Category Archives: Story Time

Pumpkin Patchin’

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 2 November, 2013 None comments

We went to our first pumpkin patch this past weekend with our son. It was so exciting to watch his big blue eyes light up. His eyes were so big as we pulled him closer in the wagon and he could see yellow, white, orange, and Cinderella pumpkins. All different shapes, sizes and colors. This was his dreamland. If you’ve heard me share previously about his deep obsession with balls, you would know he relates pumpkins to this obsession; they are round and that’s all that matters in his little mind. If they are round than they must be thrown.

His first awakening to pumpkins was at the store one afternoon and as we were walking in, they have the big tubs full of pumpkins. He pointed to it and I realized he’s never known what a pumpkin is. I handed him a small one and to my dismay the pumpkin went rolling through the entrance of the store. I quickly chase after it thankful it was still in one piece. Ever since that moment he has been longing to hold a pumpkin in his tiny little hands, arch way over his head and toss it with all his might. Well his dream came true when we went to visit my parents a couple weeks ago. My dad has his own, unintentional pumpkin patch. For some reason it grows like wildfire for him and all the grandkids love to go pick their pumpkins. He would find all the little ones around the house that my mom had for decorations and he would play with them forever simply rolling them around and tossing them. When I realized he was cracking them in half, I put an immediate end to this playful event. We took a couple small ones home with us and this boy can’t help but throw them. They did not make it more than a day. He didn’t understand once it cracked and there were seeds and goop all over that he ruined it. This little man is too cute, he blows my mind everyday with his cuteness.

Due to his cuteness, both my husband and I knew he would love going to the pumpkin patch and being able to see and touch as many pumpkins til his hearts content. We went and had an awesome time. He loved it! They had a haystack for kids to climb on, mazes and cute little photo-ops all catered to kids. It was fun and we let him get as dirty as he wanted. He even “picked” his own little pumpkin that we carved last night. :)

Here’s a few fun photos…

It was a great day for pumpkin patchin’

Crisp Fall Weather

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 30 October, 2013 None comments

I LOVE Autumn. The cool, crisp air on a clear day while the leaves fall down around us, the crunch of the leaves beneath our feet as we bundle up for a walk with cocoa or coffee in hand. This is what makes me smile. I love summer but fall is a close next.

Soup simmering on the stove allowing the house to smell delightfully tasty with the warmth of blankets on our laps while the windows produce a slight chill allowing you to sink deeper into the couch with a good book in hand.

We headed outside today and you can see how my son enjoys the outside no matter what the weather holds. :) This little man melts my heart and can ALWAYS put a smile on my face. Oooo how I want to go kiss his chubby little cheeks while he’s sleeping right now, sweet baby. :)

Knows I’m trying to take a picture and refuses to look.

Our front yard

My view driving on our street. Mt Hood in the background.

I LOVE the BEAUTIFUL Autumn colors and playing in the crisp leaves with my little man.

Managing My Day as a Homemaker

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 27 October, 2013 None comments

When it comes to parenting only 10% is the “plan,” 90% is the parents and their consistency or lack thereof.

I saw today on the Katie Curick show about how daddy’s and mommy’s struggle with addictions whether that’s from alcohol, drugs, internet, etc. I was shocked how many moms actually turn to something to help mask the feelings they have. I think there is a massive expectation that being a mom will change your life for the good. Don’t hear me wrong, it will change your life for the good but when you are a homemaker and your toddler tells you “You’re not the boss of me” or says “no” and throws tantrums your day can get very exhausting and feelings of being unappreciated may sink in. Don’t allow those thoughts to overtake you. Or, you may be that mom who wasn’t planning on becoming a mom at all, or maybe not in the near future at least. You may be thinking you don’t “deserve this,” you still have a lot of life to live, a child wasn’t meant to happen until later.

What caught my attention even more is there was no discussion about the father. Why does the mom have to always be on her game and yet a father doesn’t? Why does the mom always know “what to do” and it’s okay for a father not to? Parenting is a team not a mom. Why is it okay for a father to drink alcohol while the mom doesn’t? This was so prevalent in the show. Men are the workers and they get to do what they want because the go to work all day, where as mom’s are a mom, so they always have to be on; their job isn’t consider as highly because they don’t earn a paycheck. My passion comes in right here. Parent’s are parents no matter their circumstance. You must step up to the responsibility. No “ifs, ands or buts.” Where is the sense of awareness coming from, what if your child needs to be rushed to the ER, is choking or simply needs to be played with and loved on? Can alcohol traumatize your child, absolutely? Why do we pretend alcohol is okay; is it because it’s so socially acceptable? My mind is baffled with how parents think its okay to “check out” for a few hours. I feel so strongly about this and would say you need to not have kids until you figure this out and if you are like my husband and I and didn’t have that choice, your child was quite a surprise, than step up and figure it out. Kids NEED our full attention and need to have their parents 100% alert all of the time. You have to become selfless when you have children, even more so than when you get married. This is a constant battle that we think “we deserve” something more. Where is this motto coming from and whose to say what we deserve. If I’m honest here, none of us deserve anything.

