A funny thing happened on the way to Seattle

Okay, I have had some time to work through the pain and I am ready to talk openly about my horrific space-a ordeal last Saturday. Just kidding, it really wasn't all that bad, and there were a few funny things about it. In fact, I sort of wish we still had the opportunity to take one of these flights, also known as a hop, but it makes more sense to fly commercial as a family.

For starters, I have never felt more "military" in my entire life. It was one of those times that I realized I live in an alternate Air Force universe- it's so weird and yet seems so normal. In order to get on the flight, we had to show up early (after calling all week to make sure the roll call time hadn't changed, of course) and check in. When I was checking in, I asked if I needed to have my luggage with me at roll call, or could I leave it in the car until I was sure I was on the flight. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Ma'am, you must be travel ready as soon as you are manifested on the flight." Like, are we all going to immediately board the plane and then jump out with parachutes? Oh, please. After having our names called to get seats on the plane (I felt a little like a contestant on The Price is Right) we took our luggage over to be checked. The young airman asked me for my ID card, our passports, and my BODY WEIGHT and blood type. I actually had to tell a man who was not my husband or doctor how much I weighed, and admit I can never remember my blood type. The next step was going through security. We still had to take off our shoes like any other airport, even though the security checkpoint is just a doorway with a metal detector. Abbey thought this was great since she always wants to take her shoes off in public and I won't let her! The airmen working there were a little more laid back than the TSA people in civilian airports. In fact, they were bordering on silly with their comments about my stroller. They referred to it as the "Optimus Prime" of strollers, an Escalade, and one guy said "don't be pimpin' your big stroller on our flight line!"
Nothing else particularly funny happened after that point... lots of waiting followed by getting on and then off of the plane and then another 3 hours in the terminal. With Abbey and Elliott. Without Chad. Don't you wish you were there? :0)