A Turbulent Day

We're home! It's 6pm.

We packed up and left St. George at about 10:00am, 9:00 Oregon time, this morning. We drove a couple of hours to the car rental place. We looked for the jackets that we lost somewhere at the car rental location on the way in. No luck. Need to check back during the work week. We took the shuttle to the airport and hopped into the lines. We're carrying a lot of stuff and it's warm. We unload and get through the lines, and head to the gate. We get a few things for the hungry tummies. Mary complains that her tummy isn't well. We wait. Finally we haul everything onto the plane and then things stop going smoothly.

The take off is delayed. Someone is trying to figure out some kind of electrical issue. It's warm. Since the plane isn't on the air isn't able to circulate. Mary's not feeling well. About a half hour later we are asked to deplane. We gather all the carry-ons and kids and head off the plane, awaiting further instruction. I take Mary to the bathroom which is so far away from the gate. Inches into the bathroom door and she throws up all over the floor. Lucky for us there was a janitor in the bathroom who quickly came to our aid, cleaning up the mess as we head to the toilet. Mary feels much better. We fill up the water bottle at the drinking fountain cuz I can't imagine spending another $3.75 on a small bottle of water. We walk back to the gate with trash bags handy. Aaron tells us they located a new plane at another terminal. We walk past the bathrooms again. It is hot. The kids need help carrying everything. We stop at the crowded gate. I can sense that Mary's not done vomiting. I'm warm. I take off the winter coat I had to wear cuz I couldn't fit it in the bags. A sweet lady next to us asks if she can share a cartoon with the kids. We gladly accept and they watch Caillou and have a nice conversation with her. We're all in a better mood.

We get in another line. We are approaching the boarding gate. Mary throws up in the bags several more times as we are inches away to the ticket counter. Sweet ladies rush over with wipes and bags. Mary feels so much better. We hop on the plane, unload again and wait for another half hour without air. It's warm. Mary feels good. We are told we are ready to leave. The air starts. The kids are happy. Mary feels better. We get lots of compliments on how good our kids are being..They were pretty good.

We land. My dad picks us up. My mom has dinner waiting. I'm finally cool. We all talk. It's been a long day. I am starting to realize some of the blessings of the day. Despite all the mishaps, we arrived safely and there were several people along the way to help ease our burden. Lots of tender mercies. Made me reflect on the grander picture and life's journey. Feeling very blessed for these turbulent days.

So happy to be home.