And We're Off

We've successfully made it to Philadelphia for our connecting flight to Amsterdam.  A big thank you to the PHL Airport Authority for having free wi-fi in the terminal.  It will greatly help us with the 3 1/2 hour layover.  More airports should follow their lead.  Traveling with the in-laws is always an adventure.  No matter how much we prepare and tell them about the TSA rules, inevitably one or the other either sets off the alarm (Check!) or gets pulled aside for extra screening (Double Check!).  This time both the checked bag was opened for inspection as well as the carry on.  This happens on every trip, so I'm not sure it would be the same experience if it didn't happen -- it always livens the conversation.

The other veritable truth with the in-laws, especially when traveling to new places, is the reversion (devolution, maybe?) to child-like giddiness.  It's already started and we haven't even left the country yet.  The most memorable of these instances was when we traveled to Australia back in 2006 and Mom got to ride a camel in the Outback.  For some reason known only to her, and of which we are completely unaware, she harbored a life-long dream of riding a camel.  She was first off the bus waving her money in the air and running to be first in line.  Definitely one of the funniest and most memorable experiences of that trip, although I'm not sure the picture truly captures the moment.  I'm not sure where that moment will be on this trip, but I know it will come.