Yes, we're off and running and headed to Branson. Of course we are doing it in a colorful way (as ususal). We left Mesa on Tuesday afternoon and were
driven to the airport in D-Day fashion. We seemed to arrive in one wave after another while other travelers stood by in wonder. You'd think they had never seen a blue plastic bin before. Thankfully, Southwest opened up a section of the ticket counter just for LIGHT. This caused some consternation for some beleagered travelers as they tried to get into our line. They were sent elsewhere. Why? No blue plastic bin. Who'd have thought? As you might expect, when we were all gathered at the gate to wait for our flight, it wasn't too long before the LIGHT Entertainment Company began to do what they do best - entertain! Out came the guitars, and the singing (and other forms of enLIGHTenment) began. They were pretty c
aught up in it and perhaps thought they were in a show as the customer service representative had to get on the PA system and publicly tell all the other travelers to sshhh. Or maybe it was meant for us. I guess we'll never know.
Once on board, we began to settle down a bit (something to do with seatbelts). When the snacks were served, three of our lovely and highly talented young women (wanting to hone their culinary skills) offered to help. And help they did. Down the aisle they went and served everyone on board their delicious airline food.
Upon touchdown in Tulsa, we quickly let the pilots know what a good j
ob they did as the back half of the plane erupted into spontaneous applause. Again, the only thing the bewildered passengers could do was to just shake their heads and smile. (ed. note it was observed by several passnegers that some of our kids were reading their scriptures. They came away impressed).
We found our luggage (literally, we had to find our luggage) and met the Kroll's at the baggage claim. We loaded our huge mountain of blue bins and headed into the night with our driver, Dean (repeat driver for LIGHT, yeah). After a couple of hours (about 2:00 AM), we stopped in Joplin at a Flying J truck stop to refuel. And boy did we ever. The airline counter in Phoenix must have called ahead because as soon as the cashiers saw us coming, they announced, "Code 50 in the complex". I'm not sure what that means but I think it means that everyone who works here, y'all come out and watch these kids. Great. Another appreciative audience.
With everything and everyone refueled, we started the last leg for Branson and soon arrived (so
on meaning: you fell asleep). Wow. The accomodations are fabulous. They're little cabins in the woods, decorated by Bass Pro Shop. After a few chilly moments in the Missouri air getting our room assignments and luggage, we finally settled down into bed (at least the adults did) around 4:30 AM. With prospects of another fun-filled day ahead in 6 more hours, we can hardly wait.
driven to the airport in D-Day fashion. We seemed to arrive in one wave after another while other travelers stood by in wonder. You'd think they had never seen a blue plastic bin before. Thankfully, Southwest opened up a section of the ticket counter just for LIGHT. This caused some consternation for some beleagered travelers as they tried to get into our line. They were sent elsewhere. Why? No blue plastic bin. Who'd have thought? As you might expect, when we were all gathered at the gate to wait for our flight, it wasn't too long before the LIGHT Entertainment Company began to do what they do best - entertain! Out came the guitars, and the singing (and other forms of enLIGHTenment) began. They were pretty c
aught up in it and perhaps thought they were in a show as the customer service representative had to get on the PA system and publicly tell all the other travelers to sshhh. Or maybe it was meant for us. I guess we'll never know.Once on board, we began to settle down a bit (something to do with seatbelts). When the snacks were served, three of our lovely and highly talented young women (wanting to hone their culinary skills) offered to help. And help they did. Down the aisle they went and served everyone on board their delicious airline food.
Upon touchdown in Tulsa, we quickly let the pilots know what a good j
ob they did as the back half of the plane erupted into spontaneous applause. Again, the only thing the bewildered passengers could do was to just shake their heads and smile. (ed. note it was observed by several passnegers that some of our kids were reading their scriptures. They came away impressed).We found our luggage (literally, we had to find our luggage) and met the Kroll's at the baggage claim. We loaded our huge mountain of blue bins and headed into the night with our driver, Dean (repeat driver for LIGHT, yeah). After a couple of hours (about 2:00 AM), we stopped in Joplin at a Flying J truck stop to refuel. And boy did we ever. The airline counter in Phoenix must have called ahead because as soon as the cashiers saw us coming, they announced, "Code 50 in the complex". I'm not sure what that means but I think it means that everyone who works here, y'all come out and watch these kids. Great. Another appreciative audience.
With everything and everyone refueled, we started the last leg for Branson and soon arrived (so
on meaning: you fell asleep). Wow. The accomodations are fabulous. They're little cabins in the woods, decorated by Bass Pro Shop. After a few chilly moments in the Missouri air getting our room assignments and luggage, we finally settled down into bed (at least the adults did) around 4:30 AM. With prospects of another fun-filled day ahead in 6 more hours, we can hardly wait.
3 comments:
OH MY THAT DOES SOUND LIKE YOU ARE ALL HAVING THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFE TIME!
Great description! Thank you. Now I feel like I saw it myself. What great kids!!
I am so excited! I can't tell you how many times I have looked at this blog and the pictures. You are doing a great job and it looks and sounds like the kids are having a great time. I sent the link to all of our friends and family. Thank you for working so hard on this so all of us at home can watch.
Post a Comment