Each of us have our own coping skills for tough days
Chloee's
mine
The people in the car loaded up early and headed out. Chloee slept a little longer while I dozed off and on and started stressing about life in general.
Corbin and Karalee picked us up, we went to lunch and then dropped us off at the airport.
Chloee is now very much used to the drill of security. Take off your shoes, put your backpack in the tray and walk through the metal detector. After standing in a long line of course.
When we left SLC - the minute a TSA saw I was traveling with her, we were taken to the front of the line and whisked through without incident.
Not so in San Diego. We waited in the only security line visible. After several minutes and finally at the front, the TSA agent looked at my boarding pass and wanted to know if I had heard her announcement. Well, geez obvio not if I am in the wrong line here. She sends me another section of the airport and ANOTHER security station.
This time, there isn't a line, but we still are hurrying in case anyone comes behind us, we would't hold them up.
There is no metal detector this time. The only option is the full body scan. I ask the TSA agent if I can go first. No. Little one first. I tell Chloee to listen to the man and do as he says. She tried really hard, but he doesn't speak English very well and gets increasingly frustrated because she is not putting her feet EXACTLY where he wants them and raising her arms to the EXACT angle required. I ask him again if I can go first and show her. No. She looks at me a little stressed. I glare as much as I dare to at the agent but holding back since I don't want him to decide there should be any groping of me OR her.
Finally, he is satisfied with her stance and gets her through. I'm next. Once I am safely through, I go ahead and mutter as loud as I dare, how stupid I think the whole process is and what kind of freak is looking at a naked 4 year old right now.....you get the picture.
Once we land in Oakland, I check our boarding pass for our gate and we head there. We have a few minutes so I grab some snacks and boot up the computer. As time goes on, I see it's getting closer to our flight time and there isn't anyone at our gate. I look around for the TV's to see if our gate has changed. Can't see any. I double check the boarding passes. We are at the gate listed. I look at the gate screen and see two cities, but neither of them are SLC.
Little nervous. I approach gate agent who informs me that the gate has changed. Oops he says, better announce that. He gets on the PA system to announce to NO ONE that the gate has changed.
I look around for the direction of our ACTUAL gate, it's clear across the freaking airport. I look at the time. We have two minutes.
"Chloee honey, we have to RUN!"
We take off sprinting down the halls of the airport. I give her credit - girl can run! She kept up fabulous and made it to the gate just before they shut the doors. We were literally the last people on the plane.
Now SW is a seat yourself ride. Normally, we would have boarded in the family boarding section and managed seats just fine. This time however, it was a full flight. Do you think we could find two seats together? Nope. Do you think anyone would offer? Even the several SW crew people on board? Not bloodly likely. Finally a woman offered to move so we could have to the two seats together. Thank you lady. I think you may have been a SW employee since you were in the same color shirt. Thank you.
After that, the rest of the trip was uneventful.
Tib picked us up at the airport, we got home, unpacked and settled back in.
Once I finally got a keyed up Chloee in bed and asleep, I had time to think over the weekend.
I am so happy for Corbin and Karalee. It is clear that they love each other very much, and while their courtship may have been unconventional, I think it was perfect for them. They have a darling apartment, he has a great job with the corps and they are finally together and happy.
Chloee loves Karalee and was able to bond quite a bit with her before the wedding. Corbin and Chloee have a bond that is difficult to describe. Even with all the time that they have had to spend apart, there is an unmistakable bond. She will adjust just fine to her new life. I think the rest of us back in UT will have the harder time.
Me? (of course me, this is MY blog) - I am afraid that I might not have been the warmest most touchy feeling person in So Cal this past weekend. It's certainly not a reflection of how I feel about the marriage or Karalee and I was grateful that we could go to lunch before and I could tell her this.
There has just been A LOT of crap in the past 6 months and I am still processing it all. Grieving for Jill. Grieving for Chloee and her loss. Adapting to the fact that Corbin will be away for at least 3 years. Sure, Cali is close, but it's not like they can just jaunt over for Sunday dinner. A new family. New inlaws. New life with Chloee since Christmas, and now a new life without her. Some days it's just too much for me. I can't wrap my head around what HAS happened, and what WILL happen. Not that the future isn't going to be fantastic, it is, I just can't get my head there yet. And if that doesn't make sense to anyone, it's okay, I don't expect it to and the beauty is, it doesn't have to. It doesn't even make sense to me.
The bottom line - I am thrilled for Corbin and Karalee. They are darling together. He makes her happy. She makes him happy. Chloee is happy being with them.
That really is all that is important and matters.
Again, CONGRATULATIONS Corbalee (Corbin/Karalee combined)!!
Mama is so very, very happy for you!
