There is no place better than home. Not that I don’t like traveling, or visiting family, because I really do. But when you throw a 10 month old into the mix it’s a whole different ball game.
Saturday started out like any other day-- Brayden peering over the edge of the pack and play, awaiting me to wake up, bottle time, breakfast time, and packing up the car for the ride to the airport. We arrived on time, got checked in, through security (which is a mighty feat if you are doing it on your own with a baby) and went to the gate to wait. I kind of thought it was weird that they didn’t start boarding the plane 20 minutes before we were supposed to take off, but brushed aside my fears as just worrying and went back to playing with B. But as the time crept closer, I realized something was probably wrong. About the same time I had this realization the lady came on the intercom to let us know that the plane that was supposed to take us TO Atlanta had to turn back around in Atlanta due to mechanical malfunctions. I figured that at least I wasn’t getting on a faulty aircraft and sat down. Then I remembered that because I was flying standby (thanks to a sweet friend of my parents), I couldn’t just get on the next flight, since all the other people on the flight that got canceled also got bumped and they took priority over me. I had to make a last minute decision to either stay the night in Baton Rouge (that means my parents coming BACK to the airport and unpacking all my stuff again at their house) or catching a last minute flight to Memphis, only to have a 7 hour layover. At this point I was just wanting to get home… I missed Drew, I missed Toby, I missed Arkansas and I missed my own bed. I just wanted to be HOME. So I got on the flight to Memphis. Sadly, I got on so fast that they never re-routed my luggage, nor did they give me a boarding pass. This would come to haunt me later in my long day.
We arrived in Memphis and as I walked down the gateway I wondered what I would do with B. I mean, I was stuck in an airport with a 10 month old for 7 hours. I can barely keep him entertained at our HOME for 7 hours straight, much less in an airport. As I was talking with Drew, I remembered that Delta also flies to a nearby airport, and they had a scheduled flight that would only make me have a 2 hour layover… much more doable! I quickly made a U-turn to the gate I needed to get to and asked if there was ANY way they could switch me. The lady was SOOOO nice (actually, everyone in Memphis was extremely nice, which was quite surprising to me) and totally helped me out. It took her the entire 2 hours just to figure out how to get me on the flight (remember, I was flying standby so it wasn’t just as easy as switching everything in the computer), and as they were all boarding she was able to clear me for the flight. I called Drew as I was on the runway to come and pick us up (he had to drive an hour to get us) and settled down. Our last bump of the air travel was sitting on the runway for 30 minutes while our airplane got clearance. Brayden waved bye-bye to Memphis the entire time, and then subsequently passed out on me for the rest of the trip.
When we got to our final destination we decided to go from their to what was supposed to be my original destination to pick up my bag (remember, it hadn’t been rerouted). When we got there, they told me my bag wasn’t there. Oh the sinking stomach feeling was back. When I called Delta, they told me that they didn’t know where my bag was. It might be in Baton Rouge, it might be in Atlanta, they just weren’t sure. I was in near tears after getting off the phone. We decided to hit up Chick-Fil-A for dinner and then settled in for the night. That’s when my meltdown came. I realized I had NO makeup, no brush, no retainer… the things I NEEDED. I called Delta again to see if they knew anything else, and alas, nothing. In fact, the rep on the phone advised me to go and get a new retainer because it could take up to a week to get my luggage. I got off the phone and fell apart. I am 28 years old, and I bawled myself to sleep because I didn’t have my retainer. Looking back it is quite humorous, but at the time I really thought that I was going to have the biggest breakdown of my life. Thankfully God was good and answered our prayers; at 11pm I got a phone call that awoke me from the deepest sleep. It was the lady at our airport saying my bag had miraculously arrived! I thought about crying again-- from joy, not sorrow-- but quickly fell back asleep.
