Trekking West: Day 1

The initial intention was a darned good one, if I must say so myself.  Even if Steve would have begged to disagree with me from the get-go.  I mean, what could be better than a long journey across the country, a 3-hour layover at LAX, and a meet-up with two of my favorite bloggers for lunch, two people I consider friends in this vast blogosphere, and their beautiful children I'd actually pay to give a squeeze and a smooch to (yikes, that actually sounded kinda creepy...).  We all made plans, including some research on my part that uncovered, much to my relief, the fact that the security line wait at that particular gate was, on average, no more than 2-3 minutes. 

And for those of you wondering, yes, I may actually have been born yesterday. 

Heather, at the last minute, was unable to make it.  Lacey, Jax and Arina were there.  Right on the other side of the security gate.  Just out of reach when we made the awful, awful discovery that the security line was about a mile long.  And, after the long runway-taxi back to the gate and the even longer shuttle ride from our arrival terminal to the terminal of our meet-up and next departure, we had only just over an hour left until we'd need to board our next flight.  And there was no way we'd be able to go through security, meet our friends, and make it back through on time. 

Talk about guilt.  I felt so, so, so bad.  And so, so, so sad.  Just out of reach.  I'm so sorry, Lacey!!!

What is it they say about the best laid plans?

So onward we went.  And Samantha, being the expert and seasoned world traveller that she is, was awesome.  I can't even tell you what we did on either leg of the journey, but she somehow managed to entertain herself without more than an hour nap on the plane.  She knew the rules of flying, knew exactly what to do. 

A little bit of a quick background about this trip...you'll recall me mentioning before that Steve had been searching for a half-brother, from a birth-father he never knew.  He'd eventually traced him to Thailand, and then discovered that another half-brother resided in British Columbia, Canada.  His research also revealed a cousin near Seattle.  I won't get into detail about how the family came to become scattered across the globe, but numerous phone calls and e-mails, beginning last August, resulted in plans for a meet-up between Steve, the English/Canadian brother and his wife, and their cousin and her husband.

So much to think about, so much to prepare for!  Here we were, going to stay for a week with two people we had never met (cousin Diane and her husband, Per) on the other side of the country, about to meet a long-lost brother we didn't know existed...what if nobody clicked?  What if everyone was uncomfortable?  What if...what if...? 

Eh, what if. 

"If" didn't happen.

Everything went perfectly. 

After landing in cold, rainy Seattle, we were warmly welcomed with open arms and tears by Diane and Per when they met us at the car rental so we could follow them home.  Samantha actually launched herself into Per's arms, running from the shuttle bus into the building to greet him, yelling, "Per!  Per!"  I swear, that child has a way of ensuring people fall in love with her instantly.

An evening of getting-to-know-you, coupled with the slow and steady expansion of the family tree and stories of a history Steve had never before been privy to, was followed by an early departure to bed for all.

Next up, Days 2 and 3.