Fourth of July craziness

To all my adoring fans, I'm so sorry that I have not written sooner. I guess it just boils down to me not having much to say. I came back from Mexico, and now I am stuck in the hum-drum of life, getting up, going to work, eating lunch, going to work, coming home, sitting around, going to bed. And to make matters worse, Derek has been gone a lot these past few weeks, doing summer camps and coaching clinics. He's gone this week to get his Level 2 Track and Field Coaches Certification in Las Vegas (I wish I could have gone!). So, it's been kind of boring. If it wasn't for our new cable and internet at home, I would have probably joined the circus by now for lack of something to do.

However, this past weekend changed all of that. Saturday morning at 5:00 am I woke up, took a shower, drove to the airport with Derek and Dustin (Derek was leaving that morning for his clinic), sweated it out in line at security, and barely made it for my plane destined for Nashville...well, that particular plane was destined for Baltimore, but I was destined for Nashville. As I made my connection in DFW, I was thankful how nicely the airport was set up. The new Skylink railway was extremely easy to use and I had time to go to the bathroom and get a smoothie as I sat and waiting for my next flight. When I arrived in Nashville, I met up with my mom and brother.

What were they doing there, you ask? Well, if you know anything about my family, you know that we used to live in Nashville and that my mom's family (most of it) still does. My mom, dad and bro were going to be there for the week and since Derek was going to be gone and I had a long weekend, they invited me to come stay with them (invited as in they bought my plane ticket). How could I refuse?

The weekend was very relaxing. Whenever I'm with my parents, I feel like I can act like a kid again. Saturday evening we had a family dinner (potluck-style), Sunday was church, lunch, visiting with more family and friends, Monday we cleaned out my grandmother's storage closet (that took most of the day, although we got it done sooner than I expected), then went to dinner and to a Nashville Sounds baseball game (they lost), and finally Tuesday the 4th came around and it was almost time to go. Little did I know that I should have just stayed with my family and avoided a lot of stress, but oh well.

It started off like any other day. Warm, sunny, perfect for the 4th of July. My mom had a lunch date with an old teacher friend, so Mark, Dad and I dropped her off and then went to Opry Mills mall to walk around and eat lunch before we had to go pick her up again. We thought about going to see the new Superman movie, but it was going to be too long for us to make it back in time for my flight. My flight out of Nashville was scheduled to leave at 5:30 pm, and I wanted to be there by 4:00 pm in order to avoid Saturday morning's near-miss. So I said my goodbyes to Maw-Maw (my grandmother), and then we drove to the airport in nervous anticipation.

Let me take this moment to say that I don't like flying. Flying by myself to come see my family this weekend was a big step for miss Mary. Something about the altitude, combined with the nasty stale air of airplanes that smells like coffee and something else...I don't know, I just get nauseated. As I sat in the waiting area, the airline lady at the counter made an announcement that our flight was being delayed an hour because of bad weather in Dallas. Okay, I thought, I guess I'll go get a magazine or two and a snack (I was planning on eating dinner at DFW). At 6:05 they started boarding the plane, so I ran to the bathroom and then came back to get on. Luckily, the flight was not even full, so I had a window and an aisle seat to myself. I read my magazine, ate my snacks and looked out the window as swirling clouds gathered below.

When we landed, the flight attendant read off a list of connecting flights that were also delayed out of DFW. I listed for my flight to San Antonio...but it was not announced. I shrugged it off as we got off the plane and decided to ask the airline attendant that always greets incoming flights to assist with connections...but there wasn't anyone at our gate when we got off. I then decided to go to a TV screen to find out where my gate was for San Antonio. I looked...San Antonio was not even listed...I started to slowly panic as I realized that I was in a huge airport with no clue where to go. I looked at the crowded terminal gates and realized that a lot of people were here waiting for their delayed flights. I searched for a counter that was not very busy and walked up to it.

"Can I help you?" asked the lady. I gave her my boarding pass for the flight to San Antonio and said, "I am lost." She took one look at my pass and said, "Oh, that flight has been canceled. You'll need to go to...(typing stuff into her computer in front of her...think "Meet the Parents" when Ben Stiller is trying to get a flight home)...gate D as in dog, 30 and try to get on standby." I thanked her and walked off...but wait, where is D30? I was at C22 or something like that. Again, it was Skylink to the rescue. I rode the sleek new tram around DFW as I called my parents to let them know of the situation. Finally, the Skylink pulled gently into the terminal where I needed to be, and I got off, full of apprehension and hope mixed.

