I spent the week before our move trying to savor my Mommy/Charly time. And of course pack. I suppose I could have been a bit more diligent in my packing, but I really thought it wouldn’t be an issue. In fact, we planned to meet up with some friends for lunch at one of our “favorite” SA restaurants (Papachinos) on the day of our departure- we were THAT confident. Before we knew it, December 13 arrived…the night before our flight. And we still had a good chunk of packing to do! We stayed up as late as our bodies allowed packing those bags…and it quickly became clear to us we might not have enough space for all our stuff.
Which I gotta take a time out here to rant. STUFF. Our lives are way too consumed with STUFF. Do we even know what half our stuff is? I mean seriously. As we were packing I kept coming across stuff….stuff….and more STUFF. I finally decided some stuff just wasn’t worth the move.
We gave up and went to bed.
Ben woke up bright and early December 14 to work on packing. He’s such a nice guy for letting me sleep in a bit longer! But that did not benefit our packing situation…unfortunately. When I finally woke up we had about two hours until lunch. I needed to shower, blow-dry my hair, feed and dress Charlotte, prep Molly for the flight….and finish packing. (I also wanted to watch the Office since we were borrowing the latest season DVD set from our friends Chris and Kelly! Dream on, sista!) As I rushed around the house jamming items into suitcases (and feeling scatterbrained from my lack of organization) I realized it was official: we did not have enough space for all our stuff.
So we called the Riley’s. And borrowed a duffel bag. (Mind you, we were already borrowing 2 large Cabella’s duffel bags from Chris and Kelly!)
I stuffed that bag full of more stuff just before we had to run out the door for lunch with our friends... and glanced around at the remaining stuff we had yet to pack. Yikes.
I tried to relax and enjoy myself at lunch. I’d say I did pretty good for the first 45 minutes we were there. However, once those 45 minutes passed by and we still had no food, I began to feel antsy. Keep in mind, we had about 2.5 hours until our shuttle arrived to take us to the airport! Another 45 minutes passed and they finally brought us our food. I don’t know why I was surprised at the sluggish service. Typical South Africa- and very fitting for our final meal in the country. I gobbled down my food (after having to nurse Charlotte in the backseat of the car in the parking lot because they took too long to bring us our food!), we bid our goodbyes and drove back to our SA home. I celebrated as we drove over each speed bump and pot hole, knowing it would be my last time driving over each hurdle towards that house! Ben informed me it was inappropriate; however, to share my enthusiasm by shouting out our car window as we drove and he locked my window closed. Such a party pooper.
Ben dropped Charlotte and me off at the house with about 1 hour until the shuttle’s arrival. Unfortunately Ben had to leave to go drop off our lease car at the office. (Yeah…thanks for that, BV.) I carried Charlotte around with me as I continued to shove our stuff into suitcases here and there. Ben returned about 30 minutes before the projected arrival of our shuttle…which ended up arriving **drum roll please!** 20 minutes early! What on earth, SA? The only consistent thing about this country is its inconsistency! We were literally shoving stuff into our luggage as we walked out the door. And poor Molly had no time to relax before we tucked her into her travel kennel! Poor kitty boo! I have said it multiple times since we left…but I know we forgot something…just not sure what. I do remember seeing a good amount of our stuff scattered around the house as we locked that door behind us one final time. Oh well….no longer our stuff, I guess.
Molly waited on these bags as I finished packing. Guess she wanted to be sure we wouldn't forget her!
I wish I had taken a better picture of our stuff loaded on that shuttle reserved just for us. Charlotte, Molly and I were sequestered to the back of the bus as Ben and the shuttle driver loaded our 14 bags onto the seats in front of us. I could hardly savor the moment….it all happened so fast.
View in front of Charlotte, Molly and me on the bus...
