Last Thursday was my birthday . . . it was also the only day that I could get a decent-priced flight to Phoenix for Grandma’s funeral so it turned out to be a slightly less-conventional celebration than I had originally planned.
I started the day in court finalizing Michaela Walker’s adoption. I love being in court and I love doing adoptions so it was a double-bonus to begin the day. (This adoption was extra special because the Walker’s were doing it so that Michaela could be sealed to them in the temple — extra-double-bonus!) This was my first termination/adoption so I was very relieved when the judge granted it all without a hitch — happy birthday to me!
After court, Carter and I packed for our trip while Raine was at school. Packing is never fun, but this time it wasn’t too bad because DJ did all the laundry last night while I was preparing my adoption paperwork — happy birthday to me!
We picked-up Raine from school and came home to make a yummy birthday cake.
DJ got home from work, we ate a speedy dinner, sang happy birthday, and ate my yummy cake before rushing off to the airport.
Did I mention that the cake was yummy!?!!
Since the line at the counter was non-existent and the line for security was less than 3 people, I actually had time to open my present there with my family — happy birthday to me, even if it was in the airport lobby!
Carter and I said goodbye to Daddy and Raine, then headed to our gate. Our flight was on-time and we waited until last to board, thus ensuring that our bag would have to be gate-checked to our final destination and I wouldn’t have to lug it around Denver during our layover — happy birthday to me!
Our flights were fairly uneventful. We were seated next to the window, on the very last row of the plane, on both of our flights. Carter watched Elmo and Barney videos on his iPod and ate the extra cookies the flight attendants gave him because he was “so cute” — maybe that’s why he didn’t fall asleep on the plane, despite it being after midnight.
We finally arrived in Phoenix and headed down to the baggage claim. Since we were the last ones off the plane and had to stop on our way out, we were the last ones at the baggage carousel. There were only a couple bags left; one of them was the bag we gate-checked, but the bag we checked at the counter, with our car seat and stroller in it, was nowhere to be found — not a happy birthday to me.
The airline gave us a loaner car seat so we could legally get home. It was at least as old as I am and probably didn’t meet any current safety standards, but at midnight in someone else’s time-zone you aren’t too picky. Fortunately, they found our gear the next day and delivered it to us at Grandma’s house.
And that was how I spent my 33rd birthday!