home sweet home

Here is what all happened Friday night (in order) while I was in LA getting ready to head home to Indy (all times reflect Pacific Standard Time):

1. 8:00 PM--Leave Cheesecake Factory after dinner and head to the airport to catch the 10:15 PM flight.
   
2. 8:30 PM--Get lost on the way to the airport, somehow miss my exit for I-405 South.
   
3. 8:35 PM--End up in the ghetto somewhere.
4. 8:37 PM--Go into a McDonalds to use the bathroom, get a Diet Coke, and screw my head back on straight.
5. 8:38 PM--Realize that the door to the bathroom is chained up and I have to input quarters to open in it. No thank you. Figure out that people behind the counter speak very little English. Become more aware of my surroundings and quickly discern that I'm nowhere near being in a safe place.
6. 8:39 PM--Run in to my car (without a Diet Coke), yell at myself for missing the exit to the 405, and take a deep breath. (FYI--I couldn't have just turned around and backtracked because (a) I had no idea how far away I was from the exit I needed/missed and (b) traffic--so both combined, I didn't want to take my chance with backtracking and getting lost even more.)
   
7. 8:40 PM--Call my sister and her hubby freaking out, desperate for directions and access to Google maps.
   
8. 9 PM--Get back on track and on the right direction to the airport after taking 3 different major highways--gotta love LA.
9. 9:10 PM--Miss my turn for the street that leads to the rental car drop-off location. Find a good place to turn and end up back on the right track, a few minutes later.
   
10. 9:15 PM--Drop off my rental car. Fuel is slightly below "Full". Beg the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Salesman to give me a break since I got lost and am already running late for my flight.
    
11. 9:20 PM--Get a break from the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Salesman--he only charges me for one gallon, instead of the usual penalty of charging a full tank. I take my suitcase, textbook, purse, and new outlet mall purchases.
    
12. 9:25 PM--Beg the shuttle bus driver (José) to take me immediately to the airport, letting him know my flight leaves at 10:15 PM. He graciously says he is going to run inside to make sure no one is on their way out, and if not we will leave right away.
13. 9:27 PM--One woman comes out, hops on the bus--she's also late for a red-eye flight, but she has a bit more time (her flight doesn't leave till 10:45 PM). José loads my suitcase and the mess of me onto the bus. The three of us leave.
    
14. 9:30 PM--I gasp. I left my backpack with 2 laptops and all school papers in the rental car!
    
15. 9:31 PM--I walk up to José and give him the bad news, letting him know that I'm not going to make it because I need to go back and get my bag. He asks me to rush and look at my receipt to get the last three digits of my license plate so he can phone the "base" (i.e., the rental car place). I give him the three digits he calls, and asks them to deliver my bag right away to my terminal--#5 for Delta. He said to them, "A pretty lady with black hair, wearing jeans and a black sweater will be waiting for you outside. Hurry!" José says to me, "This way, they can be bringing you your bag when you are checking in your suitcase, so you don't lose time!" I profusely thank José for his efficient solution and give him a nice tip. He was an angel.
    
16. 9:40 PM--José unloads my stuff and introduces me to the Delta agent working curbside checkout (they are apparently buddies). José proceeds to take his other passenger to her terminal. I get excited because there is no waiting line at the curbside checkout and have glimmer of hope that I might actually make this flight! (Security lines for a red-eye flight are always short--so getting through security didn't worry me.)
    
17. 9:42 PM-- Delta agent bursts my bubble. "Ma'am, listen to me carefully. You are trying to check in baggage less than 45 minutes before your flight leaves. If you are checking in a bag, you have to be here more than 45 minutes before your flight. I cannot print off a luggage tag for you now. You'll have to go in and talk with one of the agents at the counter."
    
18. 9:43 PM--I am torn, sad, disappointed, tired, and emotional. Do I go in and talk to the agent and risk missing the rental car bus which is delivering my backpack? Or wait for the rental car bus and risk not being able to check in my bag? Given what all was in my backpack, I decided I could not miss its delivery--I wait outside.
19. 9:47 PM--Bag is delivered! I run inside, find an agent, only to learn even she can't do anything to help me given I'm now less than 30 minutes before my flight leaves. She points me to the "Delta Special Services" counter. I am still hopeful--"special services"---ok, the line is short (only 2 people), they can do something "special" for me to get my bag on the flight, I will zip through security and run to my gate and take a deep breath and all will be fine.
20. 9:57 PM--I'm STILL 3rd person in line, lose hope of making the flight, realize that "special services" means "special cases" which take research to resolve, thereby taking a looooooooong time.
    
