- We went to Branson twice again. One time was for an overnight trip that consisted of Silver Dollar City and Branson's Recplex. SDC was HOT! We had lots of fun though. We met my sister and neice and her friend, Stacy, and her two girls. Thompson had a blast! The pool was also great. It was a small complex that had a big area for toddlers and young children to play in. And they also had two huge water slides and deeper water for older kids. The best part? It just cost $5!! How great is that?!
- I went out with a few of my girlfriends one evening for dinner and a movie. I saw Eclipse! And yes, it was by far my favorite of them all. It was so exciting and I might have had a goofy grin on my face throughout the ENTIRE movie. Loved it!!!
- I also fit in a few more trips in to Rick's Bakery for lunch. Oh how I love thier blueberry/strawberry salads. And they give you a free dessert too! :)
- I bought an adorable drink dipsenser at TJ MAXX but later decided against it. It was a big one, like 2.5 gallons big. I don't know if I would ever use it that much with it being so large. So now I am on the hunt for a smaller one!
- The Sunday before we left, our whole family (minus the Florida vacationers, Brittany and Denver) headed back to Branson to go to the Dixie Stampede. It was so fun. The kids had a blast! They give you a TON of food, and it was really good too. I would suggest this if you are visiting Branson anytime soon.
- I cooked dinner Monday for the family. We had chicken, cheesy potatoes, squash, and salad. And then for dessert we had a fruit tart and a little cheesecake. It was really good too.
And now... let me tell you about our plane ride home...
First off, mom and I had a great time in Tulsa before she took us to the airport. I got an adorable top from a store at Utica Square and we had lunch at Queenies (yes, more eating!). We get to the airport, check our luggage, have to do a little rearranging of one suitcase for it being 10lbs over the 50lbs limit. Oops! Finally, we made it through security and to our gate. Thompson played with two little boys who are the exact same age difference as T & B. The mom was flying solo too, but her youngest one was 3. (Oh, I will be there someday...) Anyways, we board the plane and this lady comes and sits next to us. We chat throughout the whole flight and she plays with the boys. Thompson had his DVD player, so he was occupied. I hear the magic words, "We are now about to begin our descent into Phoenix..." and I rejoice to the Lord that this 2.5 hour flight is almost over! That is until we hit turbulence. I have flown many times, too many to count. I know that turbulence is part of it. But this was something I had never experienced before. Our plane tipped up on one side, came down and went all the way up on the other and then came down. Then began to shake. I. am. not. kidding. I was a wreck. I began to have one of those moments where my life flashed before my eyes and could envision our plane spiraling down into the desert mountains and burning up in like two seconds. So I started to cry and pray VERY LOUDLY! "Oh, please LORD!!! I don't want to die! My children are so young, PLEASE LORD!!!" I think everyone else on the plane was experiencing the same thoughts. The lady that sat with me reassured me that everything was going to be ok. Thankfully, it was. We finally landed and I vowed never to get on another plane again. And then I realized that I was only in Phoenix and I had to get to CA somehow. Knowing that my husband would not be up for an 8 hour car ride to come pick us up, I knew I had to get on the next airplane and fly to CA. I did. And it was fine. But I am still scared as I think of how I literally thought I was going to die. Literally.
So, now you have a better understanding of how dramatic I am. ha!
I was also in a bind, and contemplated changing my flight to a different day. Robert was at work and was not able to pick us up. So... I researched a little trying to find out how I would get home. On our departing flight, I couldn't find a ride to LAX airport, so I had to drive my car up there, leave it in the parking garage, and then Robert had to find a ride up there to pick it up the next day. It cost about $25 in gas for my vehicle, $33 for a one day stay in the parking garage, and $20 plus a meal for his friend that drove him up there. Ridiculous in my opinion. So, I knew that there was a amtrak that drove to Oceanside, but we wouldn't make the last train in time. So, I found out that the USO offers a shuttle for $20 from the airport to my house! How awesome!! So we went to the USO at the airport once we got into San Diego. They had a play room for T and snacks, bathrooms, tvs, etc. If you are a military family, I HIGHLY sugguest that you use the USO if you are ever stuck at an airport. We then got on our shuttle and 30 minutes later, we were home! Resources like that are so helpful to people like me who have just moved to a new town and don't have any family or friends that they can call to come pick them up. Definitely going to use them again if I need a ride!
I am sorry I don't have pictures! I forgot to transfer them from my mom's camera to my computer. But knowing her, they will still be on her camera card the next time I visit! :)
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