TSA Poster Family

(written in the airport yesterday waiting for our first flight)

OK, so let me begin with the lesson: do NOT forget...well, on second thought, I'll make you wait. Here's the story:

We get up this morning, having to wait for our bus to take us to the airport. And we wait. And we wait. The center that we were at was a veritable ghost town, and they've taken down the coffee machines!! We finally get on our bus, throw enough bags on to keep 3 families alive in the jungle for months, and get on our way to the airport. When we arrive and prepare to get our boarding passes, my wife turns to me and says the dreaded words, "I've lost my drivers license." We suddenly remember a day when she needed it and didn't need to haul her purse and wallet all over the place and conclude dreadfully that it never made it back into her wallet. So we're scared at this point. the lady at the check out counter was very helpful and informed Jen that she would be screened BIG-TIME on the way through security. Kind of stinks, but it's not too bad, she's been through that before. Well, at least, before we had children. SO, we get to security, and Jen tells the TSA that she's lost her license. He remains patient with her and asks for anything that she has that can match her up with the only form of picture ID that she had: a photocopy (no, not the real one) of her passport. Would that work? WIll they let her pass? No, because when we made the photocopies, we had not yet signed them. Strike 3. Jen gets pulled out of this little box they had her in that reminds me of a hockey penalty box and goes to get her thorough screening. Which of course, leaves me with 2 kids, a double stroller, a car seat, 2 carry-on bags, a backpack with 2 laptops, a Cinderella carry-on, 4 jackets. Don't forget about the shoes coming off. Luckily they graciously let Jen have the diaper bag with her. Yay. Thankfully, the TSA people were nice and half of the crew working the Richmond Airport came over to help. We formed a line of equipment that could have measured a first down. It all got slid through the scanner, and the girls luckily did not have any metal objects on them so we made it through. Somehow, we managed to get all the shoes back on the right feet, load the double stroller back up with all the stuff, and by that time they had cleared Jen for travel with a threat to not come back out of security or she would be denied travel for that day.

Lessons? DO NOT forget to take your picture ID like they tell you to. If your first option is not there, try having something else that shows your face in ID form. And if all that fails, actually sign your passport like they tell you to.

Now we're waiting for our flight...and it's delayed.

Good times.