
The alarm nudged me out of a deep sleep at 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Tuesday, May 27, the last day of what was a practically perfect 8-day whirlwind of joy, laughter and yes, a few tears.
We caught the 4:30 a.m. shuttle bus to National Airport in Washington, D.C. and upon arrival we hastily hugged, kissed and said good-bye to my monkey sister and her hubby before the shuttle whisked them off to the next terminal. Our visits are few and far between, but we always pick up right where we leave off… until the next time.
The Great & Powerful TSA
If you have not yet been gifted with the TSA preapproved check-in, I can only say that it is truly a gift. It’s almost as if you’re following the yellow brick road to the Emerald City where the great and powerful Oz TSA agent, will grant you 3 wishes. No shoes off, no prescription meds pulled out and the creme dela creme, no taking out of the laptop. Just walk right through to Kansas. What glory is this?!
But the airlines won’t let you off that easy. Oh, no, no, no. Once you’re at the gate it’s a game of 1, 2, 3, 4, or the dreaded 5th line to board the plane. NO! Not the 5th line! Fortunately, for us, we breezed on in 2nd position.

What fresh hell is this?!
The Game of Carry-on
It’s such a game. The airlines charge for checked baggage so of course everyone wants to haul everything on the plane with them, but for the poor schmucks who are stuck in the 5th line from hell, good luck finding room in the overhead storage. The trick is though, if this happens to you, the airline has to check your bag – at the gate – and they don’t charge you. And if you’re carrying something fragile in your carry-on bag, pad it well because the person next to you (and the flight attendants) will push/shove/cram your bag any which way they can in order to get theirs in; to the point of ridiculousness. And while I’m on this rant, don’t you love it when you’re in your aisle seat and the same person who is smashing your bag has their front body parts right at your eye level practically in your face? Augh! 🙁

Good luck to those in the 5th boarding line!
But as I said in my last post, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and get on that damn flying sardine can because you’ve got to get from point A to point B in as little time as possible. And, to my knowledge they have not yet built a bridge across the Atlantic Ocean should you happen to be on your way to Europe. I don’t see that happening, but a girl can hope.
A Remarkable Journey
And so as we winged our way back across the country – and as I tried to keep myself entertained in order not to go stir crazy – from Washington, D.C. to Chicago to Portland, I couldn’t help but think back on the remarkable journey we just completed.

How I keep myself entertained while flying through the clouds.
Laughter & Joy
A journey that two days earlier found us on top of a mountain in Virginia overlooking the serene Shenandoah Valley, the most picturesque back drop for a wedding one could hope to experience. A wedding. The words fill my heart. There is nothing quite like watching your son – your only child – marry the love of his life; knowing that this moment in time will forever fill your heart with laughter, joy and yes, a few tears.

Perfectly picturesque!

Their day, their wedding, their dreams.

I do. I do.

And so it begins…
how perfect is that Shenandoah wedding? Can’t get past it. Not too many choose to marry outdoors today. Boomers did!
Lisa Richardson recently posted…Abondanza in the Scottsdale Desert
It was pretty darn perfect! We could not have asked for better weather, absolutely glorious blue sky with a never-ending view for a backdrop. Their choice to marry outdoors speaks to their personalities.
Lovely. And congrats on your son’s marriage.
But as far as the hassles of air travel these days? Heck, I’m amazed and thrilled that we can so easily zip round this Big Blue Dot so swiftly. even w/ all the hassle, the wearying 19 hr. flight to Asia, etc. – to me it’s still pure MAGIC!

Dyanne@TravelnLass recently posted…Foto Flip Friday: Follow Your Dreams (Submit Week 1)
Thanks, Dyanne. You’re right – it is pretty crazy that we can fly across the world, and I’ll do so to get where I need to be. But I still don’t like it. 😉
What a beautiful wedding vista. The bride and the groom look happy too. Korea isn’t too bad getting in and out of yet. I’m sure that will change. I got caught in the wrong line in Bangkok last year and ended up going through the xray machine. I had no clue, and i have to say the security people were pretty miserable. You have to stand a certain way, and if you don’t…

Nancie recently posted…Travel Photo Thursday — June 5/14 — Summer Travels — Beach, Food, History, Sun!
Thank you, Nancie, it was a beautiful day! Oh yeah, those x-ray machines are interesting, but I’d take an x-ray over a pat down any day of the week!
Love the rant about planes. The only thing missing was the delay, the screaming baby with whale sized lungs and the kid behind banging on the tray table.
Yep! This is why we travel by boat.
Best wishes,
Mark and Cindy
s/v Cream Puff
http://www.creampuff.us
Ha! Ha! Ha! Haven’t we all been there?! Thanks for reading!
The wedding looks beautiful …well worth the flight hassles. Too bad we don’t have a “yellow brick road to the Emerald City” here in Canada 🙂

