Travel recap

We still don't have our own internet connection, but my husband has rigged something with VPN and someone else's connection and I'm not asking questions. I wanted to recap our trip before I get into life here. The following post was written in San Juan when Blogger was down.

August 10, 2011
Hello from San Juan! Well, we're halfway there. I'm not exactly sure how we managed to cram all our final stuff into our bags, but somehow we did. There was SO much last minute stuff- I completely underestimated it. After packout, I checked out for about 2 days and then snapped to on the last day. I don't recommend this strategy!

In total, we had 8 suitcases/duffels, 2 car seats (so 10 checked bags), 8 carry-ons, plus 2 purse type things that were frantically crammed into too-full backpacks when it was time to board.

The colorful LL Bean duffles make me so happy! They were fabulous on the trip.

 Too much stuff! We tried to separate the things we'd need for our Pto Rico stay into our carry-ons, so I wouldn't have to wear something embarrassing if our luggage was lost, and so we wouldn't have to open every bag in the hotel, but I'm afraid our strategy failed. There were just too many things that wouldn't fit or weren't allowed- toiletries, sunscreen, shoes, stuffed animals, etc.

We had one last snack on the balcony while waiting for Super Shuttle. We took a moment to say goodbye to Oakwood, and especially the pool, where M learned to swim not long ago!

Finally, it was time to get this B show on the road.

The kids got a kick out of the blue van.

 The first flight was fine. The highlight was M falling asleep randomly around 1pm with his ginky on his head. I thought he was just playing around until I peeked under the blanket. Poor little guy was just worn out.

It was pouring in Miami as we arrived, so our flight ended up being delayed 3 hours. We didn't take off until 9pm and arrived around midnight. I must say that as I struggled to keep the kids tranquil and fed during the layover, I thought about my mom colleagues traveling to far-away places like India or the Philippines...I don't know how you do it!

This little imp kept whining every 10 min that she was hungry, but wouldn't eat what I gave her.

The kids fell asleep mid-flight, and L didn't wake at all- we transferred her from plane to stroller to van to bed (we traveled with a kid-sized aerobed- great idea and it will be her bed until her own toddler bed arrives in HHE).

We're staying in a lovely hotel, the San Juan Marriott. The two pools are perfect for kids as they are both quite shallow and even L can walk easily in certain areas. The beach is large and beautiful with soft sand. It was a good choice.

I was up early to travel to the DHS office here. I was able to observe some interviews, which were fascinating. Tomorrow we head to Santo Domingo- we are all very eager to get there!

August 14, 2011
Ok, back to present time. I will blog about our arrival and first few days, along with photos of the apartment, in the next day or two. Thanks to everyone for the kind emails and good wishes. We are so happy to be 'home.'