Saturday, October 2, 2010

My Daughter The Flight Attendant (And Other Things)

Well, I'm starting to feel better again. At that really annoying stage with the constantly runny nose and sore throat that always seems to go on forever until you get all drained out. Oh, well. It's just part of life, I guess. We took my husband to the airport this morning to fly to California so he could help his brother and sister-in-law move back to Idaho with their little tike, Danyole Ray. One of the cutest little kids in the whole world! Mostly he's helping them by driving part of the way. Angela (our nine year old) talked to him on the phone earlier tonight and seemed to find it a little odd that we put him on an airplane to California just so he could drive back to Idaho! He he! Yes, truly a strange arrangement when you think about it from a child's perspective! I'm sure it will give Raymond and Kaci a lot more rest than they normally would get during the trip back, so it's a good thing that he is going, and I'm sure he's enjoying his time with his brother who he hasn't had much time with in the last few years while Raymond has been in the Navy. He is no longer in the Navy as of yesterday, which is why they are returning to Idaho. All of us who know and love them are excited and anxiously awaiting there arrival in Idaho for a much more permanent length of time than before. We appreciate Raymond's service to this country very much and everyone else in the military we also appreciate, but we are also glad to have him back home where he belongs!

While we were at the airport, the kids, especially Chloe (our 8 year old) were very excited to see daddy's plane take off. It was very surreal, almost like a schene out of a movie, which I'm sure is why he did it, when Josh walked out of the airport onto...I think it's what they call the tarmac?... not really sure about that one, and then walked up the steps into the plane. When he got to the top he stood in the doorway and turned and waved at us. We were on the other side of the fence in the grass watching. The kids were very impatient and wanted to know what was taking so long. I explained to them that they have to check all the workings of the plane to make sure it's safe and all that before they take off every time. It was really fascinating after having flown several times in my life to experience all of this through a child's eyes. Angela and Chloe had never even been that close to a real airplane before. Even seeing the turbines(?) start to spin was very exciting to them! The noises the engines on the plane made were even interesting! They got really excited when they saw it start to turn and head towards the runway! It was heading west and I told them that I thought it would probably turn around and head back towards us before they actually went into the air, based on what I'd seen the other little prop planes at our tiny Moscow-Pullman airport doing. I explained to them that it would be going a lot faster than those planes had been going because they have to build up a lot of speed to get a plane that size up into the air. Like I said, very fascinating through a child's eyes. It's been a while since I've flown so I'd forgotten how long all of this can take. After we lost sight of them heading west, I had started to give up on them coming back towards us so I told the kids we should probably head back home, so we turned around to head back to the car. Just a few seconds later, Jeremiah noticed the loud rubbling which I also noticed and shouted, "Mom, dad's plane!" So we all ran back to the fence and got there just in time for the kids to see the wheels lift off of the ground! They just said, "Whoa!" and "Wow!" That was about all I got out of them for a few seconds. Then they went back to being their crazy selves again. Good thing too! I wouldn't have known what to do with myself for the rest of my life if they hadn't!

Anyway, based on that trip and our conversations about what all happens inside the plane during all of that waiting, my daughter Angela decided that she wants to be a Flight Attendant when she grows up! When she first saw the plane she said she thought she'd like to be a pilot, so I started telling her about what the Flight Attendants do on the plane. I know the idea of travelling is what motivated the thought of being a pilot and knowing her servant's heart I couldn't help but think that a Flight Attendant would be very appealing to her personality! She loves people and she loves to serve them and she loves to experience new things. I think she may have found the perfect occupation for her!

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