Traveling to Idaho

My kids have never seen snow. They've never been anywhere in the U.S. other than the Southeast. They haven't even been on an airplane. (Noodle flew as an infant, but that doesn't count.) So to say that they were excited about the idea of going on a trip to Idaho is an understatement. They were thrilled. They were ecstatic!  Seth and I were pretty pumped, too.  I, myself, have never visited anywhere left of Texas, and standing around in the airport in Seattle on my way to China certainly doesn't count.  And snow?  Well, it's probably been 23-ish years since I've seen any.  And I mean real snow.  The single white flake that falls from the sky every 5 or 10 years and doesn't hit the ground at home in the Florida panhandle does not count.  (Lots of things don't count today.)

So today we traveled Idaho for a two-week visit with Seth's family, and the new experiences are already piling up.

This morning, we got up at 4 a.m. to drive several hours to the Jacksonville airport.  The kids were too jittery to feel sleep deprived, so we wandered around a bit, tried out several chairs, and discussed the giants that seemed to be heading for the tarmac.

Our route today included three airplanes, four airports, a rental car and way more luggage than we needed.

The flights went really well.  The kids were too happy to fight and whine.  Hopers watched Dora the Explorer on the seat-back TV for at least an hour. The winter weather skirted the airports at just the right times.



Hopers' first airplane ride, from Jacksonville, FL to Atlanta, GA.



The Denver airport was our favorite.  We had a four and a half hour layover there, which at first thought seems miserable, but we turned it into a blast.  After eating a nutritious meal at McDonalds, we found our way to a  window where we noticed gray clouds rolling in around the airport.  Soon, bits of white were swirling around the planes and making little piles in corners.  After a short argument of whether or not we should go through security again, we decided to go outside.

This was a big decision, I tell you!  We Florida people were not prepared for what was out there:  bitter, slicing wind, stinging snow, and no coats. 

No coats, because Seth's mother was planning on bringing us all the winter wear we needed to the Boise airport, to cut down on suitcases.  But we weren't at the Boise airport yet, and we were outside, trying to play in winter weather.

Noodle tried catching snowflakes.

Hopers tried catching snowflakes, too.

We returned to the warmth and comfort of the airport, passing through security for the second time that day.   Our seats near the gate offered a view of the snow as it increased by the minute.

We still had a few hours to go.  The urge to try the outdoors again overpowered the urge to stay warm and not go through security again.  Seth and I took turns taking the kids out and sitting with the luggage.  We dug through our bags to find extra layers, hats, and gloves.  We were so cold, however, that we had to run inside every few minutes to find our fingers again!

Noodle's first snowball.

We had our first snowball fight in the Denver airport parking lot.  It was awesome.  We smiled at people rushing past us with quizzical looks on their faces, trying to get out of the storm.  We went through airport security four times and are now on a first name basis with the guards.  We got cold and a bit damp, and then flew to Boise, Idaho, with only a slight delay, because snow is no big deal to an airport like Denver.

Seth's mother met us a the airport with an armful of coats, mittens, scarves and hugs, with snow boots waiting for us all back at the house.  Though it is only nine o'clock in Boise, it is eleven o'clock in our time zone, and our bodies are disagreeing with staying awake.  Have I mentioned we're excited?  Unlike the Denver airport, we are excited about snow.