How long does it take to get to Maine?

According to MapQuest, it's really not supposed to take very long. But MapQuest can't really factor in traffic, bathroom breaks, unexpected detours, more traffic, slow drivers and even more traffic.

Yes, my friends, it took us close to FIVE hours to get to Yarmouth for the ClamFest, while worth a two-hour drive, was not even close to good enough to be worth the actual time it took. We stopped TWICE at McDonalds because, you know, it wasn't like we were headed to a food festival featuring (arguably) the yummiest food in America. No, we had to stop before the baby ate the fabric off her seat and/or Petra peed all over the car. So, Mickey D's it was.

The clamfest was good though. There were food booths, an arts and crafts festival and an entire (expensive) carnival. We ate our weight in food (including the best clam cakes ever), rode a few rides and headed home after about two hours. We stopped in Kittery on the way back to satiate my always ravenous shopping appetite and made it back home at ~10:30...just in time for the girls to have breakdowns.

Don't get me wrong, it was fun. Enough. And next time, we'll know not to follow the directions every car in Massachusetts seemed to have and instead take our secret squirrel back roads (which we *so* should've done in the first place).

Yes, next time.

Southwest's New Boarding Policy Redux

I'm not that fond of it, now that I think about it.

Yesterday morning, I got up and on my computer at the crack of dawn so that I could retrieve my boarding pass from Southwest and get a good letter/number combo. I hit the button at EXACTLY 6:35, 24-hours before my flight and.... still got A-21. Now you can't tell me that 20 people hit the site at the exact same time and all of them received better positions than I did. And even still, the guy DIRECTLY behind me, with A-22 didn't hit the site until 9am. How does that work? And why doesn't the Southwest system like me?

I think I preferred the old system of just showing up early and sitting down at the gate with all of my stuff, claiming a precious first-in-line position (or at least close to it). Because this new system...I just can't figure out how to break the top 20. And yes, this makes me a complete dweeb, but not getting the RIGHT seat on the plane gives me intense agita.

Bitch. Moan. Complain.

Top ten reasons I really need to go back to bed today:

1. It took us EIGHT hours to fly to Texas yesterday. With two small children. Note to self: never go the cheap route again.
2. My throat is killing me. I can feel a sickness descending....
3. Ray Ray woke up at 5:00...AM this morning. Ready to play.
4. I put my underwear on inside out today.
5. I ate chili for lunch. I can still TASTE it.
6. I'm working....when I'm supposed to be on vacation. And my family is at the movies without me.
7. Some of my favorite cousins and friends from Dallas are on vacation. Elsewhere. I won't get to see them this trip.
8. I just got off a disappointing work call.
9. I think I've gained weight. In all the wrong places.
10. And finally, It will take me another EIGHT hours to fly home on Saturday. With two small children.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Southwest's New Boarding Policy

I gotta say, I'm not sure I like it:

1. They stopped boarding families first. I'm sure those of you without children really couldn't care, but it was a nice perk if you were trying to get decent overhead luggage space for the bazillion toys/clothes/food items required when traveling with wee ones. Now, they board families between the As and the Bs.
2. They started a position numbering system. I guess so many people have complained about the "cattle call"--you know, those lines that form more than an hour before boarding because certain people (myself included) must be first to board (yes, I'm anal like that)--so they changed their policy. In any case, one's position is determined by the quickness of your trigger finger (think Ticketmaster). You get online and hit the button EXACTLY 24-hours before the flight if you have any hope of getting an A, much less a low number.

I'll find out exactly how bad this new system is tomorrow when the family and I head off (with the millions of other folks) for the holidays. Fortunately, we have seats for everyone. Oh, that's right: WE DIDN'T BUY A SEAT FOR RAY RAY. Guess someone (read: me) will have to hold her for the duration of the flights.