I love traveling. This weekend Austin and I went to Dallas to visit his brother and some friends. I was reminded again of how much I love getting in a plane in Columbia, MO (flying out of Columbia is so much better-easier, faster, more convenient- than flying from KC or STL) and then landing a few hours later in a completely different part of the country. It's pretty amazing.
I love the funny stories that come along with traveling and the interesting people you encounter on the journey...
Austin and I arrived at the COU airport at 4:00...4:06 by the time we reached the ticket counter to check in. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 4:30 but it's Columbia so there were no lines. We go up to the kiosk (I really like the word "kiosk" by the way...) and started the check in process when a guy in an orange vest (which is basically the only distinguishable difference between "official personnel" and us lowly travelers) asks if we're checking in for the 4:30 flight. This question in itself is stupid because it's Columbia Regional Airport and they only have ONE flight left that day....so, yeah, buddy, we're checking in for the one flight that's scheduled to leave this afternoon. We're not eager beaver fliers who wanted to get here extra early for the first flight out on Saturday. Orange vest man then proceeds to tell us that we're too late to check in- the computers shut down 30 minutes before departure and there's no way to override the system. We'll have to wait until Saturday morning to fly out. Grreat.....
Austin is visibly angry. I'm just sitting there in disbelieving shock b/c really? We're not checking baggage, and even if I were, I could easily WALK my bag to the plane and LOAD IT MYSELF. THAT is how small COU is. Seriously. I'm not even exaggerating for literary effect. It's that small. Austin balks and says "you've go to be kidding me (I love how the verbalizes so well exactly what I am thinking). "Really? There's nothing you can do. The 'computers just shut off'?" Yeah, the guy explains. There's nothing we can do. Austin pulls out his credit card and tries the automated check in again anyway. He's determined to prove this guy in the vest wrong. If the computer doesn't work, I'm pretty sure Austin is going to walk around the counter, grab an orange vest, and hand write a boarding pass. The computer pulls up our itinerary and then tells us to proceed to the service desk. Orange vest says that's because we can't check in. THEN, he says "wait..hold on...there might be something I can do. The flight is delayed so it may let you check in still." Sure enough, our flight was delayed 8 minutes which gave us an 8 minute window to check in late. Luckily arriving at 4:06 was in that window. So, we were able to get boarding passes for our Friday flight after an admonition from the Vest to be early for our flight next time. Got it.
We make it to Memphis without any further complications only to find that our flight to Dallas was delayed over an hour. We were scheduled to fly in to Dallas/Fort Worth, but as we scanned the departures, there was an earlier flight to Dallas Love Field. Perhaps we could get on that flight? So, we set off to the C gate were the Dallas Love flight was scheduled to depart. Austin and I walk up to the desk and he proceeds to charm the pants off of Helenor, the woman working the desk. Unfortunately, she doesn't really know what she's doing so eventually, she calls down to the gate where our actual flight is scheduled to depart and talks to someone down there who is able to move us from Dallas/Fort Worth to Dallas Love. Perfect! When it comes time to board, Helenor just ushers us through the line and tells us what seats to sit in. We have no boarding passes, we never had to show ID, we just walked on. It made me feel both very important and a tad frightened at how easy that whole process was. I mean, it's not like I was going to make a bomb out of my chewing gum, eye drops, and a toothpick McGuyver style, but Helenor didn't know that...and if it was that easy for Austin and I to jump on a different flight, I can only imagine it'd be pretty easy for someone else...but, what ya gonna do? So, on we went...
Our trip had only just begun and already what an adventure it was :) That's why I LOVE traveling. Because it's always such an adventure...
I love eating in airport restaurants where the "vegetable of the day" is this...
That's right...it's fried corn nuggets. Only in Memphis is fried corn considered a vegetable.
I love meeting funny people like Helenor.
And although the initial assent scares me a little (images of Final Destination where the plane explodes at lift off always flash through my mind. Stupid movie), I love the serenity and the awe I feel looking down at the sun setting on the clouds and the tiny green and brown patchwork quilt of the earth below. It's beautiful.
When we land in Dallas and go straight from the airport to Pokeyos where I can choose two hot, homemade cookies and a scoop of ice cream and they make me the most delicious ice cream sandwich I've ever eaten, I am truly satisfied. Looking around our table at Austin, his brother Kyle, and Kyle's wife, Deonna with baby Thiessen, and Kent, and his wife, Emily, I offer one bite of my ice cream yummy goodness to Austin before inhaling the entire thing, and offer up a prayer of thanks to God that I am so incredibly blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment