Oh, the Overhead Bin

I just love the overhead bins on an airplane. I love how they make me feel all hot and sweaty and nervous and I start to feel a rush of adrenaline as my seat looms ahead and my carry on looks massive and like it will never, ever, ever fit into that small rectangle of a space.

I got to experience this joy on Friday morning as I flew to my parent's house for the weekend. I am adamant about flying with only a carry-on and taking only the bare necessities. But this trip I was cramming a few Christmas presents into the suitcase so that I wouldn't have to pay shipping on gifts for my family. The siblings in my family have a rotation system on who gives to who each year {I highly recommend this system} and we are scheduled to give to my brother Daniel and his wife Kelly. Thomas and I decided that their boys absolutely need one of these inflatable deer from Bass Pro Shops.

Sorry for the poor photo quality, it was all I could find on the Internet, and a visual was necessary. Thomas also wanted to buy the inflatable bear target, but I drew the line with the life-size deer. Thankfully this thing came boxed up nicely, and I fit it right into the top of my carry-on with a little room to spare....or so I thought. Once I boarded and lifted my suitcase into the overhead bin, the inflatable deer in its box was definitely keeping my suitcase from entering the bin. I had to unzip my suitcase, take the deer out, shove the suitcase back into the overhead bin, and walk all the way back to my seat with a box under my arm that said "inflatable 3-D deer target," and my seat was REALLY far away because the plane was so full. 

Thankfully the kid wearing a PETA shirt that was next to me on my return flight wasn't around to see that we are teaching small children to how to shoot animals. 

Speaking of my return flight, I managed to shove a dozen of these into my suitcase:

If you live within a 200 mile radius of York, SC, you should go to Windy Hill Apple Orchard and purchase these nuggets of deliciousness, aka apple cider donuts. Put them in the toaster for a couple of minutes and experience pure heaven. I couldn't figure out a way to bring Chick Fil A back to Thomas, so I did what any thoughtful wife would do and fit donuts into my suitcase. Thankfully my return flight was also full, so they asked me to check my bag at the gate. I graciously complied and breathed a sigh of relief as I knew those donuts were going to keep my bag from going into the overhead bin. 

I also got to meet my sweet new nephew, Miles. Please look at his wonderful cheeks!

And these two goons have a new game they play called "punching" that they adapted after watching Karate Kid. Living with Thomas for a month also contributed to their game, which includes kicking and wrestling and saying "nice move!" Please note Evans' retro Clemson sweatshirt that HIS father wore when he was that size. I'm thankful my mother saves clothes like this so that we can relive the old memories!