I don’t want to point the finger only at alcohol, but I do see the social acceptability is beyond my belief. I think people struggle deeply with alcohol as well as other things and are so naïve to the reality of this situation. I’ve seen what happens when a parent thinks it’s okay to check out; it’s not pretty! I had a conversation this morning with my girlfriend about the time we spend with our children; is it quality or quantity. You can check out by getting online, cooking, baking, drinking, or doing drugs. None of this is acceptable. I’ve seen unfortunately with our neighbors how important their “adult time” is, I choose not to partake in this activity. Being a mom is very challenging and does require strength and perseverance.

Please excuse me if I am being hard on this situation, although I don’t understand why we believe we deserve things and fight to receive it. Our time can be spent getting a pedicure, coffee, lunch, or dinner with a girlfriend, it does not need to involve alcoholic drinks. I’ve spent my time doing things I felt I deserved and now that I am a mom and a wife, I see things quite different as our roles take us to maturity whether we are ready for it or not.

Now enough of my tangent; lets get down to our schedules to help keep us feeling satisfied with out lives as mothers. Every mom struggles with how to manage their day, how they can make it the most productive and yet feel satisfied when you lay your head down at night is every woman’s dream. My husband jokes with me about making my mental checklists when I lay in bed at night; I’m guilty of it. I can’t fall asleep right away because I am making my mental list of what needs to be accomplished the following day and how to best approach it. If you haven’t seen the movie “I don’t know how she does it” with Sarah Jessica Parker, you need to see it, she does the mental checklist. I think this can be a big trigger for many mom’s as they do not know where to start in developing a productive day while balancing time with their children. Lets start with my daily schedule, I’m not saying I am great at this all the time, but definitely think it’s important to have a schedule laid out for the week.

My Week:

6:30 am: I wake up early to say goodbye to my husband, get my coffee and do my bible study before Cooper wakes up. If I don’t wake up before him, I have a very tough time making my Bible Study a priority as the day goes on.

7:30 am: I begin my research to update you all with my glorious words of wisdom :) and educate myself with the world around us. I also pay bills and take care of finances first thing in the morning.

8:30 am: Cooper wakes up. Eat breakfast together and have play time. Play dates, walking to the park, story time at the Library etc. (I try and have a couple hours outside of the home to get him outside in the back yard or out with some friends. Change of scenery)

10:30-11 am: Lay Cooper down for a nap and start preparing dinner plans. Clean the house

12:30-1 pm: Structured play time with Cooper when he wakes up. Run errands for the week.

3:00 pm: Lay Cooper down for a second nap and finish dinner plans. Take some “me” time and watch a TV show, read, listen to music, take a nap. Even if you take 20 minutes for yourself, enjoy it.

4:30 pm: Interactive playtime with Cooper. Play outside or at the park if we didn’t get to do so in the morning.

5:30 pm: Bath Time, we love killing time in the tub. He likes to make the entire bathroom an ocean; filled with water everywhere.

6:00 pm: Dinner time

7:00 pm: Bed Time for Cooper, read books, sing and go night night!

7:15 pm: Clean up kitchen, make my husbands lunch and relax!!!

Now our days can vary depending on what comes up in life. Today for example, we met my husband for lunch at work. This through off Coopers nap schedule completely, but it’s good for him now and again. They need to be flexible but also need their routine.

Throughout the day, you can see I structure my time to be productive while my son is sleeping. I do so, so I can play WITH him and grow his little brain. It’s more relaxing actually to not worry about cleaning or cooking while he is awake due to the structure of my day working so well, that I can also ENJOY my son while he is awake. It also allows him to not fuss because he wants to have someone to play with him. I’ve found if I am cooking dinner while he is awake, it can get uptight as he can demand all my attention yet dinner wont cook itself. Making time to play with our kids is also very crucial yet can’t be done all day. They need a balance. Playing alone is very important as well. Find what works for you and your child/children. You may have to alter your time frames accordingly. I am NOT a morning person at all, but have forced myself to get up early and go to bed early and it has worked very well for all of us.

