Departure Day

Our extensive spreadsheet with checklists for our checklists has served us well.  We had ten minutes to sit and relax this afternoon before SuperShuttle picked us up.

Adventure Girl’s decision about which stuffed animals to take was a weeks-long process, finally culminating in a compromise solution in which Puppy chose to stay behind to take care of the other guys who stayed home.  Many animals, however, in a generous parental effort to make the move less stressful for the kids, were able to make the trip.

Our SuperShuttle ride was smooth.  The other passengers had a chance to hear a typical conversation about various subjects, ranging from rhyming words to what insects the kids like and dislike, the relationship between aphids and ladybugs, names for Ajax’s transformer, and an argument about who was sitting in whose car seat.

In our effort to pack lightly, we decided on only two large suitcases plus two small carry-on size cases.  Well. . . that only sort of worked out.  One of the suitcases was five pounds too heavy.  As we were about to pay an overage fee, we found out that our other suitcase was 85 pounds! Since there was no space in any of our other bags to shift the contents, we ended up buying an extra bag for $25. Thank you, Delta Special Services!

What, you may ask, caused a suitcase to weigh 85 pounds?  Well, because we will not just be traveling, but also living some semblance of a normal life, we packed stuff to do.  We have card games, party games, art supplies, books, and (true confessions) my favorite shampoo, hand lotion, and other personal hygiene products for a family of four. The kids also, as previously mentioned, packed some plush toys for their creative play. I’m guessing there are a few dozen, filling both kids’ backpacks and one small suitcase. It all adds up.

They conveniently had scales available at the airport, so after a bit of shifting contents and re-weighing, we only needed to pay for one extra bag.  Whew!

All in all, considering we are basically moving to a different home, albeit temporarily, I think we did OK.  One day, when the kids are all grown up,  I’ll be able to travel with my carry-on pack and no checked bags.  Until then, we roll with lots of luggage.