Michele Peterson recently posted…8 strange foods to eat in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico
It seems like flying is just a means to an end anymore; especially since all the airlines and TSA changes. It’s become a dog-eat-dog world in the airport. On the bright side, the wedding looked beautiful. 🙂

Julie Conway recently posted…Bridges of Madison County
Thank you Julie, it was a beautiful day and thanks for stopping by. I’m heading over now to check out Curious Cow.
Congrats on the wedding. Sounds like you were on SWA- I always splurge for the A list. It makes boarding so much easier.

santafetraveler recently posted…Photo of the week: fireplace at D. H. Lawrence Ranch
Thanks Billie! Actually, we flew United with assigned seat #’s, which we like, but they still board in sections.
Congratulations! Looks like it was a wonderful event, well-worth the indignities of flying 🙂

Irene S. Levine recently posted…7 Practical tips for taking photos on high-speed trains
Thanks Irene, and yes, well-worth whatever it took to make the journey. Even flying! 😉
Flying is just not a pleasant experience anymore. I loved your little rant about people cramming their bags into the overhead bins with their front body parts in your face because that EWW! moment has happened to me a couple of times. Seems like personal body space “flies” out the window when you’re flying!

Anita @ No Particular Place To Go recently posted…Cahuita: Cow Whee What?
Oh you’re so right, Anita. Hubby and I always book two aisle seats, across from each other, which works really well for us because once everyone is crammed in, the aisle seats do provide a bit more room. But sitting there while everyone is getting settled can be less than appealing! 😉
What a beautiful memory of a lovely wedding to share with us. I’m sure the happiness you felt radiated to the TSA and he had to expedite you through the lines. Congratulations on gaining a daughter along with your own child.

Neva @ Retire for the Fun of it recently posted…When Pokémon and Birthday Cakes Collide
Yes flying is a necessary evil and the things you need to put up with, but the event you posted seems oh so worth the effort, looks beautiful!

noel recently posted…Cruising Monterey Bay, Travel Photo Mondays #46
Absolutely worth it, Noel. Absolutely!
Such a beautiful thing to watch your children get married. Even if it means dealing with the BS of flying. I somehow got ‘preapproved’ on my my flight from JFK to Phoenix on the way home from South Africa. Maybe it’s because I’m old, but I sure liked it.

Gaelyn recently posted…Pamper yourself with a private Roman bath at Warmwaterberg Spa
It was perfectly beautiful, Gaelyn, if not surreal. A fabulous moment in time.
I highly suspect TSA preapproval has a lot to do with ranges of age. And it’s my understanding it comes through the airlines, but I really don’t know. I first got preapproved and then applied (for free) through United and he received preapproval on our next flight. Go figure!
Congratulations Patti. What a beautiful setting for a wedding!

Tracey recently posted…5 Things I Did To Stay Positive When We Were Waiting To Travel
Beautiful Patti, what an amazing backdrop for a wedding. I’m not a fan of flying either but these days I do find flights (and bus or train journeys) are the perfect time to reflect on your journey and what lies ahead.

Amy recently posted…The Big Circuit and Roluos Group – Temple Hopping Part Two
Thank you, Amy! It was an incredibly special day – could not have had a more perfect day.
Means a lot to have been one of your people celebrating the new Bride and Groom.
It meant the world to us to have you share the day!
You’re moving to Spain? Email us details – we want to come, too 🙂

Jill and Viv recently posted…May 2014 Travel Tips and Tales Newsletter
Congrats to your son and his beautiful new wife, Patti.

Kim recently posted…Win a $50 Amazon gift card: Sign up for the So Many Places Newsletter. (Plus other announcements).
Thank you, Kim!
Congratulations on what seems like was a very nice and beautiful wedding.
A lot of us seem to be having positive experiences with TSA PreCheck. Some think “they” are trying to suck us in, so we’ll go ahead and apply and pay for it. Coincidentally, I wrote about the program this week.

http://www.boomeresque.com/tsa-precheck-yes-please/
Suzanne Fluhr recently posted…TSA PreCheck — Yes, Please
Thank you, Suzanne, the wedding was truly special as it was exactly the day they envisioned. I suspect you’re right about trying to suck us in, but as much as we relish the preapproval process, we don’t fly often enough to pay for it. Maybe it’s a perk of being a Boomer?!
We too are sad saying good buy to monkey sister and Darrell!
I was the house sitter when they went away for the last 5 years and now they move on!
( Spain?)
I don’t think I will ever see them again. But it was a good Experience!
The house sitter
T
Good-byes are never easy, so just say, “Hasta Luego” and when your paths are supposed to cross once again, they will. Thanks so much for reading, Ted, greatly appreciated and maybe one day our paths will cross.