Our Flight to Hong Kong

We left the U.S. from Minot, North Dakota,  home of Chandra's family.   We wanted to drop off our two cars and say one last goodbye.   Our itinerary was a bit grueling:  a 6 AM flight out of Minot to Denver,  a "quick" connection to San Francisco,  followed by a 14 hour flight to Hong Kong.  Fortunately for us,  Target was very generous and allowed us to fly first class to San Fran and business class to Hong Kong,  which made all the difference in the world.   Some pics:

Looking ravishing at 5 AM

Things on the puddle jumper got considerably worse from the pics you see above.   The kids were tired, hungry,  the plane was cramped,  we weren't really set up for entertainment, etc.   It all added up to a miserable hour and a half.   Extrapolate that another 17 hours and we were pretty worried.   Fortunately for us,  the next flight provided a toddler sedative whose powers dwarf any over-the-counter drug:

That is Esme watching Team Umizoomi.  Big Ups to United - They provide Direct TV on their flights from Denver to San Francisco.   So Esme and Paul Eli were catching up on their Nick Jr.,  Mama was catching up on HGTV,  and Dad watched some soccer.

The final leg was obviously the most daunting but we had the benefits of cushy business class to ease the fall. It turns out that we didn't need to worry - the large TV, cushy seats,  lie-flat bed and copious amounts of food did their job :)

It's a shame that mere mortals can't afford business class on their personal trips.   It is something we could get used to.

We arrived 14+ hours later in Hong Kong in surprisingly decent shape.   My cousin Lizzie and family were nice enough to meet us at the airport.   Her husband Gary is a pilot for Hong Kong Airlines.

Safe and sound in Hong Kong...and ready to eat some great food!

Leaving Minneapolis

After weeks of disposing,  donating,  lending,  and organizing all of our stuff,  we were ready to actually move out.   We had to organize into three piles:  storage,  air shipment (1 week),  and sea shipment (8 weeks).   Chandra was the master organizer and the whole process went on without a hitch - even ahead of the mover's schedule!   Here's the house right before we shut 'er down:

Step 2 of The Process was the packing of our 6 suitcases,  5 carryons,  and extra stuff for Chandra's family into two cars and driving up to Minot, North Dakota.   The previous day, I-94 was closed on the dreaded corridor between Alexandria and Moorhead, but our drive was smooth sailing.  We even made it to watch our nieces play basketball and get the kids to bed at a decent time.    

Next post:  our flight to Hong Kong.   Who's got the Valium Propofol Benadryl for the kids?