racking up those airline miles

i had most of the next day to just chill at home, even squeezing in a barre class before it was time to head to the airport.  it was finally time to head back to the east coast to collect my child and then turn right back around to come home.  we’d discussed spending one night in the city, maybe catching another show or finding something fun to do, but in the end the bean decided that they’d been away for too long and just wanted to go home.

i’d booked myself a redeye, with a stop in dallas before landing in new york just in time to pick my child up from columbia.  and because we weren’t staying overnight, all i needed was a carry-on bag. 

after i got through security, i had plenty of time to kill before boarding began.  it was pretty late - 11pm - and nothing in the terminal was open aside from a grab-and-go snack and gift shop.  i spotted something interesting - a space sponsored by the california science center with several giant monitors with an animated aquarium.  i found a seat in there and watched the fish and sharks swim past until the gate attendants finally started calling up boarding groups.

with no baggage to worry about, i made myself comfy pretty quickly and passed out for most of the 3-hour flight to dallas.

we arrived in dallas at 5:30am, and of course my connecting flight was in a different terminal from the one we’d landed in.  DFW is gigantic and really spread out, but the skylink makes it easy to get from one end of the airport to the other.

and of course, the flight was delayed by about an hour with a gate change announced just before boarding was to begin.  so by the time i got onto the plane, the sun was coming up.

i was torn between going back to sleep and waiting for breakfast, but i figured i could eat first and sleep with a happy belly.

the flight took just under four hours, which was enough time for a fairly decent nap.  and by the time i woke up again, we were already descending into the city.

welcome (back) to new york!

if you’re ever on a redeye flight and want to freshen up a little, these little disposable toothbrushes come in clutch.  highly recommend.

i caught an uber as soon as i got off the plane, and a mere half hour later i was finally reunited with my child, who i’d missed dearly.

their roommate had already been picked up and was driving back home to texas, so we took one last look around to make sure that nothing had been left behind.

we had just enough time for one stop before heading back to the airport to catch our flight home, and of course that one stop was here:

after going through security and dropping off the bean’s very heavy, very full suitcase we had enough time to find the american airlines lounge to sit back, relax and get ready for the trip home.

and then it was time for the first leg of our journey.

till next time, new york!

a few hours later, i found myself back in dallas.  but this time, we had a five-hour layover - enough time to meet up with MIL and get some texas bbq.

the time went by all too fast, and pretty soon she was dropping us off at the airport for the last leg of our trip home.

i’d told the bean about the faux-quarium at the airport, so we stopped in for a second so they could check it out.

and then we went downstairs to pick up their suitcase and head outside to meet up with the hub, who was already waiting for us at the curb.

it had been a very long day for me, mostly spent sitting on an airplane.  but the bean was safely back home and we were all happy to be reunited.  yippee!