Failed Attempt

Darby and I are supposed to be in Denver right now but NYC had other plans for us Sunday night.

We were in the Pocono's for the weekend and since our flight wasn't until 7pm on Sunday, we figured we would just hang out up there and then head back Sunday afternoon to get back in time to head to the airport. We got back to Hoboken at 4 and the car picked us up at 4:30 to start our trek to JFK. When we got to the city we hit a major traffic jam and our driver tried to out smart it, which put us in another jam for a while. When we finally broke free across a bridge, the road forked and our driver went left...towards Connecticut. JFK is in NY. He got off the freeway, drove through some industrial shantytown and eventually found the freeway again. At this point it was 5:34 and JFK has a strict rule about not checking baggage after 1 hour prior to the flight, so with 16 min. to 6pm and 17 miles to go, I knew it was probably a no go.

As we finally pulled into JFK I was already defeated and was thinking about not even going into the airport and just having the driver take us home. But, I really wanted to get to Denver to see Lindsey, so we ran inside and I went right up to the priority line like I owned the place. Luckily, even at 6:15, we were able to get my bag checked! Step one, done.

Going through security was a breeze because once again I just walked up to the front of the priority line and pretended like I belonged, forgoing an incredibly long regular line. When I got to our gate I saw that our flight was a few minutes delayed, but nothing too bad. We passed the time by going to the bathroom. Yes, all of our extra time was spent trying to navigate a Bob stroller in a tiny, nasty, JFK bathroom. When our flight finally started boarding things went pretty quickly from there. At this point is was about 7:30...already past Darby's bedtime and she was getting super hyper. She's not a good sleeper on planes because she doesn't want to miss anything, so I knew we were in for a long flight anyway, but I wasn't prepared for what we were about to hear...

Captain: "Ladies and gentlemen, bad news, our flight is being delayed because of weather. We are going to sit at the gate for 30 minutes with the doors open and then we are going to go to a remote location on the runway, turn off our engines for 1.5 hours and await further instruction."

Proof that we tried!

I started panicking imagining sitting on a plane all night with a restless 9-monther. So, I talked to a flight attendant and she said that I was probably in for a really long night and I could still get off if I wanted to. As much as I wanted to get to Denver, I didn't know if an all night battle would be worth it. I would just get off this flight and try to rebook for the next day. After waiting for 25 minutes to get my gate-checked stroller, we strolled out of the airport, jumped in a cab and started the trek back home. I didn't even bother to go to baggage claim and figure out what would happen to my bag...I figured I could call on the way home while I was also trying to get rebooked.

The good news is that since I was flying on frequent flier miles, my miles were reimbursed. The bad news was that I was flying on frequent flier miles and wasn't able to get rebooked on a flight until Tuesday afternoon. I was so bummed to have to cancel the whole trip, but we will make it out there soon to see Lindsey, Hadley, David and Albert in their new home!

It seems that I might get my bag back at some point, but who knows when. So far it has gone from NYC --> Denver; Denver --> Minnesota ; Minnesota --> Newark (15 miles from our apt!!) ; Newark       --> Detroit ; and supposedly Detroit --> JFK later this afternoon. Good thing they flew my bag hundreds of miles to get it from Newark to JFK instead of just putting it in a van and driving it 15 miles to me. Oh air travel.

Silver Bay

For years, our friends Jeff and Steph have been asking us to go to Silver Bay with them and for years we have been saying next year. Well, this year we finally made good on our word and drove the 5 hours to meet them for a long weekend. Now that they live in Nashville, we make any effort to see them if they're close by.

Silver Bay is a YMCA camp set on the banks of Lake George in the Adirondacks of NY. Jeff and his family have been going every year since he was a baby and his family has been going for generations, so it's a very special place for him. Steph has her own ties to it as well, as she worked there for a summer as an employee (which Jeff also did for many summers, just a few years before her).

The Inn at Silver Bay

Lake George

We lucked out with weather and only had one rainy day after it was predicted to storm the whole time we were there. Luckily for the ladies, the rainy day was the one we planned to leave the babies with the guys and drive to Middlebury, VT for some shopping! The main street in Middlebury is lined with adorable little shops and galleries...dangerous for the wallet, but good for the soul. On the drive back we stopped a few times for some pictures of beautiful Vermont. 

I LoVermont!

I would donate a kidney to live here.

The rest of the weekend was spent playing on the beach, taking boat rides, kayaking, feeling totally out of shape watching a full Ironman pass through the camp and BBQing with friends. 

Babies:)

Fighting babies:(

Doug and Jeff

Gnarbs loving the swing (and sweet little Finn on his truck)!

Look at Max's thighs!! He's only 2 months older than Darby and is double her size!

Darby and her papa

What a great way to spend a long weekend. Hopefully we will go back next year and maybe even partake in the triathlon (1/2 ironman or olympic...NOT the full!) instead of cheering while drinking wine on the porch.