"I think I like this swing more than the airplane."
We planned a quick trip down to Charleston last weekend to see a bunch of family, run the Cooper River Bridge race and celebrate Aunt Johanna's birthday. It is an easy flight from Washington to Charleston, usually no more than an hour and twenty minutes tarmac-to-tarmac, so we thought it would be a good experience for Mary Grace. We couldn't have been more wrong.
Mary Grace was an angel, she behaved most of the time and even appeared to enjoy the experience. She was looking at all of the people, listening to all of the noises and just being her usual jovial self. She was a little fussy during the take-off, but otherwise handled herself like a champ. Her Mother and Father, on the other hand, did not behave so well.
When we arrived at Dulles airport last Thursday to find our flight had been canceled, it was all we could do to not freak out. If you have never traveled with an infant, let me tell you about the copious amounts of "stuff" that you have to bring with you. We had four large bags, a diaper bag, a stroller, a car seat with detachable base and a small wiggly child. Getting all of these things packed into a car, driven to Dulles airport during rush-hour, unpacked from the car and into the airport, dragged through the terminal and up to the ticketing counter only to find that your flight has been canceled has a way of making you want to strangle the ticketing agent. I almost did. Molly and I pretty much lost it right there in the airport. I will spare you the awful details and just let you know that seven hours later, we were stranded in the Savannah airport trying to rent a car at 2:30 in the morning without any of our luggage.
We pulled into my parents driveway around 5:00 in the morning with nothing but Mary Grace, her diaper bag and the car seat. Everything else had been lost by the airline, and we didn't get any of it back until we were getting ready to make our way back to Washington at the end of our trip. Needless to say, the traveling was awful, but the time we spent in Charleston was great.
We had a large group of family in town to run the Cooper River Bridge race, and many of them had not yet had a chance to meet Mary Grace. Everyone did a great job running the race, and the whole thing was a huge success. Molly and I couldn't run because we had no shoes, clothes or sleep thanks to United Airlines. We really didn't mind because we had primarily made the trip to see family, so we didn't let it get us down.
I want to give a big shout-out to Bridge Run first-timers Alex Posthauer, Mickey Ayers and Libby Richardson, all of whom finished with very respectable times. Great job y'all, maybe you have found your calling!
After the race we all sat around, drank too much beer and just had a good time in the sun. Mary Grace loved the swing that Grandpa set up in the yard, so we spent a lot of time pushing her and trying to avoid the alligators in the lagoon. The one downside to the weekend was watching the Tar Heels lose to Kansas, but the night wasn't a total loss due to the Karaoke machine that happened to show up at the bar down the street. I am not positive, but I think there were some mean Axl Rose and Steve Perry impressions happening later that night.
As I said before, we got our luggage back just in time to haul it back with us to Washington early Monday morning. We hated to say goodbye to everyone, but we know that we have many more weekends in Charleston to look forward to this summer. Below are a few pictures from the trip:
Mary Grace and Octavius enjoying the high chair.
Molly enjoying the warm evening.
Giving Mary Grace a push in her new favorite swing.
Blending in with the flowers.
Showing Mary Grace how it is done.
Grandma pulling duty as "the pusher."
Molly keeping watch for the alligator.
Someone looks grumpy.
Aunt Johanna the birthday girl.
Looking for names in the Post & Courier's Bridge Run section.
Hanging out with Betse and Stephanie.
"Who are all of these new people?"
Dancing outside with Daddy.
Dancing inside on the counter.
Protecting Octavius from Maris.
Hanging out with Cyd, Stephanie and Mickey.
Having coffee with Joey.
She really liked Joey.
Eating Great Uncle Tony's hand.
Hanging out with Aunt Johanna and Trask.
Sitting with Grandpa.
Passed out on Grandma's lap after a long weekend.
The morning after a long night.
Family picture.
Not quite the whole crew.
