Day #1!!!

What an adventure!!!

It all began with a family swim night at our hotel room in Spokane. Craig and I have missed many an A.M. flight having to make the drive up from Colfax and this hotel we stayed at offered parking for our vehicle while we were gone . It was a great bargain. Three families including 7 adults and 12 kids swam in the three pools and one luke warm hot tub. We had so much fun but it didn’t stop the tearful goodbyes when Jill, Kelli Craig, Maddie and I had to say good bye.

Craig and Maddie where the only two who slept that evening. Jill and I were up every half hour checking the clock ensuring we didn’t miss our flights and 3:30 a.m. came fast. Craig drove Jill, Madison and I to the airport with our nine 50 pound bags to check in, 4 back packs and 3 carry-ons. None of that includes Kelli’s who met us at the airport an hour later!!!

Check in was a breeze and a BIG thank you to KLM for allowing us to bring the 9th 50 pound bag full of donations for free. We waited to go through security till Craig had driven the now very empty suburban back to the hotel and walked back to the airport. It wasn’t terribly long till Kelli joined us and our traveling party was complete just in time for a few pictures before sending Jill off to make her flights.

Now the story continues with Craig, Maddie, Kelli and I having a little Starbucks and breakfast before boarding our plane to Minneapolis.

It was an uneventful flight but the only one who took a nap was Maddie. She was out despite our best efforts to keep her awake. In Minneapolis we ate some French fries, had our favorite carbonated beverages and I paid a few bills before our connecting flight to Amsterdam. Now this flight was a little more exciting. Not only was the trip starting to feel real but poor Kelli was seated a small airplane isle away from a young man who had a break down. He was shouting and kicking his backpack into the isle accusing the stewards of thinking he was a terrorist and wanting them to check his bags. Craig very kindly changed seats with Kelli putting himself between us and this young man and in all fairness we had no more trouble from him after that.

We all got a little sleep on this flight but it felt like every ten minuets they were waking us up to feed us or pour a beverage. The service and flight was excellent. We then had a VERY expensive layover breakfast in Amsterdam that included a pastry, one coke and one $4.00 black coffee. It felt like forever before the security at our gate opened and allowed us to begin boarding. I’m pretty sure we sat at a children’s table for more than two hours at the crowded gate. I was so tired I wanted to lay down on the yucky airport floor and sleep but I made it to the plane before crashing.

To be 100% honest I had a little bit of fear about our layover in Sudan to refuel and let a few passengers off but it was no problem at all. The international flight was SO different than our US domestic flights. Strangers chatted away walking up and down the rows saying hello, so much more friendly and way less business like.

Our flight was over an hour early but we still stood in line what I thought was forever to get our visas, that was until two more flights came in and the airport exploded with people. We were doing fine till it came to baggage claim. Men in suits swooshed our hands away as we tried to pick up our luggage and that was the beginning of loosing $30 dollars to get our luggage out of the airport.

Now then back to Jill who had different flights that were suppose to come in with in half an hour of ours BUT we were early and after waiting in the parking lot, in the van, our family alone in a strange new world, the driver finally gave up on Jill joining us returned to the van and drove us to the Guest House. Kelli and I were a nervous wreck as we waited for Jill to pull up in her taxi but when she did we screamed, shouted hugged, and jumped up and down despite it was now after 11:00 p.m. and we were waking all the other guests. All I can say about the rest of the night is that I DON’T REMEMBER A THING because I slept so hard until dawn.

Stay tuned for the day we met this kids coming tomorrow………….