South Carolina - Days 1 and 2

We got up at 4:00 a.m. in order to leave for the airport by 5:00 and catch a 7:38 flight from Salt Lake to Houston. Up to that point, everything went as scheduled. Lest you forget, we fly standby, which means we only get on the plane if there is a seat available. The night before we left, the flight looked like there would be plenty of seats, but as those who fly standby know well, things can always change. When it got to our turn, there were only two seats left. Since Baylie now has to have her own seat, we couldn't all go. We knew David would have to go because he had to take a test at the university the next morning. I couldn't send either kid with him for the same reason, just in case I didn't make it later. So, off David went and I was faced with five hours at the airport with two kids. Ugh! Worst of all, I realized that the car/house keys and Jalen's car seat were on their way to South Carolina in our checked bags and David had all our cash.

Fortunately, I had my laptop and Disney movies and fortunately the SLC airport has a little play area. We spent about 3 1/2 hours there, then went for some lunch and then tried for the next flight. We made it. Maneuvering two backpacks, Jalen in the bjorn, Baylie on a monkey leash, Baylie's car seat and the two-seated stroller was overwelming. Baylie and Jalen both fell asleep before the plane took off and I followed shortly thereafter.

Once in Houston, we tried to catch a flight to Charleston, South Carolina. David had already made his flight to Charleston, which would have had room for all of us had we made the Salt Lake flight. He had to fly to Charleston because the Columbus flight was full. We spent three hours in the Houston airport - enjoying a nice meal at Ruby's Diner in Terminal E, which is a favorite of mine.

When it came time for the flight, there was only one seat left. Oh, the irony! If I had sent Baylie with David earlier, I could have made this later flight. As it was, we had to spend the night in Houston. By that time, it had been 16 hours since we left home. Me and the kids were exhausted. They were crying and I wanted to. The Houston Airport has a Marriott that can be reached by an underground tram, so we headed there. As an airline employee, I got great hotel discounts. I don't anymore. Suffice it to say that I paid more for that one night than for all the nights put together at our hotel in South Carolina. I called for a crib four times before giving up and the in-room internet never worked (even though they charged me for it - it's supposed to be getting refunded). At least I was able to wash out Jalen's outfit and give the kids a bath. (Note: airport baggage offices carry extra supplies of diapers, wipes and formula for stranded passengers.)

It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do to restore one's soul. We were able to catch the first flight to Columbia. Jalen slept the whole time and Baylie fell asleep after about an hour. Both kids were pretty amazing during the entire ordeal. I received several compliments on how well-behaved and cute they are.

Flying over Columbia was great. It was all trees, trees, trees. So green and beautiful. The airport is small and homey with white rocking chairs for tired travelers. Outside was a beautiful water feature with small fountains and lots off little orange fish. Baylie entertained herself feeding goldfish to the goldfish (is that cannibalism?) while we waited for David.


We went to the university for David to turn in some paperwork and I really liked the look of it. It is very old. The university was founded in 1801 (just 25 years after the Revolution). There is one portion of the university called "The Horeshoe." It is comprised of the original campus buildings and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. I can't wait to learn more about the history of this area.

We spent the few hours we had left to look at apartments. I had done some research on the internet and talked to some people, but still felt pretty overwhelmed. At the first apartment complex we visited, we spied some LDS missionaries. They lived there and told us what they thought of the place and gave us some advice. (Note: David loved the place, but I wasn't thrilled. That's why I wanted to be involved in the choosing...)

We went to a different area and just didn't feel good about it. A couple of blocks later we drove by the Juvenile Detention center with it's high fences and barbed wire. Then we went to another address I had noted down. There we ran into the sister missionaries. Amazing - I had been praying in my head for help and don't think this was a coincidence. They told us they really liked the area where they live and had us follow them there. Turns out that it is a nice, but relatively inexpensive area with lots of apartment buildings. We now know where to look and are so grateful that we ran into them. It brought me so much peace to drive through that area. We're going to spend tomorrow looking at apartments there. Hopefully we'll be able to find our new home.

P.S. I LOVE our hotel. I have long been a fan of Wyndham hotels and this one is a Wingate by Wyndham. It's a much better room than our Marriott room and has free internet, free breakfast, a microwave, a fridge and is humongous.