The flight

Before diving into Minnesota life, I'd like to say a big thanks to both sets of parents who took turns watching the kids while we drove and unpacked a little prior to the chaos. And, a big thanks to everyone who got together with us before leaving - the visits, calls and parties made us feel so loved and grateful for friendships.

Post car ride and move in to the house, I flew back to Utah for a quick trip to pick up the kids and fly back with my mom and the kids to our new home. I was excited to see them and everyone else, and excited to get them up to Minnesota to get the new chapter started.

I had this strong feeling of anxiety and anticipation for the flight with the kids. Part of me knew I had nerves about managing the two of them, but since my mom was coming with me, I knew that wasn't all of it. I couldn't shake it, but had a continued strong feeling that I really needed to carry on more than I initially thought.

After smooth sailing through security, we headed to the gate where we found our flight to Denver was delayed about an hour. Ok, I thought, this must have been it, I needed the extra stuff for the kids since our layover will be quick, but we'll still make it to Minneapolis.

We boarded the plane, took off, and were enjoying the experience of Max's first time flying. About halfway to Denver, the pilot came on and announced we'd return back to SLC due to mechanical failure. He also mentioned we'd fly at low altitudes the remainder of the trip, but not to worry, we would not crash into anything (but would be clearly seeing the tree tops in Park City). Through the bumps on the flight, Max turned to me and said, "mom, this is just like Lagoon!"

Everyone was taken off the plane. No information available, no new plane to board, and we were on our own to figure it out.

Thankfully my mom was there. She was able to take the kiddos to one of the indoor playgrounds where they could wiggle and scream to their hearts content, while I worked in the lines and phones to try to catch another flight. Describing the experience as frustrating would be a complete understatement. I've never been told to run around in so many circles before. Without giving a line by line, after a ridiculous amount of time spent on hold and waiting, we were able to catch a direct flight that night.

Oh, so that's why I needed all the extras. Plenty of books, diapers, movie for Max, so that we could hang out in the SLC airport all day (doesn't everyone arrive at 11:30a.m. for a 7:45p.m. flight?).

What's important is we made it, and I'm grateful I listened to the prompting to travel extra prepared. An expected arrival of 6:00p.m. turned into an 11:30p.m. And, while neither kid crashed on route, I'm happy to say they were champs.