Odyssee

We made it to Germany! That's a good thing. Our journey, however, was quiet an odyssee.

The boys and I left Memphis International Friday evening. Eric was able to help us to the gate. Boarding the plane in Memphis went well. When I bought the tickets I requested assistance because I knew I would need help with the boys. I am not super mom and there is no way I can carry two kids off the plane, plus the carry-on (which was not much at all), set up the stroller, shoulder the car seat and roll.
I confiremd said assistance, which was supposed to be a person who would wait for us with a wheelchair, with the airline twice. To get this out of the way, there was no assistance. No person designated to help us. None whatsoever. It really only got worse. There were moments where I felt like crying (and I'm not a big crier)-- It was all extremely frustrating.

In Amstredam we boarded our connecting flight on the airfield, but there was no elevator that could take us to the bus that would take us to the plane. Yes, I did make it down the steps. RIDICILOUS! How can there not be an elevator?

Once at the plane I left Ari in the stroller to take Victor on the airplane, came back out, handed Ari to a stranger so I could fold up the stroller and then board the plane with Ari. After I found our seats, and strapped in the car seat, the flight attendant told me that we couldn't sit in our assigned seats becasue the car seat had to be in a window seat. Yes, we did move. Without the car seat however because we couldn't get it loose.

Thank you, KLM, for knowing the basic safety regulations, because in the U.S. no one really caees about the locations of car seats on the plane. But, KLM, couldn't you have thought about this when you assigned me the seats, right there at the gate, 20 minutes prior to departure? Needless to say that we delayed the plane. The next time you wonder where the heck that plane is or why it is delayed-- think Simone.

The boys were total troopers. They had a couple of brief meltdowns due to lack of sleep, but overall, they were super sweet and extremely patient.

We arrived in Duesseldorf 30 minutes behind schedule without our luggage. But we made it, and that's a good thing, a very good thing.