On the 7th Day...

We got home in the wee hours of the morning, so I put this off until today. I got up and did the morning rituals. I let the womenfolk sleep in. I cursed my bed one last time! I took the camera and went walking around Pennsylvania Avenue and such. I have put a few random snapshots on. It was still really hot and muggy and I was starting to sweat like a pig, so I came back to the Hotel. 

Teresa was up and going and I got Chantel up at 10:15. We packed and cleaned up a little bit. Chantel and I ran over to see the house where Lincoln died, across from the Ford's Theater, but there were huge amounts of children waiting to go in. So we jumped into a souvenir shop, bought some DC shirts and some magnets and came back. 

We loaded up, said a prayer, and went downstairs to check out. I am calling our room the McCain Memorial because the toilet paper is something they would have at a POW camp and the bed was tortuous!

We walked to the Metro one last time and were off to Union Station. Once there we bought tickets for the Marc then stopped at Sbarros for some pizza and spaghetti. We also bought cookies at a French Bakery. We walked a bit and hung out. I looked through a few shops. Why didn't I buy a Nationals pennant?! Man, I always blow it.

We finally boarded the train, which had no AC

 and was stifling hot. Our train took us to the bus which took us to BWI airport in Baltimore. We got checked in then went to the observation desk to watch for a bit. At the security check there was a mom dealing with her 2 young children and her mother. I figured we'd be seated real close to them.

Our gate was at the furthest part of the terminal and it was packed! There was a Potbelly's there, so I grabbed a shake and cookie for us to all share. The flight was supposed to leave at 5:15 PM EST, but the walkway thing that takes you to the plane was broken. It took them a long time to have us walk out onto the tarmac and up the stairs to the plane. I helped a couple ladies carry their stuff and stick it in the overhead.

And of course the lady with the 2 upset kids was in front of us!

Well, at 5:30 they announced that all flights west were delayed because of severe weather. We waited, they started the movie and passed out snacks, then waited more. We sat on the plane tight there for 3 hours! Then we got in line to take off and waited there for 30 more minutes. When we finally took off everyone clapped. It was funny.

The plane seemed angry as it jetted up and banked hard right.

Well, the flight was re-routed south before heading west. I'll tell you what, I was going nuts what with the screaming kids and the lateness of the hour. Chantel and I watched Seinfeld for an hour and 1/2. We would burst out laughing at some parts, probably ticking other passengers off. The one classic time was when Kramer was talking about the Sitcom that Jerry and George were supposed to be writing being about a circus..."Come on, a guy who's just a head, beeeyyyahhh...". It was the perfect time because we started crying we were laughing so hard!

I started getting the jimmy-legs, and I can't sleep on a plane, so I put on my iPod and cranked it up. We hit a massive turbulence and the plane dropped and people, including myself, freaked out. Ugh. The worst part was when we were still an hour and a 1/2 out. Oye!

Well, we landed 11:00 PM MST, then had to get our bags, then the shuttle to the car and then pay to get out. We stopped and picked up Abby & Madalyn, who were still up, at Carl's house, got some gas and headed home. Chelsea was still up, too. We grabbed a piece of toast and crashed at 1:30 AM!

Overall it was a great trip. I loved the time to spend with my daughter and wife. I think it brought us all a lot closer and made me see Chantel in many different situations. I realize she is beautiful, thoughtful, friendly, has a great sense of humor and is fun...F U N!