On our way out of the estate we had to make a couple stops. First, we stopped by Chris and Kelly’s to drop off some of that stuff that we didn’t need to bring back with us (a fan, food, etc.). As we were driving to our next stop, Charlotte made it clear she was hungry. Since I knew we had a good 10 minutes before we were out on the big road, I decided to go ahead and feed her on the bus…otherwise it was going to be a VERY. LONG. DRIVE. TO. THE. AIRPORT. So, there I was, packed into the back of the bus, trying to stabilize Charlotte and myself as I nursed Charlotte….when….
She blew out her pants.
Fortunately I caught the fallout with a blanket and didn’t end up with poo all over my outfit as well as hers. As Ben returned our SA house keys to our Landlords, I worked on changing Charlotte in the back of that stinking bus. Lucky for me, Ben joined us in the back of the bus just in time to help change our sweet, stinky girl. I tried not to freak out as we were buckling Charlotte back into her car seat on our way out of the estate and onto the busy road to the airport.
After the blow-out, Charlotte consoled herself by sucking her thumb.
We were pleased to find that the roads weren’t too congested with traffic and we made it to the airport in good time. And then the luggage circus began.
Two porters had to help us get our luggage onto carts and to the check-in counter. I told one of the guys that it’s too bad he couldn’t just travel with us to America. He laughed, which brought a smile to my face (usually South Africans look at me dumbly…they just don’t get my “humor.”). Ben took care of checking our bags as I held tightly to Molly and Charlotte (who was sleeping soundly in her car seat for the time being). Again, I was (pleasantly) surprised to find how easy check-in went. Thank YOU, Jesus! Ten bags less, we decided to wait in the food court for Kelly to arrive before going through security. (Kelly graciously agreed to help us move Molly home! She booked her flight in coach so that Molly could ride on the plane with us back to Kansas! Thank you Kelly, you are the bestest!)
As I enjoyed a smoothie in the food court, I felt myself able to breathe easy. Things were going smoothly just like my smoothie, (haha, see my corny jokes!) much smoother than I had envisioned! I went ahead and nursed Charlotte as we waited, which was perfect timing…and before we knew it? Kelly was there! And we were on our way through security.
Though the line was long, it moved pretty smoothly. Until we arrived at the scanners. I had Charlotte in my Moby wrap and Molly in her travel kennel. Here is my conversation with the security lady:
Me: “I have a cat in this bag. Should I take her out before we go through?”
Lady: “Ohhhh, Mama! Just put it through.”
Me: “There is an animal in here. A cat. I think I am supposed to carry her through.”
Lady: “Just go.” She takes Molly’s carrier and starts to unzip it. Then she jumps back and exclaims, “There’s a cat in there!”
Me: “YES, that’s what I was trying to tell you. We need to carry her through, right?”
Lady: “No, no, no, no! Cats aren’t allowed!”
Me: “Yes she is. We have the paperwork and we have already paid.”
Lady: “No, no, no!” She motions for other security personnel to come over and help.
Me: Pressure mounting, “We have the paperwork, see?”
Finally, a guy comes over and gives us the okay. Ben carries Molly through security as I carry Charlotte. The rest of the security people are all freaking out and cowering back from Molly (who is completely calm in Ben’s arms, poor kitty!) as we clear the scanners. Seriously, you’d think they’d never seen a cat before the way they acted.
Then it was time for customs.
By the time we made it through security, the customs line was horrendous. My old friend anxiety started to creep in at this point. We only had so much time before our plane was to depart and NOTHING was going to stop us from getting on that plane. NOTHING. As I juggled Charlotte and Molly and Ben manned the rest of our carry-on luggage…
A security guy approached us.
I wasn’t prepared for what came out of that security guy’s mouth. I thoroughly expected him to tell us we couldn’t leave the country with Molly or some other craziness. But instead, he said, “Mam, the VIP line is over here. Just bring everyone who’s traveling with you over to this line.” He gestured towards a very short custom’s line.
Oh, Praise the Lord! Anxiety? Lifted away!