It’s important for me to enjoy my day, feel fulfilled and relaxed as well as truly enjoying my time spent with my son. I know I’ve had too many days of “playing” with my son where I am present but preoccupied. When I realized this, I decided I need to start making some changes to help benefit our family. By doing so, I feel much accomplishment when I lay down at night knowing I had been blessed with my son all day, took care of our home, and prepared meals for my family. I have time for myself, my husband in the evenings and great enjoyment with my son throughout the day.

Remember our kids are little blessings from above who long to be loved and taught. Take advantage of the few short years we have with them.

Biggest Bang for your buck: Utilizing your day to make the most of it. Don’t let your kids life pass you by.

Cup O’ Joe

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 23 October, 2013 None comments

I LOVE my coffee. I NEED my coffee. In the morning it gets me going. Sad but true, my coffee is usually what gets me out of bed every morning, makes me wake up. Literally, it’s the excitement of knowing that I can have my coffee when I pull (sometimes tear) myself out of my comfy bed and scuffle out to the kitchen. It’ll be ok. I can pour my coffee and creamer and somehow I’ll have the strength to begin my day. My husband usually wakes up earlier, works out and gets the coffee brewing. Ummm, coffee is the best smell to wake up to on a cool crisp morning.

Since we have been visiting my family in ‘no-mans-land’ so we could attend my grandma’s memorial service, the busy days tend to run together and make chasing my son more tiring. My parents have an esspresso machine that makes the best lattes. Something about a homemade double (or triple) shot latte instead of a pot of coffee…well, there’s no contest! With many flavor choices available, and it being morning, I must choose hot and steamed with a thick, dense high cloud of foam, not iced. This seemingly little factor of an avaliable espresso machine makes it extra exciting for me to wake up in the morning knowing this special treat, right at my fingertips, will only last one more day. I try and take advantage of this glorious hot cup of “black gold” that brightens my perspective of waking up early.

Today is our last morning in ‘no-mans-land’ and I am sipping on my perfect latte, pausing to allow the taste and moment to linger. Earlier as I headed down stairs and straight to my mom’s kitchen to prepare this steaming cup, I wondered if fervent hope could somehow transfer this marvelous machine to our kitchen, mysterously by tomorrow morning. I think not.

It’s the little things that make me smile and get me through the day. :)

Simple Conviction

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 22 October, 2013 None comments

Do you ever realize that all of social media portrays a happy timeline? Facebook has this incredible timeline you can share with “friends.” Why is it that everyone on Facebook happens to have the most amazing family trips, family dinners, camping trips, and birthday parties. Do we ever see the cake our 4 year old got into, the camping trip that kept mom and dad up all night, the dinner party where the glass of wine shattered and spilt, and the awkward family dinner with tension that overtakes the conversations. All of this actually happened to someone I know, but the reality is we sweep it under the rug and post the picture that shows the kids smiling or the awesome new outfit we just bought. Do you get my drift?

Twitter is very similar, all the comments that are chipper or a putdown towards someone else to make ourselves feel better, keep the twitter world sailing smoothly.

My goal here is to display a life of pure honesty; laying out the good and the bad, the joy and despair, and the blessings and curses. The reality is every single one of us has, and will go through hurt and pain. The problem is the thought of feeling vulnerable, judge, persecuted, and unworthy fills our minds before we embark on the honesty train. I will take the stand and be real with the good and the bad because I want everyone to know they are not alone.

My simple conviction

The Hunt

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 21 October, 2013 None comments

One of the hardest things for me is lying in bed alone, helpless and in pain. Wishing I could change my circumstance but also somehow feeling peace from God that he is giving me the strength to get through. My heart aches as I watch my sleeping son, so innocent and pure. I do not want him to experience the pain in this world as my husband and I have. I would do anything to protect him from lying in bed, alone, helpless and in pain. I want to protect this little man so desperately.

As I watch his father, my heart continues the ache. I see the helplessness, fear, pain, depression, anger and hopelessness sink into him. It has officially overtaken him. My heart breaks because this world is so painful yet so incredible. There is this awesome hope and peace I long for my family to experience. I walked the path of rebellion, the path of despair, the path of hopelessness. I have been there! I am on the other side right now and wish others could follow in the steps of my words and truly experience the deep love of Christ. We search and hunt for a fulfillment of pure love and acceptance, we search our whole lives for this, yet God created this place for Him, but we will fight to our death sometimes to find it in anything and everything except Him.

