Apparently, Bill and I are the only ones in our family blessed with the mysterious ability to sleep on planes. Our kiddos? Not so much. While Bill happily snoozed through most of the flight, I was trapped in a chaotic, restless dance of trying to help the kids get comfortable enough to sleep, even for a few minutes. I didn't mind, however; I knew my sleep would eventually come, even if I had to wait until Bill was driving us home.
When I booked the redeye flight, I imagined us all drifting off into peaceful slumber, waking up refreshed as the wheels touched down at home. We'd hit the ground running and enjoy our Sunday afternoon. Wrong! The kids stared blankly at the backs of their seats for the entire six-hour flight, and Solomon, our six-year-old, finally surrendered to sleep—just as the plane descended. Classic.
He fell asleep in the last 10 minutes of the flight. Seriously, kid?
The funny thing is, as awful as our kids are at sleeping on planes, they are world-class nappers when it comes to airports. I've never seen people contort themselves into such bizarre positions, catching a nap on hard chairs or airport floors. But there they were, napping in the weirdest places after hours of tossing and turning in the air.
Hosanna fell asleep on this hard, cold, metal window frame, but not on her sister's lap with a pillow. Okay, kid, lol.
When our second flight finally landed in Tucson, none of us had really slept for over 30 hours, save for a few 5-to-10-minute catnaps here and there. Coffee? Not cutting it. But somehow, despite our zombie-like state, we all managed to stay in great moods. No complaints here—we were just happy to be on the ground and back home.
Even in our sleep-deprived state, the adventure wasn't over yet. We had to make a Costco run because the fridge was as empty as our energy tanks. You know you're back from vacation when your first mission is to restock groceries. We dragged ourselves through the store, loading up on essentials and trying not to fall asleep in the checkout line. The sight of our crew stumbling through Costco must've been something—a zombie family takes on bulk shopping! After stocking up, we finally made it home, where we all promptly crashed. It wasn't even 5 p.m., and we were out like lights.
The harsh reality of post-vacation life kicks in tomorrow, and we'll have to figure out how to "adult" again. But tonight? We're calling it a day and counting our blessings. Sure, it's been exhausting, but I wouldn't trade this chaotic, sleep-deprived adventure for anything!
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