Travelling is a strange thing sometimes. One minute you’re wiping tears from your eyes and staring out the window as the brown hills dotted with green bushes go by, Bloemfontein in the rear view mirror. The next minute you’re watching two squirrels precariously balanced, stealing seeds from the bird feeder in the neighbour’s back yard, the gray skies of London dotted with airplanes overhead.

As strange as it is, here we are, at HH’s brother’s place, and the trip here couldn’t have been much smoother. The boys slept nicely for good stretches of the flight, the Bear gently tuckering out with headphones still round his ears and a kiddie cartoon on his TV screen, the Baby passing out in the bassinet and then in HH’s lap thanks to turbulence.

{In London, pregnant with the Bear, circa March 2008}

Some friendly folks helped us get our loads of carry-ons to the plane, which was a BIG help. (We loaded the carry-ons because we can have a lot and they don’t get weighed…grace, people, this is a transcontinental move!) Then we were initially rather concerned at our landing when the stroller we gate-checked had to be picked up at baggage claim, because four hands SHO WEREN’T ‘NOUGH to get everything through immigration and to baggage claim.

{This has happened to us before, and it shouldn’t have been a big surprise, but when you’re running on such a small amount of sleep, everything feels surprising and it’s hard to figure out how to navigate such circumstances…Hero Hubs to the rescue!}

The Bear decided he could barely make the trip from the plane along the skyway into the airport (read: he started wailing and asking to be carried about halfway, and HH was too far in front of me to know it, because he was keeping up with two nice gents who were helping carry our stuff, and I was toting the baby and a big pillow and 50 people were waiting to get through behind us. I consciously made the decision to relax and laugh.)

So when we were finally off the airplane and inside the terminal, we watched the little electric cars that take disabled passengers through to immigration and the baby was just looking so sweet, and our baggage looking so plentiful, three of us managed to score a ride. (Thanks to HH for asking!) The boys and I hopped on with some of the bags, and the Hubs met us at immigration with the other two.

Did I mention the baby’s diaper was so wet I was getting wet at this point?

But the awesome lady electric car driver who took us to immigration told the Hubs to hop in (because she’d dropped off the other passengers and there was space) and drove us up to the disabled section where the officer actually came out from behind her desk to collect our passports and ask us questions and clear us through. (Questions like why it looked like I lived in the UK but don’t anymore and why we have so many passports…) We probably missed out on standing in a line that would’ve taken AT LEAST 30 minutes. Score!

I pretty much felt like royalty on that electric rickshaw riding through Heathrow today. {Did you know those things fit inside the elevator?} I decided to opt out on doing a royal wave and rather wave the baby’s sweet little hand at the passengers we were passing by…because then who could be mad?

And I think if we had a chance to hang out, Kate Middleton and I would be BFFs in no time. But what’s her last name now?

Other than a bag that was temporarily delayed and momentarily sent me into great concern (but not panic) mode, and a momentary delay in finding the driver we’d arranged (bless his heart, he’d been waiting two hours and finally went to the loo!) it was smooth sailing from there, and we are incredibly thankful.

So if any of you prayed we’d be especially blessed in our travels today, just know that that prayer was answered. Thank you!! (And thanks to all of you who’ve been thinking of us!)

We are heading to the train station, and on our way up to Bonnie Scotland tomorrow afternoon…whoo hoo, we’ve missed you Scotland, the brave, Scotland the beautiful!

And if anyone talks to Kate, just let her know we’re probably gonna get a pay-as-you-go sim card for our phone this afternoon, and then she can call me anytime.

xCC