We hopped into the “VIP” line and waited our turn. I smiled as I presented Charlotte’s passport to the custom’s guy for her very first stamp. The guy was a little confused as to why Charlotte didn’t also have a South Africa passport, but I quickly explained that she couldn’t have South African citizenship because neither Ben nor I are South African. Thankfully he didn’t push the issue and he let us on through. We sailed (with Charlotte, Molly and 4 carry-on bags) towards our boarding area for the next leg of our journey…the longest part…the 17+ hour flight to Atlanta, Georgia! AMERICA!!
Now I’m sure you all know security has been vamped up in recent years….and in South Africa, things are (kind of) no different. Before we could board the plane, we had to be padded down and have our bags searched. Ben went to the men’s line and Charlotte, Molly, Kelly and I went to the women’s line. Again, I received the VIP treatment and was ushered to the front of the line (traveling with a baby has it’s benefits!). At the front of the line I told the lady, “There is a cat in this bag.” The lady obviously doesn’t understand and unzips the bag. I sigh as she jumps back and exclaims, “There’s a cat in there!” I reply, “Yes, sorry, I tried to warn you.” I zip the bag back up as the lady calms down and decides she wants to take a peek at the “kitty.” At least she wasn’t as afraid of Molly as our first security check-point people.
After Charlotte, Molly and I breezed through security; we sat and waited for Ben and Kelly so we could all board the plane together. Kelly was first to make it through. Ben approached next and he motioned for me to look over at the trash cans near where they had searched his bags. There laid a pair of SCISSORS we had accidentally packed into our carry-on. HA! Guess the initial security check-point people missed that because they were so freaked out by Molly. Shame on them! Sure hope nothing ELSE dangerous made it through security when we passed through…
One more quick security check and we were finally on the plane. Kelly took Molly back to coach as we cozied up in our three business class “cubicles.” Charly slept soundly in the Moby wrap until we started taxiing before take-off, at which point she did wake up and fuss a bit. I don’t think she quite understood that we had to wait our turn to use the runway.
And finally we were up in the air, soaring towards America.
Charlotte did AWESOME. I fed her during take-off and then every 2-3 hours throughout the flight. In between feedings, Charlotte slept in Ben’s arms…and we tag-teamed the diaper changes. Praise the Lord, there were no poopy blow-outs! And double praise- the business class bathrooms were not too teeny tiny, making diaper changes easier on the plane. Normally I watch as many movies as possible during this long flight. However, this time….I pretty much attempted sleep. I tried movies…but I couldn’t focus. Sleep was so much more enticing, and with a seat that folded down into a bed? How could I resist?
Before landing, one of the flight attendant’s brought us a handwritten letter so we could be refunded for buying a ticket for Charlotte. Apparently they aren’t supposed to sell the business class seats to children under the age of 2 because they can’t sit in the seat on their own. Oh well…I hadn’t intended to let Charlotte “sit” in the seat on her own anyway. We just needed her baggage that came with the seat for all of that stuff I previously mentioned…
Pic above is of Charlotte slightly before landing...tummy time on the plane!
Our sweet girl decided to let everyone in America know she had arrived. As we deplaned and walked towards customs in Atlanta, Georgia, Charlotte screamed. I just smiled. It felt soooo good to be back on American soil. And who could blame Charlotte for crying? She was excited to meet her Grandpas, Uncles and be reunited with her Grandmas and Auntie Pam! And before she could see them, she still had another flight. I’d cry too if I were her.
Kelly stuck with us as we collected our bags and went through customs and security. We ended up finding a guy and a very large cart to help us get our bags and recheck them. It would have been pretty tricky to have attempted that task on our own. I actually am not sure it would have been possible… Anyway, Ben gave the guy about $10 for helping us. As Ben handed him the money, the guy looked at it and shook his head in disgust. I couldn’t tell if he was mad that we didn’t tip him enough or if he wasn’t supposed to take tips? I worried over this for a little while. I finally decided that he gets paid to work in the airport and we couldn’t help it that we didn’t have more American dollars on hand. So I’m sorry if we disappointed him…but we really did appreciate his help.
