Karoline on the road

From Karoline to the ones we left at home:

Mommy did the craziest thing this morning! She scooped me out of bed at 4:15 and put me in the carseat and then we got in Grandad’s car. We drove to the airport—the one where we usually leave Daddy.  This time, Daddy got out of the car and then he got me out of the car, too! And Mommy, too! We actually went inside that great big building.

There were lots of people there even though it was very early. I did my very best to smile at all of them. Daddy talked to the lady at the desk and he looked very pleased. Something about an upgrade.

Then we went to this long line where everyone took off their shoes and put all their stuff in buckets. I put my diaper bag in there. It took the men a very, very long time to use the machines to look at my diaper bag. I was a little worried that I’d have to  unpack it and leave some things behind, but finally, they shoved it down to us.

Then, we got on the people mover to go across the terminal. Mommy sat down with me in the sling. On her left sat an elderly Japanese woman. She was dressed in a native white linen outfit with a big hat. I could tell Mommy liked those clothes. I smiled at the lady and she spoke to me in Japanese. I answered her in Japanese. At least it sounded like Japanese to me.

I really liked the lady on the right of Mommy. She was an African lady and she talked and talked to me. She thought I was perfectly beautiful. And she let me play with her very pretty bracelet. She’s my friend for life.

We boarded the plane and Mommy was so happy. We were sitting up front and we had lots of room and blankets and pillows and wide seats. It was a 767, Bee—I know you care what kind of plane it was. We sat on the runway waiting to take off. Daddy let me play with his cell phone. I speed dialed John Harkes! It was 5:45 AM. [Ed  note: Sorry, John]. Mommy nursed me on takeoff and I fell asleep. I slept all the way to

Chicago

.

When we landed in

Chicago

, I lobbied to go to American

Girls Place

(well, not really, but Mommy did ask the question.) Daddy said we didn’t have time and we’d go to

American Girl Place

in

Dallas

with all the girls and visit Katherine and Katie, and Emily and Sophie, too. So, I settled for breakfast in the airport instead. There were no high chairs, so I sat on the table. An older couple sitting across from us stared at me the whole time. I smiled and the lady said I reminded her of her grandson who is exactly my age. Then she said I was beautiful and that I look just like my Daddy.

Mommy took me to the bathroom to change my diaper. The attendant there spoke to me in Spanish. She told me I was so pretty. And then two more ladies joined here and they stared at me, and then too more. Hey, Michael, I’m not sure, but I’m starting to think I might just be a “Big Deal” just like you!

We got on a new plane to go to

Denver

. It was a skinny plane with skinny seats. Mommy sat by the window with me. Daddy sat in the middle. A nice girl sat next to Daddy. She was very nice. She said that she grew up in

Kentucky

in a homeschooling church. And after college she went to

Brazil

to work in a children’s home. Our lady knew that in that very skinny plane, we’d need to have a young woman with a heart for children in that third seat.

I’d had a good nap on the first plane so I was ready to rock and roll on the second. I played with phone and with the earphones. I ate gingersnaps and spilled red juice all over Mommy. And then I fussed. Mommy sang “Hey Julie” and Daddy dug for cheerios. Eventually, I settled into play peekaboo with the lady two rows behind me. That tired me out and I slept the last twenty minutes into

Denver

.

When we walked through the airport, I was amazed at all the stores! It was so pretty.  We stepped outside to catch the shuttle and Oh My! I saw the giantest mountains I’ve ever seen. Mommy stood completely still in the middle of the street and just tried to catch her breath. Then, Daddy took control and got us safely into the shuttle. We were all so tired hat we tried to check into the hotel. Too early—I guess but I was still on east coast time.

Daddy insisted that we get back in the car and drive west into the mountains. I protested loudly. Mommy slept in the car but Daddy pressed on. We arrived in a little old mining town called

Georgetown

. It was a darling town and the views were spectacular.

I saw columbine growing along the roadside. The wildflowers were all different from our flowers at home. I love the flowers at home and I think they’re beautiful. These flowers were pretty too, in a rugged mountain desert kind of way. I also saw a prairie dog. He made our squirrels seem very ordinary.

We ate lunch in a tavern and I decided that I really love Mexican food cooked in the wild west. I was one happy baby.  As we strolled around the shops, I smiled and waved some more, a bit like Miss

America

on tour. I especially liked a lady who entertained me while Mommy looked at antique linens.

Finally, we drove back towards the hotel, stopping at a gigantic Target. Did you know that they have grocery stores in the Colorado Targets?  We bought some water and some fruit. Cherries cost a lot less in

Colorado

and I was quite pleased as I went to sleep. Daddy bought me a big bag of

Colorado

cherries and there are no big brothers here to eat them in the middle of the night.

I slept like a baby.