Half way 'round the world in 38 hours
This years journey to New Zealand took 38 hours door to door from Mastens Corner to Farm Road flats. Our point of departure for the airplane rides was out of Baltimore. No complaints with the TSA nor the airlines this year, everything went smoothly. Our first leg took us to Phoenix, which was a big deal. The memory of Mommy's recent business trip to Phoenix was still fresh, so it was really neat to visit this place that was only real in our imagination! We switched planes and flew to Los Angeles for our connection to our international airline. We were very lucky because our domestic flight came in to the adjacent terminal to our international departure. Anyone who has ever been to LAX knows how harrowing it can be if you have to collect bags and make a connection via the airport shuttle service, and we were apprehensive with a party of five that included two small children. Our international flight was on a new airline - V Australia, which is an entry into the trans-pacific market by the Virgin airlines group. We flew on a brand new Boeing 777 which was a first for all of us, and we were really impressed by everything from the cabin staff, the amenities, the meals, etc. 
I got my very own seat this time, and really enjoyed my private viewing monitor for playing games, watching movies etc. We got to sit at a bulkhead where we had so much leg room that I could get on the floor and play, Mom-mom could stretch her legs straight out and not touch the wall, and even Daddy had plenty of room for his long legs! Pop-pop was very sick with a cold, and it only got worse during the long flight, so it will take hime a couple of days to recover. Miranda got her very own bed to sleep in, it was a bassinet that attached to the wall in front of our seats - that was pretty neat, and made everyone more comfortable. Fifteen hours later, we landed in Melbourne, Australia. We didn't get to see any kangaroos, which was disappointing, but we were only there for a couple of hours before we were off on our last leg to New Zealand. We flew directly into Christchurch, which was the first time that Daddy had cleared NZ customs outside of Auckland. It was great, because there were no lines, no wait. We breezed on through and were delighted to find a Scot named Alex waiting with a sign that said GAREY on it. He was there to pick us up in the van that the owner of the bus company that the Mommy uses for all of her excursions is loaning us for the month. We installed the car seats for us kids and were off - driving on the wrong side of the road with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the van. Daddy is okay with that, it's a good thing he lived in Australia for so long, so he will be our driver for the month since we don't have Uncle Allan along this time. So, we have made it here, and are all moved in to our 'chicken house'. That is what I called the little wooden cabin that we stayed in when I was two years old. Lincoln University has built 6 more units at the Farm Road flats, so now there is a whole little village of chicken houses.
This years journey to New Zealand took 38 hours door to door from Mastens Corner to Farm Road flats. Our point of departure for the airplane rides was out of Baltimore. No complaints with the TSA nor the airlines this year, everything went smoothly. Our first leg took us to Phoenix, which was a big deal. The memory of Mommy's recent business trip to Phoenix was still fresh, so it was really neat to visit this place that was only real in our imagination! We switched planes and flew to Los Angeles for our connection to our international airline. We were very lucky because our domestic flight came in to the adjacent terminal to our international departure. Anyone who has ever been to LAX knows how harrowing it can be if you have to collect bags and make a connection via the airport shuttle service, and we were apprehensive with a party of five that included two small children. Our international flight was on a new airline - V Australia, which is an entry into the trans-pacific market by the Virgin airlines group. We flew on a brand new Boeing 777 which was a first for all of us, and we were really impressed by everything from the cabin staff, the amenities, the meals, etc. 
I got my very own seat this time, and really enjoyed my private viewing monitor for playing games, watching movies etc. We got to sit at a bulkhead where we had so much leg room that I could get on the floor and play, Mom-mom could stretch her legs straight out and not touch the wall, and even Daddy had plenty of room for his long legs! Pop-pop was very sick with a cold, and it only got worse during the long flight, so it will take hime a couple of days to recover. Miranda got her very own bed to sleep in, it was a bassinet that attached to the wall in front of our seats - that was pretty neat, and made everyone more comfortable. Fifteen hours later, we landed in Melbourne, Australia. We didn't get to see any kangaroos, which was disappointing, but we were only there for a couple of hours before we were off on our last leg to New Zealand. We flew directly into Christchurch, which was the first time that Daddy had cleared NZ customs outside of Auckland. It was great, because there were no lines, no wait. We breezed on through and were delighted to find a Scot named Alex waiting with a sign that said GAREY on it. He was there to pick us up in the van that the owner of the bus company that the Mommy uses for all of her excursions is loaning us for the month. We installed the car seats for us kids and were off - driving on the wrong side of the road with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the van. Daddy is okay with that, it's a good thing he lived in Australia for so long, so he will be our driver for the month since we don't have Uncle Allan along this time. So, we have made it here, and are all moved in to our 'chicken house'. That is what I called the little wooden cabin that we stayed in when I was two years old. Lincoln University has built 6 more units at the Farm Road flats, so now there is a whole little village of chicken houses. 
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