deep in the heart (day one)

the girls and i kissed our boys good-bye on the curb of lax and made our misty-eyed way toward security. miley and i walked barefoot through the metal detectors without a problem, but the tsa agent said that mia required a full-body scan to make sure she wasn't hiding anything under her hippie skirt. after a long wait, the girls excitedly boarded their first flight in memory.

we were attacked in the dfw baggage claim by an even more excited auntie tweece and crazy grandma. we split up into two rental cars and i attempted to follow my mom to the hotel. i stopped trying to keep up when she drove her pontianc vibe straight through a yellow and black stripped barrier arm. much to her chagrin, when we safely reached the hotel 20 minutes later, my chest was still heaving with laughter.

to the girls delight, john & liz arrived with their babies a few hours later. we set off on another crazy procession, this time three cars thick, in search of food. the joyride ended with me swerving into a parkingspace outside olive garden (lame, i know) cursing the absence of a gps. once inside, my agitation was replaced with the elation of being surrounded by some of my favorite smiling faces.