta  we learned that Daniel put on Deadpool & Wolverine for Peter, which is rated R. We all thought that was unfortunate and ironic. Ethan knew a little bit about the movie and asked him questions that convinced him that Peter did indeed watch it. Peter seems to have nightmares easily, thus should be scared easily, but he seemed unphased by Deadpool. Ethan says it uses the F word a ton too. Doh. Ethan also says we need to let Daniel know how silly he looks. 

E kept brining up how bad he (Ethan) looked in old photos and he blames us for letting him go out like that when we, as his parents, knew better. He doesn't want Daniel to have that same regret when he's older. We got on another plane and K looked like she was feeling confused. Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale "We're doing this again??"

It'll be better, Katharine. This one is shorter. Abi fainted and threw up again and renounced her desires for a career as a flight attendant. She also took advantage of her illness to ask Corey if she can quit GMS, which he agreed to. We landed, Corey and I took Peter and Katharine on a shuttle to go pick up our rental cars. Came back to the arrivals where everyone was waiting for us with the luggage, loaded it all up, etc etc phew. We are finally at our Worldmark hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, and I got her first and checked us in, but I didn't hear from the lady which building we were in, so everyone was irritated with me when I didn't know where to go and we just drove around the parking lot for 10 minutes trying to find a place to park. "Why are all these people here on Christmas Eve?!?!" "Why are WE here?!?!" Then we saw Corey and followed him. He eventually pulled up next to us to let us know he didn't know where he was going. I went into a room, found a map, then we were soon in the Areca Palm building. Rooms 465 and 251. And we don't like Worldmark very much right now. They wouldn't let Joseph check in early, among a few other things. They were being stupid. Joseph and Eliza went by Walmart, which they said was CRAZY busy, and they got provisions before Walmart closed. We got pizza cooking in the oven and it looks like we will survive the next 48 hours. Hyrum just summed it up perfectly: "Everyone is angry and hungry after a long day of traveling on Christmas Eve..." and Hyrum next said the main thing I am also feeling "I'm actually feeling most upset that we have to check out tomorrow morning..." Yeah, that part stinks. Check out is at 10 am, but we're going to ask if we can push it back, and I'm sure they'll give us another hour. 

Update a few hours later (past midnight): I'm going through all the stuff trying to find the tree. I have all the presents out and the stockings stuff ready...

...but the blow up palm tree might be in luggage upstairs, or did we lose that luggage? It was packed with the floaties and I haven't see them either. The college kids upstairs have gone to bed. Joseph and Eliza are waking up early to make Christmas tree crepes. I think we'll call it good and get up early with them to hopefully work some Christmas magic before little kids wake up.