We made it!

Well... it's been a VEEEERRRRRYYYY long day for the Ziters! We checked into our CT hotel at around 10pm, and by the time the boys got to sleep it was near 11:00. Some of us slept very little... and we were all pretty much awake 30 minutes prior to our 3:30 am wake-up call. Yikes. Here is a picture of us at the Bradley International Airport at 5:15 am...


Now... we are using five different cameras on this trip... so there will be gaps galore in the pictures, as some are on *gasp* FILM cameras! Nick took pictures with his on the plane. The plane trip was awesome... we had gorgeous travelling weather. It is cool being 36,000 ft in the air, and being able to see clearly straight to the ground! The kids loved the ride! Nick was hilarious when we landed in Atlanta this morning! When we touched down, evidently the runway was s-h-o-r-t... because the pilot did an "ant crossing" brake job! When it was over, Nick, in true (loud and dramatic) Nick fashion said... "THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!" Everyone on the plane just cracked up!
The 2nd leg of the journey, from Atlanta to Phoenix, was a 3 1/2 hour flight, with little TV monitors at each seat. The boys were in HEAVEN! They watched Cartoon Network, Animal Planet, History channel, and some WWII movie on Channel 13. I watched the GPS thingy that showed where we were at all times... our distance travelled, altitude, ground speed, etc. It was so cool! You could tell what you were seeing below you by watching the screen! We saw the Mississippi River, we waved to Britt as we flew over her at about 11:47 Eastern Time, and my neighbor Chris, who grew up in Texas, told me that if we flew over the panhandle, we would see NOTHING, and he was absolutely correct! Not a house, not a barn, not a road.... NOTHING! It was funny! We crossed into AZ airspace around 2:42 pm ET.... and we touched down at 2:47... which is 11:47 am in AZ time. It was so cool to see palm trees, cacti, and GREEN GRASS, and trees with LEAVES! By this time, we were pretty exhausted. Here are a couple pictures of my young, weary travellers at the car rental place....


Palm trees are a cool thing... Nick thinks they grow coconuts....LOL!

Adam is still trying to figure out... "How do you climb a palm tree? There aren't any branches..."

This particular palm tree is in front of our hotel in northern Phoenix. BTW, there was MAJOR traffic coming out of the airport onto I-10, and it was then that we remembered there is a NASCAR race in town this evening! AHHHHH! As soon as we got into our room, the three boys hit the pool. Mom stayed upstairs to rest. It is 69 degrees here with a slightly chilly breeze... too cold for me to be wet. Outdoor pools at a hotel... definitely not a Vermont thing! LOL! We are totally beat, and will be hitting the sack EARLY! Got to get up and go worship with the saints here in Phoenix tomorrow morning! I'll blog about that another day! LOL! Blessings to you all! Signing off for now.