On Wednesday, July 30, the Lambert Clan was getting ready to head to Pop and Mimi’s for a summer vacation in beautiful Alden, Mich. (Torch Lake). The Lambert clan consists of Will (our 8-year-old son), Carter (our 6-year-old daughter), Charlie (our 4-year-old son), me and Isa (my wife of 15 years and the glue that holds us all together).
We had a plane to catch the next morning, and needless to say I had nothing to do with getting everyone packed, organized and ready for the long day’s journey ahead. My sole responsibility was packing the car for the one-hour trip to Tampa International Airport and helping everyone get dressed in the morning, excluding Isa of course.
Four full suitcases (check), four carry-on bags (check), three kids (check)… Ready to roll! In eight hours we’d be at Pop & Mimi’s for the next ten days for some well deserved R&R.
Everything was going smoothly so far. We boarded the first leg of our flight on Delta Airlines to Detroit where we would switch planes to make the final leg of our journey to Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Mich.
The kids were great on the first leg, but I knew that things were going too smoothly at this point; something had to give. The flight to Detroit was delightful (maybe not so delightful for the gentleman trying to sleep in the seat in front of Charlie as he put the tray table up and down more than 100 times), but the kids were happy and well behaved, which made the parents even happier.
When we arrived in Detroit, I was in charge of the carry-on bags and helping to herd the kids to the next gate. Again, everything was going as planned – no crying or arguing, just a whole lot of cooperation and anticipation.
As we arrived at the next gate, we did a quick check to make sure we had everything… We did and now we had about two hours to kill before the final leg. Isa took the kids to the restroom and the food court while I guarded our possessions and enjoyed a brief 30 minutes of daddy quiet time. Once everyone returned we set up camp and enjoyed our lunch. One more leg to go!