After I posted that sort of humdrum update last night, things took a major turn.
We're going to London! Yes, really!
We had been talking about taking a vacation for a long while. The only vacation we've ever had was Disney back in '06, so we felt kind of due. The problem was that everything was either prohibitively expensive (resort in Puerto Rico) or not really feasible with Andy's bum leg (sightseeing in Washington, DC). Then it dawned on us that Andy's sister Jo lives in London, so we could stay with her for free, and also eat many meals at her house for much less than it would cost to eat out. We Googled some flights, and it seemed really doable—cheap, even. There's a strong chance she'll be moving back Stateside in another year or so (her son already goes to college here, and her daughter has only one more year of high school and will likely go to college here too), so we're closing in on our last chance at a cheapo European vacation.
Next, we realized that my passport expired eons ago, and the kids never got passports. (Andy renewed his a few years back when he had to travel to Canada on business.) There wasn't time to go the traditional application route (4–6 weeks), so I spent all day today unearthing official documents and filling out endless forms and making photocopies (Oh, look! Andy's driver's license expired last October!) and having photos taken and writing BIG checks to expedite the process. We finally signed, sealed, and delivered everything at the post office late this afternoon, having been told that they were pretty darn sure we'd have the four new passports in hand in 2.5 to 3 weeks. And … we're planning to leave in 3.5 weeks! Eeeeek! It was laborious and stressful and ridiculously expensive. (There's also an option where you can pay even MORE to get your passports in hand within 2–3 days, but for that option you must show that you're planning to travel within 2 weeks, which we're not.)
Then we came home and went online to book the flights. And they were all sold out. Except for the ones that were more than twice as expensive or had overnight layovers in NYC or Toronto or O'Hare. Every single fricking flight on every single fricking airline had gotten booked solid in the space of a few hours. Then I did the unthinkable: I booked flights that included the dreaded red-eye on the way there. Yes, I (who have never so much as blinked on a plane, let alone napped) and 3 kids (who are all uniquely and weirdly protective of their sleep habits) will be leaving Boston at dinnertime and arriving in London before breakfast. Oh yeah, and Andy (who can probably catch a few Z's while standing upright if he's tired enough).
But then! We will be in England for a whole week! Jo can drive us around to alleviate some of the walking for Andy, and she can even hang out with him while I take the kids around if we are getting too adventuresome for him. We will be staying in a real house with a real kitchen and real laundry, which makes the whole idea of traveling with kids much less daunting. Maybe Andy and I will even get a dinner out alone?? Stay tuned….
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