21. 10 PM--Call my sister, cry a little (I wasn't kidding when I said I got emotional earlier--so embarassing!), let her know the current situation and that I will send her updates.
22. 10:05 PM--Get into a conversation with the man standing behind me. He asked why I sounded upset on the phone. I got a little creeped out, when I learned he was eavesdropping, but decide to let it go and give him the benefit of the doubt. We start chatting, and he asks me if I know Jesus. I take a deep breath, quickly thank the Lord for the reminder of Who is in control, and for the first time that night, have a moment of peace. I answer, "Yes! I certainly do." He lets me know he's been a missionary in Melbourne, Australia for the past 15 years. How awesome! We become friends and both of us quickly get in a much better mood.
    
23. 10:15 PM--FINALLY get to the counter. I am greeted by what appeared to be a disgruntled Delta agent--apparently she's been hearing complaints all day. Poor thing--I'd be disgruntled too. So, I take another deep breath after initially experiencing her demeanor, and engage in a conversation with her. She lets me know this is a really bad time to miss a flight since it's Spring Break week. I spend a couple of minutes letting her know the countless # of times I've flown in and out of LA, and that too, on the red-eye flight. Then I proceed to let her know everything that went wrong with this particular trip (e.g., getting lost on the way to the airport, missing my turn for the rental car place, leaving my bag in the rental car, etc...) and she becomes empathetic.
    
24. 10:20 PM--She lets me know the challenging things about my problem is that (a) It's Spring Break week--and the majority of flights are already full and (2) I have a discount fare--meaning Coach class, so it's even harder, since First Class is what is usually open.
    
25. 10:25 PM--She finds a $700 fare, which she puts on hold and asks her Delta Supervisor for permission to give it to me for a discounted amount. He denies her request and says I should pay the full amount.
26. 10:30 PM--She is unhappy with her Delta Supervisor's decision and asks me to wait while she goes to the Northwest Airlines counter to ask that Supervisor. (Her justification: "Well, your original flight was booked through Northwest, and even though NW and Delta merged, I need to check with the NW supervisor.) I thank her for her relentless effort to try and help the customer. She thanks me for my gratitude and leaves to solve my problem.
27. 10:35 PM--I'm waiting for Linda (my Delta agent) to come back. At this point, I've reorganized my suitcase, purse, and back-pack. I'm full into people watching too; especially those at the counter right next to mine. I remember that this is the "Special Services" counter, so each person has a different situation. One young man's flight was at 12:45 AM on 3/19. He came to the airport at 10:30 PM on 3/19 thinking his flight was at 12:45 AM on 3/20. That Delta agent says to him, "You are 24 hours late for your flight." Ouch. I feel slightly better about myself...
    
28. 10:45 PM--A girl from Atlanta is now at the counter. "I left my boarding pass at home and my flight leaves at 11, in 15 minutes, can you just print off another pass for me?" The agent calls his Delta Supervisor over, and the Supervisor goes on a big rant, "This is why people shouldn't be allowed to check in online. We have more problems with people trying to do things themselves. Call the gate, ask if they've already given her seat away, and if not, print off a new pass for her." The agent follows orders. Finds out her seat is still available! The "Southern Belle," as I fittingly labeled her, becomes excited. (She doesn't have check-in luggage, thank goodness.) I let her know she will make it...and everyone in line cheers and we send her on her way. I love camaraderie.
29. 10:55 PM--Linda comes back. She tells me she got me on a flight flying through Minneapolis onto Indy. Flight leaves at 12:45 AM (in less than 2 hours!) and I only have to pay $50 to make the change. WHEW!
    
30. 10:57 PM--Linda is printing off my ticket. I load my suitcase on the scale, assuming it's going to be too heavy. It's 2 lbs. less than the max weight! I quickly stick in my Marketing textbook, because I didn't want to carry it. The bag is now 53 lbs. Then I stand there and think, why are textbooks soooo heavy??
31. 11 PM--Linda has neatly printed off all my tickets and boarding passes. SHe lets me know I am confirmed on my flight from Minneapolis to Indy, but I'm on stand-by on the flight from LA to Minneapolis. I am perplexed and a little annoyed because I thought I had jumped through all the hurdles--and now, one more gets introduced. Then I ask her, "How likely is it that I'm going to ge ta seat on the flight to Minneapolis?" Linda: "My supervisor and I think there are enough seats for you to get on, otherwise we wouldn't have put you on there. You're 4th on the priority list, so you will be fine." Me: "Ok, that makes me feel better." My optimism allows me to believe this.
32. 11:05 PM--Linda sees my bag is 3 lbs. over. She says, "I'm not even going to worry about your bag being too heavy. You've been through enough tonight as it is. Don't worry about paying the extra fee." My gratitude kicks in again, and I profusely thank her for her flexibility.
33. 11:10 PM--My bag is dropped off, and I'm on my way to the gate!
    
34. 11:20 PM--I go through the Security line and head to the McDonald's to finally get that Diet Coke.
35. 11:25 PM--I find a seat right in front of my gate and slowly sip on my drink.
    
