Baby’s First Convention: A/TA Denver 2022

Episode № 94 shares our experience of taking a toddler to an Air Mobility convention...where he also received his very first coin.

Transcript

Episode № 94 Baby’s First Convention: A/TA Denver 2022

Welcome back!
Lady Jupiter Podcast is the audio accompaniment to LadyJupiter.com a lifestyle blog where I write about my family’s military life, our home life, and other tiny details that I just like to share. I’m happy that you’re here with me.

In this episode I’ll share an update on our life as affected by the U.S. military, then continue with a blog update, and wrap up with something domestic.

Today in our military-affected lives I have nothing significant to update.

Last month we took Kid Jupiter to his first convention. We figured that it was time to introduce him to air travel, so we took him to Denver for the Airlift/Tanker Association’s 54th Annual Convention as well as A/TA Air Mobility Symposium & Technology Exposition at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado. This year’s theme was “Rapid Global Mobility” “The Fight to Get to the Fight.”

Not surprisingly, Kid Jupiter was one of the only children attending. There were a few younger, and more portable offspring, and the occasional big kid - so we weren’t alone in bringing the family to A/TA, but there were not many of us. Since the boy’s mood is unpredictable and his volume is generally out of parental control, we kept him out of all of the Keynotes, but he joined me for a seminar or two, and tagged along with some of Mister Jupiter’s one-on-one meetings. So yeah, Kid Jupiter didn’t get to see Chief Bass (the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force) -but he did get to meet General Minihan (the Commander of Air Mobility Command; a four-star general)- and he has the coin to prove it.

Sure, we were just parenting in a different city, but we had a great time. A lot of people openly expressed genuine gratitude to Mister Jupiter and I about bringing our son. One of the A/TA organizers spoke to a group of spouses, and she was talking about how the association is trying to include spouses and families more - just like how I was able to register for free (my badge limitations were food related, but that’s all).

The next morning, Kid Jupiter and I arrived at a breakfast and spouse chat (during breakfast hours no less - so it’s a miracle that we were ON TIME at 7:30am. Really, that’s practically unheard of…for me). Anyhoo, someone’s toddler was scream-laughing and asking very loud questions about cheese availability for about twenty minutes. It was me. That was my toddler. But we received zero side-eye. Most of the people in that seminar were also parents and they know that toddlers…are toddlers.

Another morning Kid Jupiter was invited to check out the expo. Mister Jupiter had access, but I didn’t because the exposition had food (the one restriction that my badge did not permit). Luckily Mister Jupiter communicated that the Kid would be accompanied by a non-expo badge - thanks to that detail we were granted access to the expo, even during the exhibitor’s lunch time, where the appropriate badges and uniforms were temporarily turned away. Kid Jupiter was offered candy - but he kindly shook his head “no” in response. He gladly accepted a hat, a plush tanker toad, Loadmaster Association stickers, and everything offered to him that was inedible. I almost offered him a slice of cheese that would be in violation of my badge permissions, but Mister Jupiter found us, then took us to lunch in an Italian restaurant where we broke a pepper mill instead. Next time, I’ll just grab some cheese and let my child revel in the bliss of forbidden dairy. We’ve all done it.

Anyway - it was fun overall. Not only is Kid Jupiter a natural traveler, but he remained surprisingly well-mannered for days. He gave high fives to many A/TA members, and faked out more. We packed swimwear and used them (which - by the way, the Gaylord has wonderfully heated pools and nice mezcal cocktails). We were not banned by the Italian restaurant. The sports bar didn’t blink when I ordered a kid’s meal with wine. And to my comfort, we were able to decline room service upon reservation.

I’m sure it sounds silly to some, but I do not like hotel housekeepers in my room when I’m not there. If I need something I’ll call the front desk. I’m not a total control freak -I promise- it’s just that I had stuff stolen by a hotel housekeeper in 1999 or 2000, Los Angeles. Which year? I don’t know - my film canisters were stolen, thus any photographic evidence that I was even there. I was sharing a suite with others, and we all were missing items. So now, many years later I still harbor the same distrust. But don’t worry -if you work in hospitality- I want you to know that I am not some jerk who takes it out on all of the housekeepers. I’m just overly-cautious. Some people call that a trauma response. LA does that to a lot of people.

For today’s LadyJupiter.com update…the site is still up and running.

And lastly something domestic.

I haven’t been home a lot lately, so domesticity has been on hold. So earlier I told you about all of us going to A/TA Denver - just a few days before the convention I drove down to Waco, Texas for a couple of nights, and despite missing the Silo-bration at Magnolia…I had an excellent beer bath with my sister-in-law.

I kind of feel like I’ve already talked your ear off today, so I’ll tell you about my Waco trip next episode.

And if you’re wondering, I have not transported any more bats. My batphone rang twice, but both on bad batdays and I was unable to help.

Oh - and someone loves the alphabet.

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And that’s it for today’s episode.

Show notes and transcript are available online; swing by LadyJupiter.com/podcast.
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I will talk to you when I can record next. 

—Bye for now!