“Pain is weakness leaving the body” I heard this quote and was taken aback by it. The reality is that trials are difficult and painful most of the time. What’s your initial response when you here “pain is weakness leaving the body.” Your circumstances today, the pain you experience, are you learning from it or dodging it?

We are all on a hunt, a hunt for something more. Are we ever satisfied with life; I mean really, do we ever feel complete contentment with our circumstances? We are constantly striving for more. What if we stopped and were thankful for the current day and what we have been blessed with. How would our circumstances change?

My husband is on a work trip traveling to Oklahoma. He sent me a few pictures from the tornados yesterday. Strip malls completely emptied out and standing metal is all that remains. Wood piles, signs, and belongings all stripped away. Houses crumbled with only foundation remaining. Cars destroyed. This was a reality check for me. Even though I am not present in Oklahoma, the pictures did enough for me to realize how quickly we can lose everything, literally. Today he sent me pictures on his way back to the airport of the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial site; such a sad devastating situation yet a beautiful memorial. This was a good reminder as to the “stress” in the day and if I lost everything, what would remain and still hold importance; my family. That’s all that I truly care about even in the midst of distractions.

These are my simple thoughts for the evening.

Carnival Cruise

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 19 October, 2013 None comments

We started off our ten day trip on a cruise to the Bahamas with Carnival. Neither my husband nor I have been on a cruise before. We have heard good things about it from my parents and my sister and her husband though they were all on different cruise lines. We took the chance and had a blast.

I am so thankful I upgraded our room to a balcony suite as my son needed a separate space to fall asleep at night without us huddled on the bed in complete silence starring at one another while he plays until he falls asleep; could be 30 minutes. To us, it was worth the extra money to enjoy a balcony with our coffee in the morning and dessert in the evening. We also have free 24 hour room service which was utilized to the max. We had an awesome view and the first morning as we arrived in Freeport, I woke up early as the time change threw me off a bit. It was simply gorgeous, I couldn’t fall back asleep with all the excitement of docking in a country I’ve never been but always wanted to go. I was so excited to be there with my family and explore the island and enjoy a warm beach that is beautifully bright blue; something we don’t have at home.

Michael and Cooper

Freeport

The ocean was amazing, Cooper couldn’t get enough of the water it was great! We walked around exploring the many shops and laid on the beach and let Cooper be over stimulated while he tossed the sand up in the air over and over again.

We also docked at Nassau the following day, which I personally enjoyed the most. It was a smaller island with more shops and people. Definitely a different vibe, Freeport was more industrial but still a great place to see; both completely different. Nassau has the giant hotel Atlantis which is basically it’s own city as is. We were planning on going to the aquarium at Atlantis but it was $90 and we only had 3 hours before we had to head back to the ship. It wasn’t worth the money for me as we still had Sea World and Universal Studios back in Orlando to hit up. We enjoyed walking around without a schedule and again hitting up the beaches that are BEAUTIFUL. We got our fill of the sun and warm ocean water while we were gone. Although I must say once we headed back to Florida, the ocean water was basically brown. It probably was pretty normal and beautiful but having seen the blue waters first; it left us feeling dirty on the Florida Coast. The water was just as warm but definitely a different look.

While on the ship there was a lot I enjoyed but A LOT I was pretty unhappy with, this made the balcony even more worthwhile. The atmosphere of the cruise was very “frat house-ish” but with 40 year olds. The main deck where we dined for meals also had the main pool and hot tubs. Every night it was filled with 20-30 men and a handful of women all drunk and acting very inappropriate. The last night was the worst. They had buckets and buckets of beer spread across the side of the pool and one man dropped his swim trunks 2-3 times showing more than we bargained for. Two women also put beer between their chests as men lined up to drink from it. It got out of hand and many families were all disappointed as they had to explain to their kids what was being unfolded before their young eyes. I was thankful Cooper wasn’t old enough to understand but at the same time, I had no interest in watching their drunkenness while headed to dinner. The first night at our formal dinner with Kenny G playing and dim lighting and they interrupted our dinner welcoming us aboard and then proceeded to have the staff dance to “Apple Bottom Jeans, Boots with the Fur,” while grinding up against polls as they moved throughout the restaurant ending the dinner with classical music and dim lighting. My husband and I were appalled as this was the beginning of our cruise and ending with drunk parties for all to see.

