TLDR – Maddex Mila and I flew to Seattle for a week to attend Darren and Kelsie’s wedding. While in Seattle we traveled about visiting; Grandparents, family, Philips, Mainers, and Mills // Part 1 covers getting there and the Wedding.
Queues and waiting and a Plane oh my
Our flight left around 1600 June 27, my birthday – Hello Kev’s longest birthday by hours to date. We started our journey to the airport to make that 1600 flight around 1100 and barely made the flight. The kids went to school half a day for their last school day of the year. Michelle picked them up at 1100 while I wrapped up my packing. At home, we turned and burned the kids. we took the LUAS to Central Park where we caught the aircoach to the airport departing at noon. Michelle must have been cutting onions before saying goodbye to us; Her eyes looked a bit wet. The air coach took an extra half hour to make it to the airport due to loads of traffic in the city.
When we first planned out and booked the trip it was going to be Maddex and I for the week. Then Mila talked her way into the trip. I say talked, what she really did was look at me, ask nicely and bat her eyes. We were unable to link her ticket to ours online, or via a phone call forcing us to check-in at the airport counter. We waited forty minutes in the check-in line. At the desk, we tried to get seats next to each other. Maddex and I ended up in isle 13 and Mila was booked in isle 41. Pretty close right? Sigh. Took another 40 minutes at security due to the SSSS on my ticket. The four S’s mean I was selected for a random extra security check. Security had to go through all of my bags, body scan me and give me a pat-down.
Having passed through two long queues we took a break and bought some food while we were able too. beyond US immigrations there is nothing food or shopping wise. Being close on time we ordered the food takeaway and went to the US security check. They don’t allow any food through the queue; sigh. We sat by the start of the queue and woofed down the food as quickly as we could. US border patrol, SSSS turned into another pat-down and full security check. The kids were ok wearing their shoes but I had to take mine off. Come on guys I might have two terrorists with me, but, I’m not a terrorist. Next, past security we are now in the queue for passport control which takes another 30-minutes. By now we’ve lost all hope for life and happiness trapped in an endless zig-zag of slow-moving queues.
We finally made it to our plane at gate 1604 and the plane was already half boarded. We jumped in the end of the queue and boarded the plane. On the plane, we begged our way into sitting next to each other. Yeah !! Maddexs seat has no working sound; no movies for him. Then the doors shut and the seat next to Maddex was free!! I moved there, gave Maddex my seat and we all had sound. – now 9 hours of naps and movies. Mid-flight Mila started asking “when do we get ice cream?” I asked her why she thought icecream was imminent? She says ” we had ice cream last time we took this flight” She remembered the flight from last year I guess. Sure enough, they brought out Icecream about Mid-flight.
We made it – Merica
After we landed I said to Mila ” Mila, we made it. Good job honey you did it” Mila instantly replied ” Dad, once the door is closed and the plane is in the air you can’t get off the plane” The logic of kids is comedic gold. We deplaned at gate A13 all the way at the end of the A terminal. We took the moving walkways to baggage claim where Wes, Cari, and Nik met us to hang out for 47 minutes while we waited and waited for our ONE bag to make it to baggage carousel one. After waiting for a billion years for our ONE bag we all loaded into a tiny car and drive to Dennies to feed the kids and chat
We made it eating for about an hour before Maddex was sleeping on my lap and Mila looked like a zombie on speed bouncing around with heavy eyes. I said thanks for the food, we left the Mills at the restaurant and drove to the Millers. Maddex was sleeping in the car before I buckled my seat belt. Mila made it about 3 minutes. At mom and dads, we gave hugs to the family at the car. As we approached the house I asked Maddex and MIla what they wanted to do “stay up and play or sleep later” Maddex simply pointed at the bedroom, and Mila followed. The kids were both out minutes after being tucked into bed. I stayed up for a bit chatting with the Fam.
The Day begins
We made it sleeping until about 0400. Kids both woke up and asked “can we go to Walmart and get a toy” I guess we can, we are on vacation after all. Maddex picked out some Pokemon cards and MIla picked out a bird that plays back things you tell it. I picked out some food stuffs I’ve been craving. On the drive back I pulled off at South Kitsap High School thinking we could run around the football field for a bit and kill time. Maddex says “Dad lets race” Mila says “Let’s go” then we all take off running. Maddex, then Mila, then Dad was the finishing order after a full lap running around the football field. Then we ran three more. Not sure what was going on, but the kids asked for more and we had a good run.
At home, we watched some TV and played basketball in the garage at 6 am while everyone else in the house slept. Grandpa eventually came down to play with us shortly followed by mom and the rest of the crew. Friday Darren was having a wedding party dinner at the house. Apparently, the wedding party was about 50 people – big dinner. A trailer showed up around 10 with a huge smoker BBQ thing on it. The BBQ guys spent the next 8 hours cooking Ribbs and chicken and pulled pork for dinner. Great food and some nice visits with people.
The kids played with their cousins, I hardly saw them most of the day. Around 2000 I made the call to put them to bed vs let them stay up more and risk being too tired tomorrow.
Wedding day
Mila woke up at about 0300 crying. She came to bed to snuggle with me and was burning up with a fever. Roxi had a fever before we left. Guess we have brought it with us, we are Patient zero in the US bringing the Irish fever plague. by mid-day Maddex too had a fever and did not want to leave the chair. Grandma took us shopping for wedding outfits before Maddex went too far downhill. Maddex picked out a nice shirt and pants. Mila already had a nice wedding dress provided by Kelsi. We dosed both of the kids with drugs to break the fever and did our best go at the wedding. Sadly the kids only made it about 40 minutes to the end of the ceremony before they were done.
We were at the wedding long enough to explore the venue, start a few conversions, and watch the exchange of vows. By the end of the vows Mila was shivering freezing, and Maddex was passed out on my leg. We picked a seat where Maddex could sit in the sun and Mila could sit in the shade – poor kiddos. We snuck out and left right after the ceremony before all of the fun started. Back at home, we watched shows until the kids passed out around 1900. The wedding people starting arriving back home around 9. Some of them went to bed, others rallied and went to Darren and Kelsie’s house for the wedding Afterparty. I went to bed with the kids.
Bonus Pictures
