Probably a crazy idea

My step-grandmother's (Nanny) 95 birthday is coming up next weekend and that whole side of the family is getting together for it. It really isn't that big of a family, but they rarely all get together. She lives on Long Island and my parents and brother just made their arrangements to fly out for this party. My step-brother and his girlfriend will be out from NYC, and my step-sister and her family will be down from MA. My cousin who lives in SF will fly out for this, and his brother and family in CT will come as well. My step-father's brother and wife life across the street, so they will of course be there. That is everyone on that side of the family, except for my sister and myself who only sort of belong to this clan. Even though my step-father and mother have been married for over 20 years, my mom and her two children from her first marriage were never totally accepted into the family. But still, I've enjoyed being with these people and I feel like I've made a connection to Nanny over the years, especially after my daughter was born. Girls are rare on that side of the family, so they end up getting a lot of notice. It is strange to have my daughter accepted as Nanny's great-granddaughter without ever really being accepted as her granddaughter, but hey, I'm willing to make allowances for someone who is in her 90's!

So anyways, baggage and family history aside, I'm trying to decide if I should fly out for this or not. I've been pricing tickets and it looks like Emma and I could fly, round-trip, for about $260 each. I think I have enough money in my little fund for that (err, I should explain that - Matt and I have our own little funds set up - for all the overtime he makes, he gets 30% in his fund, I get 20%, and 50% goes into savings. This gives us the ability to buy stuff we want that the other person doesn't really care about without feeling like we are overly impacting the family budget. For Matt, it tends to be computer and mountaineering stuff, for me it tends to be craft stuff, books, and trips) but it will definitely wipe me out - and it has taken me awhile to save this up! Then there are the logistical issues - do I rent a car, or do I try to get out there on the Long Island Railroad? It looks like the earliest I could get in is about 9 pm, which makes the trains sound rather iffy. My parents will be there already, but they are getting in at about 6 am Friday morning, and they are going to be about an hour and a half away from the airport so I would really hate to have either of them come all the way out to get us. And then I start thinking about flying for six hours with a three year old, schlepping a carseat, luggage, a six and a half month pregnant belly and my daughter all over the airport by myself and the idea starts seeming less appealing. But I wonder, will I kick myself later if I don't do this, especially if I don't make it back while Nanny is still alive? And it isn't like it is going to get much easier - soon I would be travelling with two little ones!

Hmm... and why does all this have to come together at the last minute so that I hardly have anytime to think about it???