Now let me say, the staff was incredible, they knew our names from the moment we arrived and our room Steward was amazing. He would leave things for Cooper all throughout the day in our room and would always play with him when he saw us walking by. In the dining hall, there were a couple young men who absolutely loved Cooper and would bring him treats and play with him while we ate dinner. They were all so nice and it was great when we got off the ship as we could do our own thing, and aboard the ship we used our balcony to the max. Hindsight, the money was worth more than we expected as we spent a lot of time in our room on the balcony being with our family.

On the balcony

Coopers friend in the dining room

All in all, we had a great time and the Islands were amazing. The staff was great but the atmosphere was not family oriented as I had expected it to be. We will cruise again but definitely would cruise on the Disney Ship as we know that will be kid friendly. We also want to do an Alaskan cruise but with a different cruise line. Carnival simply wasn’t for us but was worth the experience and we still had fun.

We enjoyed lightening storms from afar with no land to break up the night sky; it was beautiful.

Fear

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 18 October, 2013 None comments

The knots begin to form in the pit of my tummy, racing butterflies through my heart and a hint of nausea running through my brain. This is what I call Fear. I have such a problem with being fearful that it can paralyze me if I allow it. I have to catch myself and talk through the feelings welling up inside me. I’ve spoke previously that everybody is driven by fear on some level or another but some people (ie ME) struggle with it on a frequent basis.

Today was a beautiful Autumn day as I began packing for our five day extravaganza or shall I say, the family reunion while we all join to celebrate the life of my grandma as she passed away this last week. I love my grandma dearly and my heart is sad for us left behind but I have confidence she is with my grandpa and Jesus waiting for us all to join her in heaven.

With that said I have been prepping and getting excited to head out and see the family this evening. I have had many conversations with my husband about my fear and just as he has things that drive him in one direction or another, fear is a frequent conversation. He simply doesn’t understand the depths of my struggle, nor do I expect him to, but we are on completely different ends of the spectrum. This is where grace and understanding are required in a marriage. It’s interesting how we all have triggers that make us want to run from a conversation and our defenses pick up immediately. Have you ever thought how our brain can process thousands of thoughts in less than five seconds and our reactions come before we even have the chance to think if it’s the right reaction or not. It actually is a fascinating concept. Needless to say, in the middle of a conversation with my husband this afternoon, we were joking around and within seconds, literally seconds, the defenses came up. Sometimes we think it comes from left field, but we all know our triggers and our spouse’s triggers as well. Even though I approached him in a very respectful manner, his immediate reaction was defensive and then moments of silence.

The frustration now presently taking over my body, “I approached him respectfully, quietly, and honestly, why the heck is he reacting,” I think to myself. As I go on with my day, I have this unsettled feeling residing inside me, even though I am trying to move on and not let him affect my response. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling, the fear was not only bubbling up inside me; it was a raging boil. I had to calm myself wondering why it had that extreme effect on me. I began to realize God is in control of our circumstances whether they are good or bad, he is in control and allows everything to proceed through his hands. EVERYTHING that touches our lives, he has already approved it. When I thought that through, my fear began to be stilled, the quiet waters as I previously known as a raging boil just seconds ago. I know I have to trust the Lord in ALL THINGS, so if I truly believe that, than my response needs to leave my fear in the hands of my Heavenly Father. I am responsible for my actions from that moment forward, not his.

I’m not claiming that this is an easy response, but it truly is amazing how God can quickly shake the fear inside me. Fear is not from the Lord, and it has a strong hold on my life that I am in the process of releasing. I’ve been in the midst of the fire with my fear for honestly, a couple years. I’ve had fear all my life, but the last couple years have really ignited the fire to unleash full force. Due to my husband respectfully talking this through with me, I have been standing face to face that this does have a control on my life that is not healthy. I am a clay pot being molded, we all are. It does not happen overnight, a beautiful pot takes time to be refined and fill in the cracks; don’t’ we all want to be moldable and teachable? This was the reality of my fear today.

Moment of Truth:

Psalms 91

Tool Bench

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 18 October, 2013 None comments

We got my son his first little tool bench as he loves to bang and hit on anything and everything. We got him a cheap one from IKEA and it came with a hammer. The problem is since the first day the hammer has been missing and we still cannot find it.

Its been roughly a month now since it’s been missing and again today, I’m stumped, I have no idea where it is.

He is definitely a funny little character always hiding things between the couch and cupboards and typically I’ll find these items that night while picking up his toys or at least a couple days later. But here we are a month later with no success. I know I may never find it, he may hunt it down and be playing with it one day and I’ll still be stumped as to where this hammer is. Its definitely not small so my brain is officially confused on where this long wooden hammer resides.

