Thanks To Strangers

I found this trip to be an especially long haul. Two kids, four hour time change, luggage, snow, rain, teething.... It was physically and mentally exhausting. But completely worth the effort when I saw the kids playing with their grandparents.

The hand written thank yous have all been sent out, but there are other people I would love to thank, but sadly I don't know their names or addresses! Our country is still filled with wonderful people who are happy to give you a hand when you need it. I am always filled with joy when I come across folks like this. Not only because they helped me out, but because it reinforces that society is not going to hell in a handbasket as the media would have you believe. There is a lot of good out there.

So thank you to:

• every flight attendant on each of the six planes we took on this trip. You all took time out to help us get seats together even though they were booked apart, to hold the baby while we got settled, to let us roam the plane with the baby to get him to sleep, and to smile each and every time you walked by us. And beat this- we flew Air Canada!
• the cashier at ExtraFoods in Whitehorse who nabbed us brand new boxes, scissors and packing tape so we could pack up our groceries since we had forgotten our rubbermaids at home.
• the beautiful woman who told me not to worry when both kids were throwing a fit in ExtraFoods while we tried to pack our groceries. Then she pushed one of our shopping carts out to the parking lot for us.
• the ticket agents (again for AirCanada) that put a priority tag on our luggage so it was there on the luggage carousel by the time we got there. Seriously- ours was the only luggage going around- nothing was there for anyone else!
• all the little old people who pinched the cheeks of our boys and told us how adorable our boys were. I am sure each one made a point to instill in us that this time with kids goes by way to quickly so we must make sure to enjoy it!
  
• the train engineer who waved and blew the train horn every time he saw Hunter waiting at the tracks while we were staying at the cabin in the country.
• to every person who held doors while we ran in carrying the kids.
  
• the woman behind me in the line up to get on the plane in Toronto who offered to help us carry our stuff onto the plane.
• all the people who gave us the "been there, done that, don't worry it will get better" look when the kids had screaming fits on the plane.
• everyone on the plane who would wave and talk to the kids through the seats to make them laugh.
• the gaggle of school girls visiting from Japan who all had to touch and talk to the boys as we walked off the plane together. The boys loved that.

Thank you so much to all of those random people who helped make our trip so wonderful!