That's right...as most of you know the Watts Family (minus Daddy Watts or Jigga Watts as most know him) is back in the good ole USA.
Dun...Dun...Duh....
As I've so rudely been asked by many of my friends, I'm sure you're also wondering:
"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"
Geez...talk about making a girl feel welcome.
Well, let me start from the beginning. Originally we had planned on coming home in October and November for C's visit with his bio-dad. We were going to come home for our dear friends' wedding on October 12, and I was going to fly to Washington with the boys after the wedding, returning to Bahrain mid to late November. WELL...one thing led to another, and sign after sign kept pointing to us coming home sooner rather than later.
When did we decide to change the date? Well about 3 days before we flew out of Bahrain. No joke.
This is how we ROLL people...
We don't mess around. Actually I only had about 9 hours from the time that I was officially authorized to leave until we went to the airport.
Wait, what? Officially authorized to leave Bahrain? You've got to be kidding me right? (I'm sure that's what you are thinking right now)
One week ago we decided that the boys and I should try to catch a flight home on August 15th on "The Rotator" aka "The Patriot Express" aka the military flight that only cost $28 per person to catch. At the time there were 50 seats open, so I figured I could make it. Since it's a military operated flight we would be flying "Space A" or depending on Space Availability. Essentially, a waitlist. To be able to catch this flight we have to have a letter of command sponsorship from Andrew's command that he works for, as well as authorization and another letter from the Commanding Officer of the entire Bahrain base.
I know, it's cray cray.
So, while I was (not so) patiently waiting for our letters I checked on the flight status again randomly and our flight only had 10 open spots left. 10. Yeah, there's no way we would make that. HOWEVER, the flight leaving the next day had 47 open spots. So, I called A in a craze, demanding that everyone on the entire base drop everything they were doing to get me my letter NOW. I mean, this is totally reasonable, right? Get the base CO out of whatever important meeting he's in with someone like the Prez, and get me my letter. NOW.
I probably called Andrew every 15 minutes. Do you have my letter yet? No. Do you have my letter yet? No. Kind of like the annoying Verizon Wireless commercials.
Well, the stars aligned just right, and we got our letters to get on the August 9th 1AM flight home on August 8th at 1PM. 12 hours.
I'm pretty sure that in my attempt to pack quickly, I packed our whole house.
I didn't even have time to remember how horrible our flight TO Bahrain was as I wrote about HERE. AND how I swore I was never doing it again, even though I knew I HAD to some day.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to report that this trip was WAY easier than our first trip.
While I was SO worried about traveling across the WORLD with two boys on my own, I'm happy to report that we had a wonderful easy experience. The Rotator stopped in Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Norfolk. At each stop we had to de-plane, with all of our stuff, and go wait in a terminal for 1-2 hours until re-boarding for the next leg of the journey. Add in the fact that it was between 1AM and 8AM for the first two legs, and I had two tired, cranky boys, and all of our stuff. This could have been a total DISASTER.
BUT...it wasn't at all. Since I was traveling without any help people were practically tripping over themselves and others to help us whenever we needed it. It was so completely wonderful. While on a commercial flight last year I couldn't get a single person to switch seats with C and I so that my little guy didn't have to sit alone...on this flight they catered to us and genuinely cared about helping us.
One passenger in particular, Dan from Pennsylvania, helped me at every stop. The first stop in Greece, C was PASSED out. So Dan put his shoes on him and carried him into the terminal for me. At every stop after that he either carried my bags or helped with one of the kids getting off of the plane, and then he found me before getting back on to the plane to make sure I had help. His kindness warmed my heart. He helped make sure that Caden got drinks and food, and helped pick up his mess. At one point, I even saw him on the ground picking up Caden's crayons and putting them in their box.
Everyone all around us was helpful like this. SUCH a difference between commercial flights were nobody could care less about the other passengers, and a military flight were it was honestly like a big family. Good, honest, Americans helping one another.
D continues to be an amazing traveler. Everyone on the plane loved him (he seems to have that effect on people wherever he is though). He was either happy or sleeping. So it worked out wonderfully.
C was a little bit tired at Panera.
All in all, it was a great trip. 32 hours total, and we came off of the pane smiling and happy. TIRED. No doubt. But smiling.
Part of me has to wonder if this trip was so much easier because I am so much healthier now than I was during the first trip to Bahrain. I really think it made a difference. ALSO, since I was sans-husband, people were so eager to help me. I think that's the trick. Fly without your husband and you will get more help than he himself could ever give! Seriously.
So here we are. In AMERICA!
Now a quick SHOUT OUT to my amazing friends and family that helped make this trip happen! Krystal back home who offered to help with the boys or whatever so we could pack. Blake and Christy for picking us up from the Norfolk military terminal and bringing us straight to Panera and our hotel. Kim and Dave for coming to visit us at the hotel at 8AM with breakfast! My cool sister-in-law for picking us up in Norfolk and bringing us to North Carolina!
SIDE NOTE: Kim is one of Andrew's best friends, but I've stolen her. She rocks. And she's an awesome mom, AND a helicopter pilot. How cool is that? Plus D and her little guy, Owen were born a month apart. Exactly. So we have that mommy bonding going on. D and O are bound to be best buds and fly helicopters together someday too.
Buddies.
They've come A LONG WAY since their first meeting 3 months ago right before we LEFT for Bahrain
Little guys.
Okay, enough of memory lane...back to the story.
We will be in North Caroline visiting A's family until Sunday - then we head west again to WASHINGTON!
3 months in the middle east and I am appreciating the US more than ever. HELLO Target, grocery stores, Chick Fil A, Panera, Nordstrom....the list goes on and one and on. I'll make a post on that soon!
So, now you know what I've been up to in the last week. Traveling and adjusting to the time change. I think we're officially settled and recuperated. So get ready for some awesome blogs!
As I was saying to my awesome BFF sister-in-law in reference to our flight. Can you imagine what a wonderful place the world would be if people helped each other like that all the time!?
I'll leave you on that note. As my idol Ellen says, "Be Kind To One Another". It's truly amazing the difference a little bit of kindness makes.
And That's 'Watts' She Said....
