No Traveling For Us

After a few weeks of price checking Amtrak and flights, I've come to the realization that I won't be making it to Arizona for my cousin's Bat Mitzvah. It sucks and I feel horrible. I went to Molly's, and I'll be missing Madelyn's. If I make it to Hannah's, I feel even more terrible. I really want to go, but there just isn't any way that we can swing it. I miss my family, and I'd love to see them. I really want them to meet Claire, whom no one but my mother has met, and I want everyone to be able to ooo and ahhh over Grayson. Why does traveling have to be so expensive?!

David wouldn't be going because of work. Flights to Phoenix are $892 for the rest of us. Us being myself, Ethan and Claire. I'd hold Grayson. Then, my MIL mentioned a train. I thought it might be cheaper, and that Ethan and Claire would get a kick out of the scenery on the train, so I looked it up. If I don't get a bedroom, tickets are $792. If I get a bedroom, tickets are $2,616. Say WHAT?!! How does that make a $1,824 jump? And, I'd have to change trains in Chicago, and stay overnight in Chicago. Why? Because our train wouldn't get into Chicago until 3:55PM. Our connecting train leaves Chicago at 3:15PM. So, 40 minutes before we arrive, our train leaves. It's a good idea to get the bedroom because there is a door and there is room for Claire to play, it has a private bathroom and the kids can sleep comfortably since the trip to Arizona from Chicago takes 31 hours. Then, the drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix takes 3 hours depending on traffic. I really don't want to spend the night in Chicago. I just want to catch a connecting train. I also don't want to confine Claire to a chair for 31 hours, and only allow her up to go to the dining car. It's just not something I want to put her through. Grayson probably wouldn't care because, well, he'll only be 3 almost 4 months old. Ethan wouldn't care because, hey, he can play video games. But Claire, she can only take so much of the toys and the sitting. I want her to be able to move around. A flight would be much more tolerable for her.

So, I came to the decision tonight that it just isn't feasible for us to make this trip at this point in time. I'm guessing we'll have to plan a trip for next summer, or maybe this summer if we can swing it. I'm sad, and I wish I could celebrate the Bat Mitzvah with my cousin, but it's not going to happen. I hope she has a wonderful birthday (her birthday is actually 4 days before her Bat Mitzvah) and I hope she has a wonderful celebration. If it's anything like Molly's, it's going to be fabulous.