Going Home

Challenge #1: Carrying eight 23 kg (50 lbs) bags, 4 rolling suitcases, a bell, a violin, and my messenger bag.

Challenge #2: Getting to the airport.  This is the university van loaded with our bags.  We had to ride in another car- no room for anyone but the driver in this vehicle.

Challenge #3:  Check-in and weighing bags

It only took 3 luggage carts to take them to the counter!












Challenge #4:  Waiting for boarding and going through the full-body hand search.  Tip for parents- if your kids cry they can get out of the pat down.  No need to traumatize little ones.

Challenge #5:  Putting the rolling suitcases, bell, and violin in the overhead bins (two very kind passengers assisted with this task).

Challenge #6:  Passing the time on a 9.5 hour flight.  Not terribly difficult with tv/video screens for every seat.  It's amazing how many movies and video games you can watch with this amount of time.

Challenge #7:  Waking up an exhausted Elisabet and getting all four of us off the plane for customs in Chicago.

Challenge #8:  The "Passport Control" line in Chicago. Just looking at it brought Elisabet to a wail.

Challenge #9:  Collecting all 8 checked bags at customs, loading them on 3 carts again, and wheeling them to the re-check point.

Challenge #10:  Trying to make our connection to MSP in 44 minutes.

Challenge #11:  No boarding passes, self-check kiosk not working.  An agent took pity on our situation (at this point both girls were in tears at the thought of missing the flight) and literally ran back and forth between us and a booking computer with our passports.  Rushing back, she shoved them in my hands and yelled to us with encouragement "run, run, run".

Challenge #12:  Security line.  One boarding pass reads "Travis" not "Leif".  Only 19 minutes until the flight departs.  The head security person decides to wave us through- a huge black man who I would have hugged and kissed if I had not been carrying a bell, messenger bag, and two rolling suitcases.

Challenge #13:  Removing boots, jackets, watch, computer, and putting all bags back up on conveyer for their last inspection.  Convincing a now whimpering Elisabet it was worth it.

Challenge #14:  Getting to the gate.  Only 2 gates away from the security checkpoint, another lucky break for us.

Challenge #15:  Loading it all back into the overhead bins.  Seriously regretting that cow bell.

Challenge #16:  Gathering everything back up one last time to de-plane.

Worth every single challenge:  Seeing the smiles and happy faces of family waiting for us at the baggage carousel.