Searcy Trip Sans Pictures

The pictures will be the next post (I hope).

Our trip was planned to be from Aug. 2 until Aug.7. So, early Thursday morning, we woke Gideon up (4 hours before he usually wakes up) and headed to the Tallahassee Regional Airport. We have flown out of this airport numerous times. There is NEVER a line for the security check. Until we get there. We tried to get through it as quickly as possible. I even ran, holding Gideon, up to the gate. (a pregnant woman running with a 14 month old who's laughing from being bounced so much) And we missed the plane by seconds. We literally watched our plane sit on the tarmac for 15 min. while we pleaded to get on board.

Ok, fine... so we sign-up to fly stand-by on the 12:30 flight. We call Ryan and Claudia and call off our meeting in the Memphis airport for Sonic breakfast and call my parents to let them know that we won't be in Little Rock at 11.

At this point, I realize that I have 3 toys for Gideon and a handful of snacks. All of his meals were going to be covered on our lay-over and when we landed. So... I go into survival mode while JR beats himself up for not getting us there earlier. (All our previous experience with this airport told us that getting there 45 min. before our flight would still mean we had a 30 min. wait until we boarded the plane, so to my mind, JR was not to blame.)

12:30 rolls around and we are 2nd and 3rd on the wait-list. Number 1 on the wait-list tries to tell us her "sob story". Every other word, was "like"... and her reason for missing her flight, was that she was flying Northwest, and she was trying to check in at the Delta counter. "And, like, they totally didn't, like, even know what, they were, like, talking about. Delta, like, totally made me miss my flight." (rolling of eyes and open mocking of this chick went on the rest of the day)

We didn't get on the 12:30 flight. So, our next option was the 5:30 flight... but they didn't offer much hope. The person at the desk was trying to get us to buy tickets on the 12:30 flight for the next day. (to which I made the comment about TSA and the airlines being in cahoots to get more money out of us so the airlines could stay afloat... she didn't like that implication)

So, we called Debby to pick us up from the airport so we could come home and pack up some more snacks for Gideon. We were home for a little over an hour before we headed back for waiting for the 5:30 flight.

Well, we didn't get on that one either, but there was a new person at the desk. This lady was helpful, nice... and more importantly, got us on a Delta flight that would get us into Little Rock by 11 the next morning... for FREE. So we decided to call it a day, and start all over again the next day, only a little earlier. :)

Friday:
We make our flight. Instead of being routed through Memphis, we flew to Orlando. Gideon LOVED walking around the airport. JR got Gideon to fall asleep for most of the second flight, and before we knew it, we were hugging my parents.

We ate some fabulous pizza at a place recommended by Rachel Ray and then headed to Searcy.

My parents were discussing getting a new couch, so before dinner, Mom and I ran to look at what they'd already found. And we came up with a "20 year Plan". This plan included a new couch, later, a new leather chair for my dad... and even later, a new entertainment center with a flat-screen tv...

While pitching the idea, I was being my dramatic self and coined the phrase, "this fabric sings... it reverberates through the space-time continuum." Mom quoted me all vacation.

As per JR's request, we had Kansas City Meatballs and Cheesy Mashed Potatoes. YUM.

Evening entertainment: Borne Identity (we had to catch JR up)

SATURDAY:
I got a headache during the night. It stayed with me until we left AR. I always said I was allergic to Searcy... but it was bad this time.

Mom and I headed to Batesville to the discount fabric shop. Since we have a mini-crib, I can't buy bedding for it... so we were on a mission to get baby bedding. And we found some great stuff. I love it. And it's gender neutral and goes with the colors of our living room (since the crib will essentially be in the living room). I can't wait to make it up. But I have to wait til we move Gideon into a "big boy bed."

To reward the men-folk for watching Gideon, we insisted that they go see the new Borne movie (since they'd watched the second one while G napped). So my dad and husband had a date in LR. Movie and burritos... they both seemed to have a great time.

Mom and I took care of G and chilled. I tried to get rid of my head ache... but alas... it stayed around.

SUNDAY:
We went to first service at church. Gideon was doing a great job in the service, but I REALLY had to pee, so when he started getting a little restless, I used him as an excuse to walk out. I left G in the nursery and as soon as I put him down a little girl a few months older came up to him and kissed him! It's started already.

When it was time for class, I stopped by to see if he was in the right place (since they have several classes). I found out that most 14 month olds go in the youngest class, but when they double-checked that I was talking about Gideon, they said that he needed to stay in the older class. And then when we picked him up we were told that he was the only kid who said thank you and signed for more. (JR and I couldn't have been prouder.)

We joined my parents at their Shepherding Group pot-luck and then took G back for his nap and chilled for the afternoon.

That evening all 5 of us went to Searcy Summer Dinner Theater. Gideon was a big hit during the meal (he flirted with Carol Kell (Kim Hodges' mom). We decided he remembered Kalleigh and is trying to get in good with the family. And G liked watching the show. It was a musical thing were the whole thing was practically sung. We took him home at intermission, but that was because it was past his bed-time. I was proud of his behavior once again.

MONDAY:
I still had my headache... so I called my OBGYN to see if there was anything I could do besides Tylenol, caffeine, back-rubs, and baths. So we got a prescription called in. And while we were waiting for it to be filled I tossed my cookies once again. JR stood behind me putting a cool cloth on my neck and looking after me.

After getting the meds, my headache become manageable... so we went to the huge furniture sale to look for a leather chair for Papa. (something to go with the fabric of the couch that "sings... reverberates through the space-time continuum") Well, my parents ended up getting 2 leather recliners and a couch for less than the price of the other couch they were considering. And it was delivered as soon as we finished eating lunch (hot chicken salad).

So we spent our afternoon re-arranging the new furniture and re-hanging pictures. (I loved it... especially when I could keep my head under control.)

We decided that we would give up our boating trip b/c we wouldn't be able to savor it, and instead went to the Brick Oven Pizza place in town. Again... good pizza.

While my parents went with some of the other Downtown elders to pray over Jan Jones, we put G to bed and packed. (And enjoyed my parent's new furniture that is SUPER comfy.)

TUESDAY:
We loaded up, drove to LR, and got on our plane and headed back home. We had the perfect length for a lay-over in Memphis. We ate lunch, G ran around for 5 min., and then JR got him to sleep before we boarded our last flight.

Debby picked us up from the airport, and we were home.

And that... (short post that it is) was our trip.
Pictures to follow.