So..things started off with luck in our court. The 10 hour flight from Santiago to Miami was uneventful..we happened to have a seat in between Matt and I to give us some room..AND we were able to have the row that had the bassinet in the bulkhead..So Wyatt pretty much slept most of the way in the bassinet and everything was rosy. Well...I should have known it was only going to be a matter of time before our luck ran out.
I see now that I am a horrible travel planner and was an idiot to think that it was a smart idea to save money and have a connecting flight instead of just going direct. The image of us having a 3 month old with us didn't really dawn on me when I booked the flight in June (I know..I was really excited to get back to the States on vacation). So..I apparently booked the flight to Dallas from Miami pretty soon after we landed..so Matt and I were running through the airport trying to make our flight...or at least going as fast as we could with a stroller. We make it thorough Customs and then in the end...we missed our flight..(!!).
Thankfully, another flight is an hour away...so I think that it's smooth sailing from here on out.. Wrong!
We make it to Dallas..and get to the rental car area and notice that it's starting to snow. Nothing crazy..just some winter weather. It's about 1pm on Christmas Eve..and we had been traveling since 9:45pm the previous night..so we're both tired of traveling. We still have a 3-1/2 hour drive to Abilene..but it's all interstate..so no big deal, right??
Well..the snow gets worse..and we start to see cars scattered along the median..cars overturned, etc. Wyatt's tired of being in a car seat and starts to scream. Visibility is getting really difficult and we feel it's no longer safe to be on the road..so we pull over at a truck stop which was 80 miles outside of Abilene. The interstate is shut down farther up the road and we have no choice but to spend the night in our car at the truck stop. (!!!) Thankfully, Wyatt slept in the back seat like a champ..but Matt and I couldn't get too comfortable in the front seat. My dad put snow chains on his car and tried to come get us..but the cops turned him away where the road was closed.
So..we venture back out on the road at about 8 am on Christmas Day. The ice was still really thick in several places and it took us 4-1/2 hours to make it the rest of the 80 miles home.
Crazy!!
And then on the way home...I was traveling with Wyatt by myself (Matt left a week prior) and had to hold Wyatt in my lap the whole 9-1/2 hours. The plane was full and there was no bassinet. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger..right??
It was great being in Abilene for the holidays, though. There are no pics of Wyatt's first Christmas since he was so exhausted from our trip and slept right through the presents. So..we have several shots of me opening his gifts, instead. I'm hoping that we'll see more of the little man for Wyatt's 2nd Christmas.
Moving on..
Matt and I both couldn't wait to get back to the blue skies and sunny weather of Chile...so we booked a lunch date at Casa del Bosque vineyard. Food was great and the scenery was spectacular!
Hey Kipley! I saw you posted on Sharon's blog and I knew it was you because, come on, who else is named Kipley?
ReplyDeleteLiving in Chile! How very "un-Abilene!" Looks beautiful.
Congratulations on your sweet boy.
that sleeping/travling in the car thing is all too familiar for you and matt!! glad ya'll made it safely and enjoyed christmas with your fam. next time you come back, call me!! :)
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