Pumpkins, Turkey & Good Company

It was the last week of October and the baby and I were slated to fly to Houston to visit dear friends.  It would be only the second time I'd flown by myself with her.  She had flown with me and the hubby several times, but the duo of mom and daughter had only attempted the endeavor one other time, with moderate success.  Two days prior to departure, my anxiety level was through the roof.  I was acting like a drug addict, all shaky with darting eyes, couldn't finish a sentence.  I was worried that she would cry inconsolably or worse yet, poop and I'd have to change her diaper in that teeny, tiny cell that passes for an airplane bathroom.  What if our flight was delayed?  What if we sat on the runway for 2 hours (like we had done back in the spring)?  How was I going to keep a toddler sitting on my lap for the duration of the flight?  The anxiety was growing, GRowing, GROWing, GROWING.  I kept thinking, "If I can just get us there, everything else will be cake."

And so, we're boarding the plane and we take our seat next to an older, grey-haired man doing a crossword puzzle.  Pleasantries exchanged, we squeezed into our seat and AnnaB immediately reached out to touch his sleeve.  I pulled her arm back and directed her to look out the window.  The elderly man softly said, "She's not going to bother me." I replied, "You say that now, but you may feel differently by the end of the flight!"  With more emphasis, he repeated, "She's not going to bother me.  Even if she's kicks and screams and cries.  I have 7 children and 10 grandchildren."  I smiled from ear to ear and thanked him for his kind words.  My anxiety dissipated, my blood pressure lowered and I acknowledged that only fate could give such seat assignments.  And then, another little miracle happened, the flight attendant said that there was an empty seat a few rows back, which would give me and the baby our own row.  Yeeesssss!  I again thanked the wonderful grandpa for putting this worried mama at ease.  I never saw him again and couldn't pick him out of a line up, but for that one day, for those few minutes, he was my angel.  He'll never know that his calmness and friendliness meant the world to me and that it set up the rest of our trip for perfection.

Our little adventure was only for a few nights and we were staying at my friend Lesli's house.  Our relationship is unique in that it was my first real, adult friendship that I chose to have and not because school, work or family brought us together.  We met at the gym, both loving aerobics classes and having many other things in common, Lesli arranged for us and our husbands to have dinner together.  It was our "first date" as the husbands like to mockingly call it.  Many moons later, we've stayed close through relocations, pregnancies, natural disasters, holidays, pretty much, all major life events.  So it only made sense that when the hubby had to be at an out-of-state training course over Halloween, the baby and I should spend it with a super cool family!

Enjoying the Oklahoma fall weather & OSU football.

Pumpkins!

The week of Halloween, trying out Storybook Forest in OKC.

Halloween day in Houston.

Princess car riding with Kendall.

And bike riding with Charlie.

And more princess car with Charlie.

Dressed up for Halloween - Spidey Girl!

Our little super heroes: Captain America (Charlie, eating his shield), Spidey Girl (AnnaB) & Wonder Woman (Kendall).

Blink! It was the weekend before Thanksgiving and we (the hubby, AnnaB and I), hoofed it up the turnpike to stay with our oldest, know-things-about-you-that-could-put-you-in-big-trouble friends.  The hubby and I were racing the Tulsa Half Marathon, but not before enjoying some R & R with D & R. 

AnnaB & Harrison holding hands while exploring the Jenks Aquarium.

Laundry time! No one is ever this happy to do laundry.

Thanksgiving Day brought 2 huge meals and much gratitude.  It's hard to be properly thankful when life gives us so much wonderfulness.  So happy, so thankful!

Our family!  As AnnaB says: RyRy, NaNa, Grandma

Cousins! AnnaB with baby Pax and Uncle Brettie and Aunt Sass