Almost didn't make it

 Heading back to reality started by getting back on the awful little hot plane, but I was ready!  We were gone for 9 days, which was a lot of time away from the fam.

This was the group we traveled with, including the travel agent.  I almost didn't make it and it's painful to retell, but here goes:  Day one of travel included my buddy, Heather, and her daughter, Ruby, and I driving to Boise where they were to drop me off at the hotel to leave bright and early for Belize the following day.  We added hours to our drive by missing a turn. Music and chit chat and volume being lowered on the phone (our GPS) resulted in us not knowing we missed a turn until I saw a sign that said "Welcome to Utah"!  We pulled into Boise around 8 pm and Lori asked to see my passport.  Then we realized I brought the wrong passport!  I called Eric and he found the correct passport home in Missoula!  We hustled to the airport to see if I could go with the passport I had, but it's only good for Canada and Mexico by car or boat.  Here's why I have to retell this story even if it's emberassing that I made such an awful mistake:  Carley was talking to Keith about the dilemna and he suggested Eric and I meet halfway.  So I hopped into Debbie's car and drove all night to meet Eric in Shelley, ID, for the passport.  My amazing friend and neighbor, Kylie, came and stayed with the sleeping children all night.  Roads on Eric's end were snowy and we were both exhausted. I couldn't eat and my heart was racing.  I was having the sweats alternating with chills and stopped at every rest stop to use the restroom because my body was panicking.  I was so afraid that one of us would fall asleep at the wheel or that we would put forth all this effort and still miss the 7 am flight!  But we made it and man, did I appreciate that trip even more having known that I almost didn't make it!  When I ran to check into the flight, the woman working behind the counter said she wasn't supposed to let me on at this late of a point, but she did and she warned that my luggage most likely wouldn't make it.  And miracle of miracles, my luggage arrived!

So after Kylie watched the kids all night (she has 4 of her own at home), she got them all ready for church.  Eric got home in time to take the kids to church and our other friends conspired to take care of our kids while Eric went home to sleep.  More amazing friends, the Luceros, took our 5 littles home to play with their 4 kids, in their very small home in the middle of a cold winter, until Eric woke up and got them.  Between my husband and friends, those are the greatest kindnesses that I have ever been dealt.  It was all so I could vacation and all as a result of my carelessness.  But it was amazing all the same and I love them all the more for it!