I was going to a Bat Mitzvah of a cousin in Washington D.C. on Friday. Since Zev had a basketball tournament, Kailey had dance, and Tate had a chess tournament, we had to decide who was going to go on the trip. We originally decided I would fly from Phoenix to D.C. with my parents (who were in Arizona visiting) along with Ariella (6) and Pierce (3). We had also planned to take Talia (4, almost 5) but she got a very bad ear infection the day before we left. Luckily we have a pediatrician next door to our office so we were able to get Talia a doctor’s appointment very quickly to diagnose the problem. I think we were able to get such a quick appointment, in part, because the pediatrician feels bad for us since she sees us always working and running around with the kids during the week. While I was in Washington, Mark was at home lounging around with the kids. (Editor’s Note from Mark: Absolutely, that is what I was doing. Nothing more relaxing than watching five kids, ages 12, 11, 8, 4, and 1 while taking the three older kids to their competitions and practices, all while 4 of the 5 had come down with various combinations of coughs, stomach flu, and fever. Yup, a relaxing time it was!)
Here is a recap of my flight. First, I got a late start in the morning since I was so tired from working late at night and having the lights on in my room as Mark prepared for a deposition the next day so we were a bit rushed. (Editor’s Note from Mark: Interesting how my preparation until 2:30am for a deposition the next day made Alexis too tired to get up.)
On the way to the airport when I was looking for the parking I got lost. Of course, I was talking to a client on the phone while I was driving so that probably didn’t help in my search for the parking lot. (Editor’s Note from Mark: driving and talking on cell phones should be illegal.) Luckily, I was able to swing around real quick and got a parking spot. But, in my haste to get the kids (and my parents) out of the car, I forgot where I had parked. Before we got in the elevators, though, I went back out to the parking lot to look, so I was all set.
By the time we got through the security screening I was very upset because I realized I was not rushed. In fact, I was an hour early for this flight… I could have gotten a lot more calls made to clients in if my parents had not rushed me so much. (Editor’s Note from Mark: I agree with Alexis on this one. As I once read somewhere, if you don’t miss at least a couple flights a year, you spend too much time sitting in airports. About 75% of all running I have done since graduating high school has been in an airport while trying to catch a plan.) …. To be continued… check in tomorrow….
