Not today Russia, not today

I've been meaning to blog about this but I keep forgetting.  Let's just say I don't quite have my faculties about me....

Anyway.

At the airport in Paris when we were flying home, Emma and I were the only ones who didn't check luggage.  We are light packers.  We were in the border police line together.  It was one of those long zig-zagging lines.

I noticed a woman dodging around people to get ahead of everyone.  I figured she must be late for a flight or something.  I didn't begrudge her cutting in front of us.

Then I noticed more and more of the same thing and they were all holding Russian passports.  A woman grasping a red Russian passport was behind us, cutting around people, getting closer to us.

"Don't let her past us," I whispered to Emma.

Emma is no shrinking violet.  She planted her feet and put her suitcase next to her and I did the same.  She was not getting past us, two sturdy American women!

Emma was on the inside track and that was the side the woman kept trying to get past us.  She was nudging against Emma and Emma, who's been the most stubborn person I've known for as long as I've known her, was not budging.

The angst and displeasure showed on the Russian lady's face but we were not moving.

I said to Emma, "I've never loved you more than I do right now."

As the woman pushed against her, Emma turned to me with a smile and whispered, "Not today Russia, not today."

I've said it before, if I was only going to get one daughter, I'm glad it was Emma!  She is the bees knees.

This is Emma braiding my hair when we were in the awful cave so I wouldn't die.  Also, I'm smiling in this picture.  I don't remember smiling in that place....