at the airport

Airports. It's where we like to spend our free time.


ha! But sometimes it feels that way :) Yesterday afternoon I got a text message from Matt that his plane would be in around 7.  So the four of us ate supper and I ran them through the bathtub, back into their play clothes and out to the car so we could go meet Daddy!  


On the way out the door I grabbed the camera.  After all, this airport (and many others) is where we spend a lot of time. 

We live about 7 minutes away - in huge mega-cites with millions of people (like ours) large chunks of the population live at least 45 minutes from the airport.  So we're thankful we live so close (yet not in the flight path, we hear and see very little evidence of our nearby neighbor).  


[Side note in the 'kids say the funniest things category' - as we got closer I said, "let's see who can be first to see or hear an airplane or the control tower.  I mean, see or hear an airplane or see the control tower, you can't hear the control tower."  And Julianna said, "yeah, unless the control tower fell down, then it would make a huge crashing noise and we would definitely be able to hear it."  I chuckled under my breath.  She's right.  If the control tower fell down right as we were driving up we would definitely hear it!]


The arrivals area is pretty close to mass chaos.  The current terminal is less than ten years old and it is already so overcrowded.  Air travel is increasing exponentially in China and airports cannot keep up with the growth.  A new terminal is under construction and sorely needed - yesterday!


Anyways, we've waited for enough arriving flights that Julianna knows to pay attention to the loudspeaker as it announces arrivals.  And we hadn't been inside more than two minutes (I was still trying to safely escort three kiddos through the crowds) when she perked up and hollered (over the noise) "they just announced daddy's plane".  I listened to the repeat announcement and she was right!  


So we figure out where Matt's flight will exit and head over to try to get a spot by the railing where we can see into baggage claim.  This is where the three-blond-kiddos trick works wonders.  We attract enough attention that people tend to part like the Red Sea as they crane their necks to get a good look, and we take advantage of the opportunity to cram in and get a good viewing spot :)  

Of course, everyone sees better if they climb a little higher :)

We were quickly rewarded - not more than ten minutes after we arrived I spotted Matt coming down the escalator.  Big waves and grins and hugs (and a bit more staring from the other folks waiting by the railings) and we were reunited.

Mission Accomplished :) 

(thought you might enjoy this little peek into a very common event for our family, and glad to record it so years from now I can remind the kids that they knew the difference between check-in counters and security lines years before they heard the words 'road trip'!)