errores estúpidos, números 1 – 3

So begins my series documenting our rookie foibles in the hopes that someone will somehow benefit from, or at least be amused by, our idiocy.

Numero Uno (y posible el más importante):  I left my camera battery charger in Austin.  Disaster.

I discovered this on the way to the airport in New York.  I tried to find one at a camera shop in Madrid but I just couldn’t talk myself into spending $100 on a new charger.  Of course all their batteries needed to be charged before I could use them.  ARG.

So now I’m spending my first week in Spain trying to scratch the phantom itch on my missing limb until I can sort out this issue.  The same thing happened during our trip to Colorado, as I recall.  Like I said.  Idiocy.  Please forgive the forthcoming crappy iPhone 4 pictures.

Numero Dos:  Now that we are safely at our new home in Granada, I can come clean about how we got here without worrying all of the grandparents.

Recall my smug post about getting our plane tickets for free? Granted we had to split up to fly on two different planes, but so what? We were leaving and arriving within an hour of each other.

This would have worked out perfectly… IF WE WERE ACTUALLY FLYING OUT OF THE SAME AIRPORT.

It turns out that while Violet and Rob were indeed leaving out of JFK. Graham and I were actually leaving out of Newark. Yes. Newark, New Jersey. And when did I discover this? Oh, about 5 days before we left Austin.

Commence full panic.

I immediately called Amber, who talked me off the ledge. We couldn’t figure out how it was possible to make such a huge mistake with both of us sitting there, eyes glued to the screen. Maybe it had something to do with the award seating website? Regardless: cautionary tale alert.

She got off the phone and immediately emailed me information on airport transfers. I got off the phone and immediately got attacked by yellow jackets and ended up at the emergency clinic with an allergic reaction.
Yeah… none of this was ideal.

Numero Tres:  The reason I realized we were flying out of different airports is because I needed to find out about our baggage allowance.  The reason I needed to find out about our baggage allowance is because I found out about shipping costs.  The reason I found out about shipping costs is because I wanted to send some kid toys and teaching supplies ahead of us.

Fifteen years ago I sent all my teaching supplies from Korea to New York for a pittance.  Guess how much it would have cost us to send half that much from Austin to Spain?  At least $700.  Yeah, um.  No.

Commence full panic. Again.

Eventually we figured out that bringing another suitcase (!) full of supplies would cost us about $100. I left all my teaching materials (except 3 precious books) in Austin.  The kids had to make some tough decisions about toys.  So that brought our total to 6 bags and probably  $200.  Rob worried about how we would get these bags all the way to Granada.  I figured it would work out.

(foreshaaaaaaaadowing)  

Coming soon:  how we made it to Granada, aka: newbie mistakes continue