Our Journey to England - Saturday

The weeks leading up to our trip to England for Christmas were not uneventful.  The passport debacle actually had a post script I didn't mention when Melanie's picture was declined by the Department of State and had to be re-taken. A lot of scurrying around to the County Clerk's office the day before Thanksgiving and another $72.00 to expedite the procedure finally concluded in a official passport arriving three days later.  In the clear!

Or so we thought.

There was a terrible stomach bug ripping through the schools and at work and I thought we had all managed to dodge that bullet until Sydney woke me up at 4:00 the morning we were scheduled to depart and I heard the words every mother hates to hear:

I've been throwing up all night.

My heart sank.  I went back to bed and tried to sleep but my mind was racing with the dire consequences of my poor Syd's illness.  

Do we leave her behind?  Which one of us will fall to it next and when will it happen?  Will they let her on the plane?  

I had resigned myself to spending Christmas at home and my heart ached for the disappointment I knew we'd all be feeling.

My friend Ellen who is a nurse insisted I go to CVS immediately and buy some Emetrol so I drove to Binghamton and picked some up.  I also picked up empty travel bottles to bring some with us as some Imodium AD.  I gave her a dose as soon as I got home and she promptly threw it up.  I made her take a second dose which stayed down.  Meanwhile, I was optimistically doing last minute packing and washing my hands every ten minutes as if I were going into surgery.

We packed the dog and suitcases in the car and dropped Willow off at Allen Veterinary.  She loves going there and Megan and Daphne were looking forward to having her for the week.  After she was settled, we drove to Steve's house.  His son Mike had arrived from his home in Clinton that morning and brought gifts for the girls and me.  Goodies from Bath and Body Works!  He knows how to make teenage girls happy!

We took off for the airport in Binghamton and grabbed a quick lunch at Subway.  Syd was still looking a bit green but was hanging in there.  She was a real trooper.

The Little Engine That Could

We breezed through security and Steve and I managed to get seats together.  Mike, Mell and Syd sat in the back of the plane and seemed to hit it off.  We arrived in Philadelphia and were prepared for our five hour layover.  We had a bite to eat and some beers at Chickie and Pete's while Syd sipped ginger ale. We passed the time playing Candy Crush and reading while Sydney slept in her makeshift bed.

Syd catching some zzzzzs

The time passed quickly and we boarded the huge jet bound for London.  Syd and I sat together and 13-year-old Melanie sat waaaay far away from us.  I worried just a bit about her but knew she has a very adaptable personality and would do fine. 

Steve had pre-ordered vegan meals for both of us but I hadn't wanted to take any chances on it being inedible so I had some sushi in the airport prior to boarding.  It was a good thing I did as they didn't have a vegan meal for me.  They apologized profusely and offered me a Muslim meal instead but I declined.  Instead, I had a roll and a dry salad (translation: four small pieces of iceberg lettuce, one thin slice of cucumber and one grape tomato).  

Dinner.

We slept a little on the plane so the seven hour flight went very quickly.  Sydney was feeling better and I was very relieved.  The next leg of our journey was to be the most taxing yet and we needed to be prepared.

That's a loooong way from home!