Day 3/4

Well, we got up and going in the morning and headed downstairs for some breakfast. We got everything packed up and went down to the lobby to wait for Cindy to come and pick us up. On a side note, I was under the impression that Cindy lived close by and wouldn't be inconvenienced too much helping us out. Cindy called to let me know that her friend had had a baby and that gave her an excuse to drive in to Wichita early and go see the baby, then she would be at the hotel. So Cindy picked us up and because she was familiar with the base, her husband was a pilot, she took us to the commissary to pick up some supplies. Next we headed for the terminal, but there was a lot of construction so we got detoured and finally found our way back to the terminal via the scenic route. When I walked in the door and saw the number of people there I got a sick feeling in my stomach. I was flying Space A, meaning if there was an extra seat available I could have it, if not better luck next time. I had to remind myself that I probably had the highest priority of anyone there. We got checked in and then they announced the list of those who would be flying. Shelby and I were first! Although, everyone got on so it wasn't too exciting. The only bad thing was that we checked in at noon and the flight wasn't going to leave until 5:30!! I did get Shelby to take a nap while we waited and I got to talk to Kelly on the phone so that helped the time go quickly. They finally told us that the bus would be here in 5-10 minutes and we should go to the bathroom. I picked up Shelby's toys and was just going to head to the bathroom when the guy came back in and said the bus is here. It had been maybe 2 minutes. So we were rushed on to the bus, herded into the chow hall to pick up our meals, and then headed over to the runway.

When we stepped onto the plane I nearly crapped. I had gotten information from several different sources on what to expect, but nothing could have prepared me for the reality of what would be the next 10 hours.

Not exactly what I had pictured. Shelby sat in her carseat in one of the "seats". Now it is hard to keep her busy and happy for 10 hours when she has free reign of the entire house, but this was a whole different story. I let her crawl around on the floor a little, but all the brackets and stuff that were on the floor made it difficult to move around safely. I did have major concerns that one of the old people on the flight might catch a toe and consequently break their hip or something. Thank goodness all the old people were old hat at this and knew to get a lot of space so they could just sleep.
Needless to say, it was a long flight. Shelby did end up sleeping for an hour while I held her and then for a few hours in her carseat once I remembered that it reclined. It was also quite cold while Shelby was sleeping. I think I shivered for about 2 hours. I had worn a jacket because I was told it might get cold, but I was not prepared for freezing. It didn't get cold until it was night and we were flying over the Atlantic. It was a good thing that Shelby's carseat kept her insulated and warm. It wasn't so much the air as the cold breeze that was blowing under the seat. I couldn't feel my bum or feet for hours. We arrived at Mildenhall Air Force base at about 9 am. Karissa was there in the terminal waiting for us and she was able to occupy Shelby for a few minutes so I could pee. Somehow my trip to the bathroom made me feel a lot better. It may have been that I hadn't peed for about 12 hours or it may have been that I saw something that made me immediately feel at home. I somehow felt like I would fit in here. Karissa had never seen a sign like this before and I never saw another one anywhere else, but apparently at this particular building, women with huge hips are quite common.

Since it was early morning, I bathed Shelby and got her in some clean clothes. We had something to eat and pretended not to be tired. Shelby and I had a nap during the afternoon while everyone else ran some errands. Then Justin made us some yummy white chili for dinner and it was so nice to have a home cooked meal! We went to bed and all was well, at least for a little while. Shelby - not yet accustomed to English time - woke up sometime in the middle of the night and wanted to eat. I fed her some Nilla Wafers in bed until she was full and tried to keep her quiet until she fell asleep. It was a long day, but I was so glad to finally be in England and to not have to worry about where we were going to be or how we were going to get there.