Memorial Day Weekend Michigan Trip

Back in April my momma said she was going to come out to California for a short visit for Mother's Day and Dominick's dedication. Unfortunately my dad wouldn't have been able to come and we hadn't been home since Christmas time. Ryan and I wouldn't have gone back to Michigan until Christmas this year since we are heading to Alaska in June. After looking at my calendar I realized that the base was going to have a family day on the Friday (and it was my off Friday (I work every other Friday) and obviously Monday was the holiday so we changed plans and Dominick and I were off to Michigan (Ryan was on call that weekend).

D and I left on May 22nd at around 3. Our first flight out of Burbank was easy breezy. If you're coming to the LA area and if you want to avoid traffic and craziness I highly recommend Burbank or Long Beach airports. Ontario is good too, but farther from LA. Anyways, the flight was short and Dominick did really great on this flight. We had what was supposed to be a short layover in Phoenix, but turned out to be the worst layover of my life. Our flight was initially delayed by an hour because our pilot hadn't got enough sleep and couldn't fly yet. Once we boarded our plane and were getting ready to pull away from the gate the fuel pump "broke". We waited for a good hour before they finally decided that we weren't going to be flying on that plane and we had to deboard. After 30 minutes they got us another plane and we had to wait an additional 1 hour or more before we finally got up in the air. Our flight that was supposed to land before 1:00 AM didn't land until closer to 4 AM. I have to give a huge shout out (although I don't know their names nor do they read my blog and will most likely never see this) and thank you to a sweet, sweet couple who helped me in more ways than one. They offered to watch Dominick while I used the restroom in the air. They offered their laps so Dominick could stretch out on the plane and their arms while we were in line to give mine a break. I think God knew I was running out of patience, but they were a God send for sure. Also, for a side note if you're really looking to boost your self esteem avoid taking a baby on a southwest flight with open seating. People will avoid you like the plague.

watching all the airplanes! This was a HUGE hit for Dominick

I had just got done crying. It was rough to say the least

Once we landed in Michigan we got about 4 hours of sleep and hit the ground running. Dominick, my momma and I went shopping and I got my hair cut (which was much needed) that Friday. That day was literally a blur to me. We were all walking around in a fog and were literally exhausted.

we spent quite a bit of time in the car

coloring, eating lemons and waiting for lunch

Saturday we didn't end up waking up until 10 or 11. I had big plans for going to work out, but needed to start getting ready since my cousin was getting married that day (prettiest bride EVER). My parents took Dominick to a little fun event at a local dairy farm/creamery. He had the BEST time, but it was time to go. The wedding was beautiful and Dominick (and his Papa) napped in the car so he would be well rested for the reception. Dominick woke up just in time to party and party did he. He danced the night away...literally. He had the BEST time and was a HUGE hit at the wedding. I cannot tell you how many complimented him. It the flight hurt my self esteem; the wedding definitely made up for it. ;o)

dress is from Kiki La 'Rue
Dominick's outfit is from Old Navy

Sunday we had a relaxing day at home. We played outside, laid in the grass (which is a HUGE bonus for these desert "rats"), went for a tractor ride, got ice cream and enjoyed the most perfect weather.

Riding on the mower with Papa

This little truck was a HUGE hit

Playing on the rocks

Playing in the rocks!

GRASS!!!!!! SOFT, PLUSH, GREEN GRASS!!! It may seem silly to be so excited about grass, but in the desert our grass is rough (will leave cuts on your legs rough), DRY and rarely green.

Monday we were up early and heading to the airport. Our flights back weren't that great, but our trip was worth the hassle. We always love going back to Michigan and seeing family that we miss so much. I'm so glad that it worked out for us to come back, but as always we wish we could have stayed for a little while longer.

I promise he doesn't always have Bubble Guppies in front of his face. We had a 2.5 hr layover and we were getting ready to board and I was trying to keep him contained.

Playing on the moving sidewalks. We walked for almost the entire 2 hours playing on these bad boys.