Summer Vacation

Our vacation began on August 9th.  We were waiting for a flight to California, but there wasn't enough room.  It was expected, so we were not upset.  While we waited for our next flight, we got to watch the President board his flight on Air Force One.  It was pretty cool. 

We were very fortunate to get on a flight that would take us to Alexandria Louisiana and then to El Paso Texas the next day.  We really just wanted to get as far west as we could rather than wait for a direct flight that we would probably not be able to fit on anyway.  It was such a great blessing!  We were the only other passengers besides the crew-which were all NAVY rather than Air Force.  It was so relaxed that my kids even got to fly the plane!

This is a C9 airplane and yes, that is Ryan flying the plane.  The pilot allowed my kids to control the auto pilot.  It made me pretty nervous a couple of times because they didn't always keep it steady.  The pilot had a lot of fun teaching Dallan about the air break and it made my stomach flip.  Leah would not leave the crew alone-she wrote them love notes and loved all the attention that they gave her.

After we landed in Alexandria, the crew gave us one of their hotel rooms.  They were wonderful!  After we landed in Texas the next day, we rented a car and drove to Henderson.  We arrived around 3am eastern standard time.  We had such a great week visiting family in Henderson.  We didn't get to catch up with everyone that we wanted to, but it was such an unexpected part of our trip and we did our best.  Of course, I didn't think to take pictures.  We stayed with Gregg and Shelly and really enjoyed hanging around our old town.  We are so thankful to our family for giving us a place to stay and letting us use their car!  Not to mention the fact that they fed us and took care of our kids at different times.  I don't think we saw Dallan more than a few times because he was so busy with his cousins.

The next part of our trip was a total blast and wouldn't you know it, I didn't take any pictures!!!  What is wrong with me.  My sister in law, Michelle Campbell, took plenty, so visit her blog if you want to see some. OR you can check my facebook page for some of the pictures that I was tagged in.

We bummed rides with family and went to Imperial Beach, California for a week.  Our family has been planning this trip for about 3 years and it was such a great trip.  We swam in the COLD ocean, watched dolphins, played games, ate yummy food, and just enjoyed being with each other.  It was nice to just relax with the people we love!

After we checked out of the beach house, Dave took us to our hotel.  We were allowed to check in early-thank goodness!  We decided to walk to the trolley station and visit Old Town.  We had fun shopping and eating. 

Cuties!

The next day we took a taxi to Sea World.  We loved it and especially love the fact that we got in free because of the 'Here's to the Heroes' program that allows military members and their dependants to get in free once a year.  It is a nice perk!

We got wet during this show and loved it!

Leah loves to be 'dangerous'.

After Sea World, we relaxed at our hotel and prepared for a long day of traveling.  The next day we got to the airport and were notified that our flight was canceled.  This was not a surprise at all, but still a disappointment.  Again, we were blessed with another opportunity right after we got the bad news.  There was a flight to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania which is only about 2 1/2 hours from Andrews Air Force Base.  We hopped on that flight and it was pretty comfortable.  It was a C130, so it was loud, but the seats were comfortable.  Leah hung around with the crew, and learn as much as she could about the plane.  She has developed a couple of crushes, I think.  When we got to PA, we carpooled with some retired military people and got to our final destination around 3am. 

The trip was full of fun, blessings, and great memories.