Trip recap - part 1

I don't know that I'm awake enough to write this, but I'll give it a try. I slept for 12 hours last night, and am trying to get my body adjusted again, after a red eye flight, two 25+ hour travel days, and then being jet lagged & not quite sleeping enough in Dubai.

Logistics/flights:

• Our way to Dubai was quite stressful, as our flight from SFO to Newark was delayed numerous times, and we needed to make a connection in Newark. In the end, we made it, after sprinting through the Newark airport. We got on that flight, and then sat on the runway for 90 minutes, with the doors closed. I'd put in for upgrades for M & I for all of the flights, and then as a backup plan (it looked like we weren't going to get upgraded on status), I paid to upgrade the boys to premium plus seats. (There are four classes of seats: business, premium plus, economy plus, economy.) One of my work friends had extra upgrade points, and added those to the boys flights, to try & get them upgraded to business. To be clear, if the boys were upgraded, M & I were planning to take those seats. ;-) We love them, but they are teens, and recover from sleep deprivation better than we do, and have flexible bodies that sleep in many different positions. 
• We got to Newark, and my work colleague had been tracking our flight & ugprades, and due to some bad weather on the east coast & many people missing their connections, all four of us were upgraded to business! M & I were somewhere in the 14-15 waitlist for upgrades, so this was never supposed to happen. The chance of the boys getting upgraded was very small. We hustled onto the Newark to Dubai flight, and...what a treat!!! I've flown business class for work before, and the ability to really stretch out & fully recline makes a huge difference in how much I can sleep. The boys were blown away by business class, but the flight home for them was a little more difficult. ;-) 
• Fast forwarding to our flights home... I was in premium plus, with M & the boys in economy plus. All quite a big downgrade from business. After the doors were closed, there was one seat left behind me in premium plus, and M was next on the upgrade list. The flight attendant was able to clear his upgrade real time, and he quickly changed seats. Premium plus is nothing to write home about, but he ended up with an aisle vs middle, and the seats recline slightly more. The boys expressed their sadness about not being in business class, to which I reminded them that was a once in a lifetime happy accident, until they start paying for their own travel. ;-) 
• We landed in Newark (after 15+ hours), and Sam & I finished his global entry conditional approval interview (it's easy to get this done at the airport on a return flight, but otherwise takes a year or so to get an appointment at a local airport). My credit card offered free global entry/TSA pre check for one person, and M & I already had it. Next up, we'll apply for Nick. I was upgraded to business class on the Newark to SFO flight, which was nice. We were all beyond tired and everyone slept a bit more. 

All told, we left our hotel at 10 pm Dubai time, our flight left at 1:55 am (local time) & we landed in San Francisco 25+ hours after the flight left. It was a very, very long return. Today is going to be a struggle!

As expected, the trip was super emotional. When we landed in Dubai last Sunday, we cleared customs, and then Ubered to the hotel. We'd booked a Hyatt Place which was...very okay. It was fine & clean, but there were some definite quirks! We covered the hotel costs for everyone (more on the financial side of the trip later), and needed something that was mid-priced. I also used points to cover a room for the boys. They really enjoyed the privacy, and since we were all so jet lagged, M & the boys & I appreciated being able to sleep on our own schedules. 

M's mom skipped dinner with the rest of the family, so she could wait outside the hotel for us. It had been 14 years since she was last able to see the boys, and they were tiny little people last time she was with them. It was so emotional for all of us. I also was able to meet my sister in law & niece for the first time, as well as her fiance, and another cousin & her four year old son. There was a lot of hugging, crying & picture taking, before we all finally went to bed. M stayed up every night, having family time with his mom & sister, as it was very difficult for us all to converse when the boys & I were around. (M was the only person who could translate between our group). 

The challenges in not speaking the same language were very real, and we used Google Translate a lot to help us out!

All of the above aside, it was an amazing (and challenging) trip. The language gaps, the travel timing & jet lag, and getting everyone around due to the size of the group were difficult. But, they were offset by the opportunity of us all to get to meet each other (most for the first time), & for M's mom to get that time with her son & her grandsons. We would love to do one more trip, before it's too difficult for her to travel, but nothing is guaranteed, so we all knew when we left the hotel & said our goodbyes, this may be the last time she sees the boys & M. M's dad was not well enough to make the trip, which was also quite emotional. I take for granted that, if I needed to, I could be at my parents house in a few hours. M hasn't seen his dad in 14 years, and barring some sort of miracle political change in Iran, won't be able to see him before he passes. 

I can't imagine a more worthwhile way for us to spend our money. The trip was very expensive (I'll do a financial write up at some point), but worth every penny. No regrets of any kind. 

I'm off to try & come up with a menu plan, and figure out how to stay awake today!