These cute little things make me smile, laugh and hold these precious moments dear to my heart. I wish I could understand what goes through his tiny little brain while he hides toys and stuffs his farm animals deep into the couch, so cute.

Airplane Pride

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 18 October, 2013 None comments

The cool sweat that pushes against my arm as I lean against the armrest on the airplane leaves me beyond frustrated. I’m stuck tightly in the middle seat with very little space on either side of me while my son sprawling amongst us doesn’t help this squishy scenario. My frustration begins to boil, what makes this woman think she can take over both armrests while also utilizing the space where my feet are supposed to reside? I make a couple inappropriate remarks to my husband quietly.

The long awaited taxing while waiting for takeoff leaves our entire row angry and deserving. Finally takeoff occurs and my son is restlessly tired, squirming between my husband and I. As I strap my son into the ergo carrier and quietly say “excuse me, I’m trying to position my son with the little room we have,” She glares down at me over her reading glasses as if I just personally offended her and she has done nothing wrong. I strap him in with a little pride rested deep within me. “I told her!” I think to myself wondering why it felt so good to speak up.

During the ascend, she surveys the tight space between us with extreme confidence believing she is clearly not in the wrong. She is flailing all around over exaggerating her movements in hope I would see her response. Within minutes she looks at me with confusion “do you see where the outlet is,” as she points to the sign referencing an outlet between the seats. My heart falls into my stomach, immediately feeling remorse for my deserving actions. What makes me think I have the right to be harsh with this woman? I quickly respond with politeness trying to help locate this item for her. Realizing the flight attendant just spoke through the intercom that we must sit immediately as we are still ascending with our ‘seatblet fastened’ sign on; I jump back down as if I’m not already embarrassed for my course action a few minutes prior. Now the whole plane can see my right to not follow the rules, I must be the exception.

I sit quietly as my son climbs on us like a jungle gym feeling complete remorse for my angered comments that she had to experience. The one encounter I will have with this woman my entire life as I’m remembering I have bible study tomorrow and what a great example I am being, leads me to humiliation and a humbling state as I move over to give her ample room to work on her computer. My heart softens towards her as she leans over and says “your son is quiet charming,” ugg I think to myself, now she is killing me with kindness, how is this happening, that’s supposed to be my job. Humbled again I quietly say “thank you” while giving her an “I’m sorry” look.

Roughly 30 minutes later my son is at the end of his rope; exhausted and sitting in a poopy diaper. Must I ask this lady to please stand up for me now that my son has soiled himself? She does so with gratitude and offers her lap for Cooper’s legs when we return if that would help him fall asleep. “Your sweet,” I murmur. She didn’t deserve to be treated with disrespect, I get it, but now her kindness digs the knife in deeper. I can since the sincerity knowing she is simply being nice out of the kindness of her heart. I learned my lesson that’s for sure.

Finally Cooper falls asleep, we sit in peace with one another as we both take our attention to our electronics. We hear through the intercom “If anyone is a doctor onboard, please alert a flight attendant right away as there is a medical emergency.” Could this flight become anymore “exciting,” I think to myself.

A few rows behind us, a female doctor stands up to address the young patient needing immediate assistance. We all sit tight waiting the outcome to hear if we can proceed safely or if we are in need of a quick landing. My curious self looks around as they have given this patient two bags of fluids already and asking for our patience onboard as the aisle is blocked for the bathroom. My heart is sad for this ill patient hoping for their health to not be seriously compromised.

We have roughly an hour and forty minutes remaining on our flight and turbulence begins to pick up pretty heavily. As I lay sleeping for a mere five minutes, I awake to rough waters ahead, or shall I say, rough clouds ahead; it was very bumpy.

As we landed, paramedics awaited our flight for the young woman who had been ill. Three IVs later we find out she has health issues and the doctor aboard was a heart surgeon who could properly help her while in flight. Thankfully she seemed to be ‘okay.’

Due to our chaotic flight arrangements we had 20 minutes to rush to our next gate, get boarding passes and hopefully a bite to eat. Our flight got cancelled and rescheduled for tomorrow but they were able to squeeze us on some really random flights and everything had to flow perfectly to not miss one. We got bumped all around and surprisingly we made all three flights and got home safely after touching down in Orlando, Denver, Salt Lake, and finally Portland. LONG day, but Cooper did awesome even without naps; he may have even done better than I. :)