Are We There Yet?

After squeezing in three hours of sleep (I was just too excited), we loaded our ten tons of luggage and left the Park Hotel by 4:30 a.m. Amazingly, and for the first time, we did not sit in any traffic in Jakarta. I guess the trick is to travel at unreasonable hours. At the airport, it was time to split. Laura was staying and traveling on to India. Heather, Nancy, Jeanne, Arlis, and Cora were headed to Bali. Some quick hugs and I, with my crew (Jen, David, Jodi, Daniel, and Susanna) headed in to the airport.

We did some last minute splurge shopping, got a delicious Starbucks, and made our way to our gate. I was able to FaceTime with my family and I nearly burst. I wanted to jump through the screen and hug them I was so excited. Only 22 hours on 3 planes, 8 hours of layover, and a 1 1/2 hour drive separated us. 31 1/2 hours... but who is counting?

The flights were as expected: full, cramped, exhausting. I had high hopes to get home a little earlier. There were two earlier flights from LAX to Sac, but it would be close. I prepared Jen and we committed to running if necessary. All hope quickly died when we sat on our plane in Hong Kong for over an hour as a passenger who had "medical problems" had to leave. I understood the medical issue, but I could not understand as we had to watch all of the cargo from the plane be removed to search for the passenger's piece of luggage. Bye bye early connection.

I had little to no sleep on any of the flights. Maybe it was because I was uncomfortable, excited, or overly-exhausted, but I was delirious by the time we reached LA. I just wanted to be home! It was sad to say goodbye to the crew. Jodi had to sprint for her connecting flight to Utah, Daniel was home, David left for Oklahoma and Susanna had a long day of travel back to DC. And then there were two. After three short (but frustrating) delays, Jen and I finally headed on our last leg to Sacramento. I probably slept more on that short flight than I had on any of the others.
I wanted to sprint off the airplane. As I walked through the airport in a blur, I could see my husband waiting and I could no longer hold back the tears.

Our drive was quick. I actually stayed awake and we chatted the entire way home. All I could think about was looking at my babies. I rushed in to the house, which felt strangely foreign, and went to their rooms. I stared at Ethan and kissed him. He woke, confused, and then an enormous smile overtook his face. I could have wept with happiness. I examined my baby Cade and he looked so long and lean now. I kissed him and he pushed me away (so appropriate for this child).

I don't think I have ever been this happy to be home in my life. Brushing my teeth with tap water for the first time in over three weeks was glorious. Climbing in to my own bed provided the most restful sleep I've had in nearly a month. It's good to be home.

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