Oh What a Week!

I am, self admittedly, not the best traveler.  I mean, I don’t cling to the airplane seat or have a death grip on the person sitting next to me.   But I don’t enjoy flying.

On Tuesday morning I left home and headed to Hilton Head Island for a business conference.  Now you may be thinking along the same lines as Fadre….

Yes, Madre.  It is a hard life.  Don’t forget to knock the sand off your laptop when you leave the beach!

But Ha!  I didn’t even see the beach, let alone touch some sand.  My view from the meeting room was a nice, asphalt paved parking lot.  But I must say, the palm tree landscaping was beautiful.

But this is how my trip went:

1. Get to the airport 1 hour before the flight leaves.  I am so proud of myself for packing for a 4 day trip, with my work, all in 1 backpack.  ONE backpack!!!!
2. Wait for plane to arrive at the gate - 30 minutes on late.
3. Circle the Atlanta area for 15-20 minutes due to back up of air traffic from bad weather.
4. MISS my connecting flight to Hilton Head.  Fine!  When is the next flight – 8 pm?  That will have to do.  What do you mean it’s booked and the following flight doesn’t leave until 8:25 am?????
5. Savannah will have to work, I guess.
6. $86 for transportation from Savannah Airport to HHI.
7. Finally I check into the hotel at 10 pm.  Get my 2 room keys and head upstairs.
8. Neither key works!
9. Back down to get two new keys.  At least this time the Front Desk Clerk came with me to make sure they worked.
10. Work in the hotel room until the wee hours of the morning.
11. Conference, work in hotel room, conference, work in hotel room.  Rinse, repeat.
12. Leave the hotel at noon for the airport to see if I can catch a flight before 6pm.
13. Arrive at airport at 12:45.  Last flight left at 12:25.  Next flight?  6 pm!
14. Work, work, work.  Pro:  the airport is pretty.  Con:  the only food available are those items found in the vending machines.
15. At 5:15 pm – a storm comes in.  Not kidding!
16. The flight leaves about 40 minutes late.

It’s a small plane.  Single seats on the left side of the plane, two seats on the right.  Across the aisle was a father travelling with his 3 year old daughter.  She was cute as a button.  I was a little tired, so I took a cat nap.  I awoke to this conversation across the way:

Dad:  Can you hold it for a few minutes?  The man is coming down the aisle with the beverage cart.

(I didn’t hear the girl’s response, but they didn’t get up.)

About 5 minutes later I heard:

Dad:  Did you wet your pants?

Girl:  Yes, just a little.

Dad:  Are you finished?  I’m not going to change your panties until you’re finished because I only have one change of clothes for you.

Girl:  No.

About five minutes later, when the beverage cart was finished, Dad got up and got a handful of paper towels from the bathroom.  He did not take his daughter.  He came back, put the towels in the seat and continually asked if she was finished yet.  He was waiting for her to finish IN HER SEAT!!!!  And when she had, he changed her pants there in their seats and went about the rest of the flight as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

IN HER SEAT?!?!?!?

Gross.

So while I am trying to ignore the conversation from across the way, I pulled out the camera to take some pictures for Bean and Bug.  Bean has never been on an airplane.  Bug has made 2 trips, but was only 14 months old for her last trip.

It was a beautiful flight.  I just love to look out and see all those white, puffy clouds.

   

We are starting our descent.

 

Engine still there?  Check.

 

Propeller working?  Check.

 

Closer.

Closer.

 

Yes!  We made it.

And even though we were running late, I still managed to catch my flight home.

Although I started my journey started at 12:45 pm, I didn’t get home until just after 11:00 pm.  But I’m home, safe and sound, and glad to see the family.