When I arrived to D30, the hope disappeared and the apprehension grew. A long line of people was forming in front of the D30 counter, which read: "Ft. Lauderdale, FL." Was I in the right place? Thankfully, most of the people around me were trying to get to San Antonio as well and so I felt better. At least we were all told the same place. Apparently, a flight to Ft. Lauderdale was scheduled to go out of that gate, but only after a new flight to San Antonio was scheduled to leave. As I worked my way up to the counter, I handed the girl my boarding pass. She typed in more stuff to her computer, and then told me I was on standby for another flight to San Antonio, as the one that was departing from this gate was already full to capacity. So, I took the new boarding pass and went to sit down.

I had not eaten dinner or gone to the bathroom in several hours, yet I was by now afraid to leave the area for fear that they would call my name to be on the flight and I would miss it. So I waited...and waited...and waited. The first flight to San Antonio was called and a crowd of people who were on standby rushed the gate, causing the counter girl to make an announcement for them to back up so as to let ticketed flyers (as if without a ticket we are not legitimate or something) through. I watched my name on the standby list slowly sink from spot 15 to 16 to 18 to 20 and finally to 23 before it suddenly shot down to #74 as the numerous passengers who did not make the first flight out were rolled onto our list (and everyone who was already on that list was bumped down). My hope was almost gone of getting out of Dallas that night as I watched the flight's time also being bumped back, first from 10:14 to 10:30, and then to 11:00 and finally to 11:20 pm. I went up to the ticket counter to ask about my options: apparently this was the last flight to San Antonio for the night; the next one was leaving at 7:00 am in the morning.

In the meantime, I was calling everyone: my parents, Derek, Dustin (his brother who was supposed to pick me up from the airport in SA), and Angela, my best friend who lives in Dallas. As I constantly weighed my options, I asked for their advice, and they gave it to me. Derek, ever the saver, wanted me to wait it out and try to catch the flight in the morning. Angela offered me a place to sleep for the night at her apartment. Dustin, who works at Enterprise, said I could rent a car and drive, but that maybe I should just take the flight in the morning to save money. Mark was a sympathetic ear (my parents were already in bed by this time) and tried to make me feel better. I decided to go talk to the counter girls again, and this time I went to the other lady (the first one I had talked to was not very helpful).

"Next in line, please." She was in her 30s, I guess, and looked tired. I would be too. It was 10:45 pm and she had probably been here since early afternoon. "Is there any chance of me getting on this flight tonight or even the one in the morning?" I asked her. Usually, the counter ladies are elusive when it comes to this question, but tonight's mayhem probably had her on the edge already, so she told me "No, I honestly don't think you will make either flight. The earliest I can book you on a flight out of here is....(more typing)...7:00 am on Thursday morning." Yikes, I thought. "okay, if I just got a rental car, would that penalize me?" "Not if it is the last leg of your trip." "Do you give refunds or vouchers for stuff like this?" "Only if it is the airline's mistake or problem, not weather problems..." With that, I knew what I was going to do.

I felt a wave of relief wash over me as I realized that I did not have to fly any more for the day. I called Angela and asked her to come pick me up, I was staying at her house tonight. Luckily, she and her family were at a Rangers' game and not too far of a drive away. I called everyone else, let them know my plans, and waited outside. The hot night air was a welcome feeling as I finally felt in control of what was going on. I called my office and let them know I would not be in in the morning as I was driving back to San Antonio from DFW.

As I rode home with Angela and her family, I felt better. I was with people I knew, everyone I loved knew I was safe and taken care of, and I was going to get to sleep in a bed. A reservation was made to get a car the next morning from Dallas Love Field (Enterprise, of course - Dustin can get me a sweet discount), and by 8:30 the next morning I was on my way home, driving south on 35.

Needless to say, I made it home fine and in good time. I had a nice little road trip and realized that I love to drive, especially when given the choice to drive or fly. From now on, I am driving everywhere I go...except in a couple of weeks when Derek and I are flying to Pensacola, FL out of DFW...let's hope that goes okay. Until next time, everyone!