I'm here! Getting here was painful - to say the least.
When I woke up Tuesday morning to snow, I should have just gone right back to bed, because it was a sure sign that hell was freezing over. But no... I pushed on.
I was supposed to leave Little Rock at 12:10 Tuesday. We boarded at 1 and then sat at the end of the run way for an hour waiting to be able to take off (weather). We finally took off, flew 10 minutes and turned back around because of weather in Atlanta.
We took off again at 5:15 and by the time I got to ATL I had missed all my connections. I got put on a 9:30 p.m. flight out of ATL that boarded at 11:55, but because of a mechanical problem, didn't actually take off until 12:20 a.m. Then we got to Virgina and because of weather, we got to circle for an hour. So... I missed my rotator by a good 8 hours. And then TMO SENT ME HOME!!!!
So I claimed my bags in Norfolk at 3:45 a.m., took them right back to Delta and got back on the same plane I had just gotten off. No lie. Got to Atlanta at 8:10 a.m. (still haven't been to sleep) to be told I'm not coming home - I'm going to Baltimore. So I flew from ATL to Cinncianati to BWI. And when I got there... NO BAGS. Of couse. Now, this is literally five flights in 34 hours and I haven't even left the U.S. yet!
I got to BWI at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, my bags got there at 9:51 p.m. and I had to check in for my next flight by 10 p.m. Just made it...
Flew from Baltimore (where we were delayed for maintenance) to Germany. There, we were once again delayed for maintenance. Then we flew to Italy. There, we were delayed because of an in-flight emergency. Then we flew to Al Udied, where I got to sit and wait for 36 hours for a flight.
THANK YOU to the men of the 463rd AG out of Little Rock who came from Iraq to Qatar to fly me to Djibouti. Without them, I'd still be sitting in a tent waiting for a plane!
So, all told, I left home Tuesday morning and slept in my first bed on Friday night and got to Africa on Saturday at dinner time. I hope the trip back is better!
***A special thanks goes to Agent Rick Pearson, who showed at at BWI at 2:30 Thursday and provided me with car service, baggage help, a hotel to shower in, a hot meal, a trip to both Target and Wal*Mart, drug my bags through all of BWI at 10 at night and then put me on a plane with a smile and a warm hug.
***Thank you as well to Mike and Leigh! They pulled me off a plane in Italy in before anyone else, I got to sit in the terminal with them for about 45 minutes, and I got hugs, pictures and a goody bag for the plane.
I am blessed with some incredible friends!
When I woke up Tuesday morning to snow, I should have just gone right back to bed, because it was a sure sign that hell was freezing over. But no... I pushed on.
I was supposed to leave Little Rock at 12:10 Tuesday. We boarded at 1 and then sat at the end of the run way for an hour waiting to be able to take off (weather). We finally took off, flew 10 minutes and turned back around because of weather in Atlanta.
We took off again at 5:15 and by the time I got to ATL I had missed all my connections. I got put on a 9:30 p.m. flight out of ATL that boarded at 11:55, but because of a mechanical problem, didn't actually take off until 12:20 a.m. Then we got to Virgina and because of weather, we got to circle for an hour. So... I missed my rotator by a good 8 hours. And then TMO SENT ME HOME!!!!
So I claimed my bags in Norfolk at 3:45 a.m., took them right back to Delta and got back on the same plane I had just gotten off. No lie. Got to Atlanta at 8:10 a.m. (still haven't been to sleep) to be told I'm not coming home - I'm going to Baltimore. So I flew from ATL to Cinncianati to BWI. And when I got there... NO BAGS. Of couse. Now, this is literally five flights in 34 hours and I haven't even left the U.S. yet!
I got to BWI at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, my bags got there at 9:51 p.m. and I had to check in for my next flight by 10 p.m. Just made it...
Flew from Baltimore (where we were delayed for maintenance) to Germany. There, we were once again delayed for maintenance. Then we flew to Italy. There, we were delayed because of an in-flight emergency. Then we flew to Al Udied, where I got to sit and wait for 36 hours for a flight.
THANK YOU to the men of the 463rd AG out of Little Rock who came from Iraq to Qatar to fly me to Djibouti. Without them, I'd still be sitting in a tent waiting for a plane!
So, all told, I left home Tuesday morning and slept in my first bed on Friday night and got to Africa on Saturday at dinner time. I hope the trip back is better!
***A special thanks goes to Agent Rick Pearson, who showed at at BWI at 2:30 Thursday and provided me with car service, baggage help, a hotel to shower in, a hot meal, a trip to both Target and Wal*Mart, drug my bags through all of BWI at 10 at night and then put me on a plane with a smile and a warm hug.
***Thank you as well to Mike and Leigh! They pulled me off a plane in Italy in before anyone else, I got to sit in the terminal with them for about 45 minutes, and I got hugs, pictures and a goody bag for the plane.
I am blessed with some incredible friends!
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