Way Back Whensday: Frequent Flyer Miles

In getting ready for some upcoming travel, I have been looking at our frequent flyer miles. I discovered that Abbey and I have quite a few miles saved up, and I wanted to use some of hers. I didn't realize you have to pay to "share" your miles! I was pretty mad about that, I think that since she accrued those miles while lying on top of me at 40000 feet, I should be able to have them for free! Anyway, that got me thinking about the first trip we took to earn those miles...

Way Back in May 2006, we had been living in Japan for about eight months. Abbey and I took our first trip back to Texas (without Chad, before Elliott). I remember the looks of "oh no" from the other passengers, almost all child-free adults, as I boarded the plane with my two year old. But she was SO GOOD on that flight that several people remarked on it when we landed 13 hours later, and one man even asked me for some advice! Really, I couldn't take much credit for it. I was as prepared as I could have been, but Abbey was just a good traveler, especially Way Back when she had a pacifier. That's not to say it was a pleasant experience for me- she really was flopped on top of me for a lot of that flight- but it was less traumatic as some future travel involving her little sister. While in Texas we visited both sides of the family, and went a lot of fun places.

Abbey and her Gran-San, Chad's mom.

She took us to the Tyler zoo with Abbey's cousins, and we went to the lake.

Mom on the Go and Abbey at the Fort Worth Zoo

Abbey demonstrates how to eat leaves like a giraffe

Abbey and Nana drive the bus at the FW Museum

It was a great trip. Although our first several months in Japan were great, after the novelty wears off a little, you realize just how far away you are! But no matter how happy I was to eat Mexican food spend time with family and friends, after a couple of weeks, Abbey and I were ready to get home and see this guy:

Happy to be back where she belongs!

(In Daddy's lap, not on Daddy's scooter.)

When you are that far away, sometimes you resent missing out on things at "home." I think I really learned during that trip that "home" is not just where you were born, or even where your Mom is- Home is where the Air Force sends you, and Home is wherever the person in your heart is.