Friday, April 1, 2011

NYR 3-26-11 - another travel day

Mac and I woke up, ate breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express Boca Raton WEST, and headed out in another $140 taxi to the Miami airport.

I've gotten used to very cheap taxis in Bogota, so to me, $140 in a taxi should have really taken me almost to the Georgia border.

After getting the taxi driver to stop at an ATM for more money, we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

We found a nice American agent who assured us the flight was confirmed and that our luggage was the appropriate size for carry-on (DUH!), and we found our way to the gate.

Because the plane was a little plane, we loaded a bus which took us out to the tarmac to get on our plane.

Except that when the bus parked by the plane, the bus driver told us we needed to wait on the plane because there was a maintenance issue. It might take 10 minutes or 1 hour. If it was a 10-minute fix, we'd get right on the plane, but if it was a 1-hour fix, we'd go back to the terminal to wait.

At this point, I was muttering the Serenity Prayer.

Turns out it was a 10-minute fix and we loaded the plane.

As we were preparing for take-off, the flight attendant announced that due to the fuel situation, we had to stop in Ft. Myers to re-fuel because the plane didn't have enough gas to get us all the way to Charleston.

At this point, my poor sweet Mac rubbed my arm and said "it's going to be okay, Moma" so I wouldn't start crying again. Poor kid.

We took off and landed 25 minutes later in Ft. Myers (and as we landed, I could see the beach and it was so beautiful that I was tempted to stay right there). We ended up getting to Charleston around 3:45pm.

Mac went off for a night with his cousins, and Jimmy and I went off to Charleston for a night with friends. I'm sure I didn't enjoy the evening as much as I should have because I was so tired and emotionally spent.

But for being back home for the first time in eight months, I am truly thankful.

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