Sanity Check: U.S. Vacation

So... after four tries we finally got on a Space-A flight and made it to the States, to Jacksonville, FL, to be exact. That's not exactly where we'd planned to go, but the plane was headed to the east coast, so we jumped at the opportunity to get on board. We had to re-plan our vacation route as a result of our delay, but it all worked out.

Upon landing in Jacksonville, we noticed an open hangar with a huge American flag hanging inside and lots of people who appeared to be waiting for something or someone. As it turned out, those folks were waiting for the large group of Navy men and women on our flight who were returning from a deployment. It was a very touching scene, one I felt privileged to have witnessed. I love homecomings!

Because there is no way of obtaining a one-way rental vehicle in Jacksonville, we stayed overnight in a hotel and got on a commercial flight the next day. Our consolation was eating at Cracker Barrel for our first stateside meal. I don't think food had ever tasted so good to me! And the sweet tea was the best ever!

The next morning we boarded a flight which would eventually take us to Louisville, KY, but naturally we had a few stops along the way... Nashville to Chicago and then on to Louisville. Our flight out of Chicago was delayed too. It seemed like for each step we got closer to our destination, we took two steps back. We were just laughing at this point.

We sat back and enjoyed people watching, which can serve for hours of great entertainment. Good thing for us, huh? There were crying babies, bratty kids, drunk passengers, ticked off passengers, rude passengers, smelly passengers and just plain weird passengers. We're magnets for all of the aforementioned. Of course I wonder what people think about us upon first sight.

We finally made it to Louisville, got our rental car and drove to my parents' home where we stayed for four nights. We visited with family and friends and stimulated the economy in a big way. In fact, I have no doubt that the media reported a significant increase in spending in central Kentucky during our time spent in the area. Seriously. We shopped 'til we dropped for school clothes and birthday gifts for the boys, and we ate like we'd been deprived for months on end.

We enjoyed every minute of our time in Kentucky, but I'll have to say that the biggest highlight for me was having the opportunity to meet my 9-month-old niece for the first time. You know I've talked about her quite a bit and had been more than a little anxious to see her. "Miss B" is quite possibly the cutest baby ever... well, next to my boys, of course. I've got it! She's the cutest baby GIRL ever! Check out this bundle of energy and sweetness...

Look at those beautiful baby blues! They just sparkle, don't they?

Miss B smiles most of the time. She's content and animated as can be.

M really enjoyed playing with his baby cousin. He was simply intrigued with her! I think he would have made an excellent big brother, however, since he will never be a big brother, he can settle for being an awesome cousin.