36. 11:27 PM--Slightly jolt out of my seat at the sound of a man snoring loudly near me. He's laying on the floor with his legs up on a seat, and his son and wife sitting near him, laughing.
    
37. 11:30 PM--The sleeping man is STILL snoring, but now everyone in line and at the neighboring gate are laughing at him. (Side note: if I were the man, I'd want my son or wife to wake me up and put me out of my misery and embarassment!)
    
38. 11:35 PM--I'm watching the stand-by list like a hawk. I'm 4th on the priority list (out of a total 19 people) and there are 18 seats that have not yet been assigned. I'm pretty confident at this point that I'm going to get to start boarding in a few minutes.
39. 11:55 PM--Man is still snoring. Stand-by list stays the same.
40. 12:15 PM--Zone 1 boarding starts. Stand-by list stays the same.
41. 12:20 PM--Zone 2 boarding starts. Only now, I'm all of a sudden 5th on the priority list, and there are only 8 seats that have not yet been assigned. I get antsy.
42. 12:35 PM--Zone 3 & 4 boarding. I'm 3rd on the list and there are 4 seats left.
43. 12:40 PM--Final boarding call. I'm 1st on the list and see that there is only 1 seat left.
    
44. 12:41 PM--I see my name is OFF the list, and ON the "Cleared" list and there are 0 seats remaining now. I GOT THE LAST STAND-BY SEAT!!!! Halleujiah!
45. 12:45 PM--Get settled in my seat. I am now extremely tired and extremely excited because I got a Window-Exit-Row seat! I fall asleep before the plane take off.
46. 2 AM--Wake up to a woman wailing in the back. Of course, everyone gets scared. I say out loud, "What the heck is going on?" Then all I remember is waking up when we landed. I must've fallen right back asleep, without missing a beat. Now we're entering Eastern Standard Time.
    
47. 6:30 AM EST--We land in Minneapolis. When we're taxiing, the flight attendant announces, "We landed a little later than usual, so if you have a connecting flight, make sure you get out first." I immediately get worried because with the transfer they did on my original flight, I only had a paper confirming that I had a seat--no boarding pass, no knowledge of when my connecting flight takes off. I bolt out of my seat when we stop, get my bags and head out of the plane.
48. 6:32 AM--Finally get out of the plane and run to the "Arrival / Departure" screen. I see I'm currently in terminal F, and my flight takes off at 7:05 in terminal A. I start following the signs that point to "Concourse A, B, C, D, E, F -->". (The tram that takes you from one terminal to the other is broken / shutdown. Great!)
    
49. 6:40 AM--Still walking toward the sign, only now it shows "Concourse A, B, C -->". I'm thinking how an airport can be so big, and the terminals so far apart for the same airline!
50. 6:45 AM--Still walking. Sign shows "Concourse A, B -->". I put a little spring in my step, determined to not miss my connection. I am borderline jogging at this point.
51. 6:50 AM--Finally make it to the gate. Glistening (i.e., sweating!) Become happy because people are still sitting there and boarding has not yet started. I get in line to get my boarding pass. Start going into deep thought about why I have so much "stuff" in my hand....back-pack, purse, shopping purchases. Ridiculous. Make an executive decision to start traveling lighter from now on.
    
52. 6:55 AM--Make it to the front of the line. Get my boarding pass, and find out boarding will be delayed because there are still several people missing due to connecting flights getting in later than expected.
53. 7 AM--go to the bathroom 10 feet away (I was going to go any further than that, so as to not risk missing the flight!). Take a deep breath and become thankful for "making it."
54. 7:05 AM--Board the plane to go home.
55. 7:15 AM--Plane takes off. I fall asleep listening to the kiddos behind me laughing--one of my favorite sounds: children laughing.
56. 9:30 AM--Plane lands. Home sweet home.
    

I have no idea why I spent the last hour typing out every detail of this "experience". It was kind of fun, in an insane way! If you actually made it through all this, wow. Thanks for sticking with it.

Here is what I learned:

• Not all airline agents are bad people.
• More people (than I imagined) have the ability to extend empathy. (José, Linda, rental car Salesman.)
  
• I need to travel lighter.
• Always pay attention to where you're going, no matter how many times you think you've gone there in the past.
• The GPS needs to go with me, whenever I go to a new city, no matter how many times I've gone there in the past.
  
• Never take textbooks and school papers when going on work-trips--nothing ever gets done, anyway.
• Avoid checking in luggage, whenever possible.
• There is absolutely no point in crying over spilled milk!
  
• You'll never know who you will meet and where and when and what they will teach you.
• I'm more optimistic than I realized.
• People are addicted to camaraderie under whatever circumstances it can exist.
  
• There is nothing like coming back home.
  

I've never been more excited to come home. My car, my house, my bed--thoroughly enjoying it all at the moment. Traveling will always be fun for me, but on the same note, the most fun about it will be the coming-back-home part.