Not surprising, the American security and customs people totally understood when we explained we were traveling with a cat. And that made things much easier as we jumped through the hoops with Miss Molly. Sadly we had to bid farewell to Kelly after our final hoop; however. She was off to Minnesota…and we….our home sweet home of Kansas.
As we waited to board our final plane I was compelled to purchase a fountain drink. With ice. Luxuries we did not have in South Africa. Unfortunately Ben and I could hardly finish the beverage….we were just too excited!
And then…we were on the plane to take us to Kansas City. As we made ourselves comfortable on the plane, the business man in front of us told us how cute Charlotte is. We of course agreed. She was being so good and cute as everyone boarded the plane….and collecting many admirers! However…we started taxiing. And Charlotte started crying again. The business man didn’t seem quite as enthralled anymore. Fortunately we had a great flight attendant who let us stand in the galley and bounce Charlotte as soon as we were up in the air. Our sweet girl finally calmed for the last half of the flight and slept in Mommy’s arms. Poor thing was probably just plain tuckered out after 24+ hours of traveling. Before we knew it we landed in Kansas City. We waited patiently on the plane as everyone else deplaned. We figured it would simply be easier to wait so we weren’t in everyone else’s way as we collected all of our STUFF.
My grin spread from ear to ear as I carried my girls (Charlotte in her Christmas pajamas and K-State hat, Molly snug in her carrier) towards the greeting area. There stood a good portion of our family ready to greet Charlotte- errr….us. Grandpa Craig was the first to take Charlotte into his arms, then Grandma Darcie, Grandma Jill, Auntie Pam and Andrew (Pam’s fiancé). Throughout all of the trading off, Charlotte did pull out her wail box…at which point she was passed back to Mommy. I let the men handle our bags- all of which arrived safe and sound! A- MAZ- ING! As I “danced” around the baggage claim area with Charly, the business man who sat in front of us on our final flight approached me. He smiled and said, “You know, she really is adorable. And she was really quite good on the flight- she just didn’t like taxiing! You did great with her on the plane.” It felt so good to hear those words! Very encouraging, to be sure! What a nice business man! As I concluded my conversation with the nice business man, the parade of family cars pulled up to the doors so we could load all of our luggage with “ease” and drive on home.
Home. OUR home. In Kansas.
I had initially planned to take a family photo on the steps to our house as soon as we arrived….but Kansas is cold in the winter. And we quite frankly weren’t up for standing and smiling out in the cold. Okay- maybe Ben and I COULD have, but Charlotte wasn’t enjoying the cold. And after such a long and cumbersome traveling experience, I didn’t think it wise to put sweet Charlotte and Molly through any more stress.
Molly found herself at home right away. Remembering the locations of her food, water and litter box with ease. It didn’t take her long to take care of those needs and then settle into her comfy spot on our bed. So proud of my kitty!
Charly found herself the center of all attention as she was passed from one grandparent to the next, auntie to uncle and so on. Such a good sport, our sweet girl!
Ben and I found ourselves overwhelmed with all of our stuff. Unpacking. Okay, I FOUND MYSELF overwhelmed with all of our stuff…unpacking. Ben….I think he ended up napping. Not me! I have trouble relaxing in midst of disorganization. So in between visiting, I worked on organizing all of our stuff amongst our house full of other stuff.
Hours later, Ben, Charly, Molly and I sat on our couch in our living room. Trying to soak in the fact that although we weren’t unpacked…the house was dusty….the bathrooms dirty….the laundry piled high….we were home. And that’s really all that mattered.
Thanks to all who prayed for our safe journey! It really could not have gone any better! It’s truly a blessing to be home amongst our family and close friends once again. Even in the dead of winter.
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