I'm Ba-ack

I'll recap my time in the Bahama's over the next few days along with what pictures I have, but for now let me tell you of my adventure in getting home.

There were thunderstorms over Florida, the little puddle jumper from Marsh Harbour did a great job of staying in the air without too many sudden dips.  The landing was less than desirable, but I'm here to talk about it and I've had worse landings.  Way worse, but I digress.

The thunderstorms held up the plane that was to take me on the next leg of my journey and held it up and held it up.  Then the gal at the desk announces that our plane was in line to take off, YAY!!! But because our airport had been closed all the planes that had been waved off due to the storm now needed to land.   WHAT?  Okay, good news - bad news scenario.  I get it, but baby the natives are getting restless, perhaps we should have tried the no news tack... just say'n.

I feel sorry for the poor people who were on the plane.  They were in line to take off for a REALLY long time and their flight was like a 20 minute flight.  Initially when I asked the gal said I'd have 40 minutes to make my next plane.  Okay, it was Denver and I KNEW that I'd have to race from one end of their GINORMOUS airport to the other end.  However, I've been in Denver and I knew that I could do it, so I didn't worry, too much.

When it became apparent that I would not make my flight I tried to call my daughter.  In the past I always write down phone numbers etc.  Not this time, no sir-ee bob, all I had to do was remember the last 2 digits of both phones and I'd be good.  One was odd and one was lucky.  However, hmmmm, yeah what's odd and/or lucky seems to be subject to change?  I could not reach my daughter, reached a lot of OTHER folk. 

The poor gal behind the desk had to punch in a security code every time I tried a new number, she was already frazzled and I wasn't helping.  I eventually gave up and I called my phone, I left it home just in case anyone called that needed immediate attention kind of thing.  I prayed that Jess had not already check for messages that day.

Eventually (three hours later) our plane arrived and we were off.   Got into Denver even later than the people at the airport thought.  Instead of missing my plane by 20 minutes, missed it by 90.  The pilot said something about having to go out of our way due to storms, we must have gone a long way out of our way.

Spent the night sleeping on the floor at the Denver Airport.  It wasn't bad 'cause I knew the airport, knew where the best sleeping spot would be, knew that Quizno's would still be open and a gift shop too.  Thought I might have to buy me a sweat shirt for warmth.  Instead they had a travel blanket and with my purse for a pillow and the little blanket it worked great.  I had to turn often as my poor old hips complained and my bad knee let me know what it thought of the whole thing the next morning when I tried to walk, but all in all not bad.

Now please keep in mind I'm not really adventurous.  Missing a flight was one of the things I feared most.  What would I do, what would happen, how would this work out... But I survived the ordeal and patted myself on the back.  When I got a page in the morning I hobbled my way to the white phone and thought, 'Great, another contraption I have to figure out.'  I managed that, yay.  However, when the guy on the phone said, "Your son wants you to call him."  That was the end of that.  "I don't know the number," I wail. Tears threatening to fall.  Jake brilliant kid that he is thought of that and the dude starts rattling off the number.  While I'm grabbing a pen to write it down I say, "Is there a phone where I can call?"  He sounded horrified when he asked, "You DON'T have a phone?"  "No," I say tears trying to make another appearance. The nice man connected me.

Seems Jess didn't get the message and was indeed circling the airport in the middle of the night looking for her lost mommy.  She eventually figured it out and went home.  I told Jake that hence forth and forever more I would write down the freaking numbers... however, as I got off the phone with him and headed to my new departure gate (the gate number kept changing) I realized I STILL didn't have Jake's number.  The guy didn't finish giving it to me.  I was so stressed that I would not make THIS flight and I'd have another kid at the airport looking for me. 

It all worked out. 
I'm home.