No Regrets

Written by Christopher DeLong

I can’t remember which airline we took, but I can remember how much emotion was involved in the trip. We talked about moving for years, but May and June was a roller coaster of excitement and wonder. We had put in a great deal of effort to prepare for this move with our journey seen as a benefit for us and our family. I specifically remember our time at the hotel and the airport. Pulling around the corner in our full to the brim Jeep Grand Cherokee was a bit of a show. Who would have thought that a family could fit their life into an SUV? It certainly helped that we had made some trips in the last several months with bags full of household treasures, but we still had a lot left to take and I am sure the Jeep was glad to get out from beneath us.

We did not get a reasonable amount of sleep before our flight, or at least not me. Every time I would glance over at my wife or kids, they were checked in with the Sand Man. I knew 4 a.m. was late, or early depending on who you are, but after a long night of driving I was happy to see the doorman of the hotel and to get acquainted with my temporary bed.

One of the most demanding parts of the trip was about to begin. The thought of not being able to fly with Hannah had always been on our mind. We did not have a plan B, but kept pushing ahead and going with the flow. What we were asked to do we did and what we were asked to pay we paid. The demands of the airlines were small, but many small things add up and certainly can get expensive. We had heard stories about the danger of long trips for pets, but Hannah was such an important part of our life that we thought it was a reasonable and rewarding thing to take her. I stood aghast when told that the shipping crate we bought was the wrong one. We were promised that it was correct as we demanded a lot from our salesperson, but the airlines forbid us from taking her and asked us to consider buying one of their containers. How could we say no? I wanted to broadcast to everyone that I thought it was foolish of them, but I did not want to cause any disruptive behavior and kept going with the flow.

We were unable to take a single short-cut from the time we left our home to the time we arrived in Goiania, Brazil. During our mad dash through the terminal to board on time we did not knock anyone over, but we were certainly not calm. Our pace was rushed, but reasonable. Sitting in our seats on the plane was an emotional experience. We had considered what a trip like this would mean and always looked at our checklist to make sure we did not forget anything. I am not sure what the flight crew thought of us or anyone sitting around us, but we had no regrets and were ready to begin our honeymoon with Brazil.