Turkeys at the airport AND on your table!

So Bear and I made it to the airport. No one commented or stared at me for having a stuffed bear sticking out of my computer bag. He did not need a ticket to fly and he was not required to show anyone his I.D. Which is good because he has none. He was x-rayed, which didn't bother him. He was very calm and acted like a traveling pro. Not so much for the rest of the airport. It was a zoo. People everywhere. Lots of whining and complaining, and not just from those of the baby or toddler variety. Obviously everyone had forgotten it was Thanksgiving!

Bear held my passport for a while (he has none).

At least that's what I was thinking, but then I remembered that just getting to the airport was a heart attack . . . we stopped to get gas before heading to the airport. About 10 minutes down the freeway, David starts digging around in the front seat. He starts screaming, "STOP!"

Luckily Chris, a very good driver, did not stop in the middle of the freeway, but instead headed for the nearest exit. David, in a panic, freaking out, yelling, "Oh my GAWD! I left my wallet on the gas pump! Oh my freaking . . ." well, you know. Panic ensued in our SUV. We were all feeling that panicky, what-do-we-do-now feeling.

Chris headed back up the freeway and we zoomed along, heading for the gas station. Praying the wallet was still there or if some toad had taken it, he had at least left the all import driver's license (you know, for I.D. at the airport!) We screeched to a halt at the gas station and David jumped out and ran into the store . . . thank goodness some kind soul had turned the wallet in AND everything was in it. It was a Thanksgiving miracle.

Even with all that, we made it to the airport in plenty of time. Good thing we did. The line to the counter was short and moved along. Security? Not so much. People not listening to the instructions. Cutting in line. (I let them, whatever, seemed like maybe he was late for his plane or something. Just would have been nice if he had asked. Just saying.) Milling around, grabbing their shoes and coats and other belongings from the conveyor belt.The TSA agents were very nice though and we made it through the line with nary a hitch.

At our gate, we sighed with a breath of relief. We had time for a Starbucks and David started working on his Suduko. The plane boarded a little bit late, but we made our connection in L.A. Actually the rest of our airport traveling adventure was quite eventless. I even slept on the last leg of the journey and I think Bear did too. He likes traveling and he's having so much fun at Gramma's house! I hope he doesn't eat all the turkey dinner we're planning. Just as he remembers to be thankful. It's Thanksgiving after all!

Flying with Turkeys and Bear

Gobble, gobble! It's that time of year when everyone wants to go visit family and friends in far off places, like Missouri.

I love to travel, don't get me wrong, but traveling during Thanksgiving is kind of like traveling to outer space. Just to help me have a "friend" with me (besides my family), Bear will be making the journey with me.

First of all there's the packing to tackle. Luckily, Bear needs to do no packing. He's a come as he is bear . . . embarrassingly so, he has no clothes, except his darling black gingham fancy bow. I however, need to pack.

I live in sunny California. The weather drops to below 60 and we all grab winter gear. Big baggy coats, scarves, mittens, hats . . . it looks like there's a ski resort in the vicinity. I've lived in California for most of my life, so I have to admit I'm one of the ones who will wear a scarf and my "winter coat" out to Target. My winter coat though is really more of a heavier weight rain coat and when the temperature drops into the 40's (which it does in Northern California), I'm cold.

So in packing for the trip I have taken all of my sweaters (3) and all of my long sleeve shirts (4). I managed to locate my scarf and mittens, surprisingly not buried in the closet, and I have shoved all of them in the suitcase, along with warm socks and other assorted gear. I'm going to layer all of these things under my woefully lacking Missouri jacket and hope for the best. Snow is forecasted, of course, and I am delighted at the prospect of freezing in the land of Missouri. At least I have Bear, he has a warm coat and is quite toasty to hug, thank goodness. He will fit under my jacket, just saying.

We're off for the airport now. Bear is excited, he's never been on an airplane before and I have to watch that he doesn't wander off and get lost like Paddington in the infamous childrens' stories. I'm sure lots of adventures await and I am taking notes for future posts. Bon Voyage <shiver>!