Survival Mode

Anyone who's met Chris knows he can get pretty excited about outdoor survival.  During our trip home we stumbled upon a new show, "Dude, You're Screwed!"  Some friends kidnap each other and drop each other off in some really sketchy survival situations and they have 100 hours to get out of it.  As we made our final trip to Walmart together, we were figuring it's about time we made our own survival show.  International Travel with Toddlers.

Those Dudes on our new show might be able to purify water with a solar still, they may be able to build a fire out of vaseline and brake fluid, but can they cope with our next 100 hours?  I'm not about to sign up for their version of survival, I'm about to live mine.

In the next 100 hours, we must:

• Finish packing and weighing and repacking and organizing and reweighing and repacking all of our worldly belongings.
• Keep our 3-under-6 kids from unpacking and reorganizing -- read throwing all over the house -- all the stuff we just packed.
• Lead our kids as they realize we can't bring back everything with us.
• Make sure 3 kids (2 of them with fevers) get a good night's sleep before the BIG TRAVEL DAY(s).
• Get everyone clean enough to withstand 35 hours of travel.
• Not forget the important stuff: passports, diapers, Nonny Bear, etc.
• Keep our emotions at bay while saying goodbye to the very closest people in our lives -- our parents.
• Lead our kids through the emotions of saying goodbye to those same people.
• Make our way through lines at check-in, security, customs, etc. with 6-7 carry-on items and 3 kids who don't want to walk or stand or listen anymore.
• Hop on a 13 1/2 hour flight.  Just a quick jump across the pond.  I'm sure all the other passengers will love us and our kids will sleep the whole way and no one will spill their drink and each and every one of them will be a shimmering, shining joy to be around.
• Get off the plane, kill time in an airport for a few hours, and then coax the angels onto another plane for another 3 1/2 hours.  Woohoo!
• Arrive in India.  Highs around 100 right now, I think.
• Spend 10 hours trying to air freight our big bags since we can't take them on domestic flights -- all while trying to remember how to speak Hindi and trying to keep track of 3 kids that already spent 20 hours traveling.
• Hop on another flight.  No big deal kids, it's just another airplane.
• Find a taxi.
• Get to the house.
• Probably spend the next few hours greeting everyone that's been missing us for the past few months.
• Then we just have 2 weeks of jet-lag and Emily's trip to go to a friend's wedding in a different city.

I'm pretty exhausted thinking about it.  But, I'd say that, all things considered, we have the training we need.  We at least have 5 seats this time around.  About 2 years ago we did the trip with 5 of us in 3 seats.  And half a year before that, we did it while I was expecting Lu.  So, all told, this shouldn't be that big a deal.

Now that I wrote this all down, it just sounds like a pity party, doesn't it?  Don't feel sorry for me.  Just pray for us.  We'll make it like we have the other times.

Abe and Jed, ready for action!