Saturday started out like any other day-- Brayden peering over the edge of the pack and play, awaiting me to wake up, bottle time, breakfast time, and packing up the car for the ride to the airport. We arrived on time, got checked in, through security (which is a mighty feat if you are doing it on your own with a baby) and went to the gate to wait. I kind of thought it was weird that they didn’t start boarding the plane 20 minutes before we were supposed to take off, but brushed aside my fears as just worrying and went back to playing with B. But as the time crept closer, I realized something was probably wrong. About the same time I had this realization the lady came on the intercom to let us know that the plane that was supposed to take us TO Atlanta had to turn back around in Atlanta due to mechanical malfunctions. I figured that at least I wasn’t getting on a faulty aircraft and sat down. Then I remembered that because I was flying standby (thanks to a sweet friend of my parents), I couldn’t just get on the next flight, since all the other people on the flight that got canceled also got bumped and they took priority over me. I had to make a last minute decision to either stay the night in Baton Rouge (that means my parents coming BACK to the airport and unpacking all my stuff again at their house) or catching a last minute flight to Memphis, only to have a 7 hour layover. At this point I was just wanting to get home… I missed Drew, I missed Toby, I missed Arkansas and I missed my own bed. I just wanted to be HOME. So I got on the flight to Memphis. Sadly, I got on so fast that they never re-routed my luggage, nor did they give me a boarding pass. This would come to haunt me later in my long day.
We arrived in Memphis and as I walked down the gateway I wondered what I would do with B. I mean, I was stuck in an airport with a 10 month old for 7 hours. I can barely keep him entertained at our HOME for 7 hours straight, much less in an airport. As I was talking with Drew, I remembered that Delta also flies to a nearby airport, and they had a scheduled flight that would only make me have a 2 hour layover… much more doable! I quickly made a U-turn to the gate I needed to get to and asked if there was ANY way they could switch me. The lady was SOOOO nice (actually, everyone in Memphis was extremely nice, which was quite surprising to me) and totally helped me out. It took her the entire 2 hours just to figure out how to get me on the flight (remember, I was flying standby so it wasn’t just as easy as switching everything in the computer), and as they were all boarding she was able to clear me for the flight. I called Drew as I was on the runway to come and pick us up (he had to drive an hour to get us) and settled down. Our last bump of the air travel was sitting on the runway for 30 minutes while our airplane got clearance. Brayden waved bye-bye to Memphis the entire time, and then subsequently passed out on me for the rest of the trip.
When we got to our final destination we decided to go from their to what was supposed to be my original destination to pick up my bag (remember, it hadn’t been rerouted). When we got there, they told me my bag wasn’t there. Oh the sinking stomach feeling was back. When I called Delta, they told me that they didn’t know where my bag was. It might be in Baton Rouge, it might be in Atlanta, they just weren’t sure. I was in near tears after getting off the phone. We decided to hit up Chick-Fil-A for dinner and then settled in for the night. That’s when my meltdown came. I realized I had NO makeup, no brush, no retainer… the things I NEEDED. I called Delta again to see if they knew anything else, and alas, nothing. In fact, the rep on the phone advised me to go and get a new retainer because it could take up to a week to get my luggage. I got off the phone and fell apart. I am 28 years old, and I bawled myself to sleep because I didn’t have my retainer. Looking back it is quite humorous, but at the time I really thought that I was going to have the biggest breakdown of my life. Thankfully God was good and answered our prayers; at 11pm I got a phone call that awoke me from the deepest sleep. It was the lady at our airport saying my bag had miraculously arrived! I thought about crying again-- from joy, not sorrow-- but quickly fell back asleep.
The entire day was extremely exhausting. Emotionally, physically, mentally. Emotionally I was drained because it was so up and down-- down because I was sad that I was leaving my family, up because I was going to see Drew, down because then I didn’t know if I’d even get home…. You get the idea. I also have a new outlook on things. You see, as I was sitting in the Memphis airport waiting to find out if I’d get to leave early, I called the lady who gave me the standby pass. She said something that really shook my view of things. She said “Lindsey, just remember that if you’re not able to get on that flight and you are stuck there, that God doesn’t allow things to happen for no reason. Surely you have a divine appointment somewhere in that airport that God finds more important than getting you and Brayden home. Just remember who is in control.” The statement was quite the opposite of what I was thinking at the time, but made so much sense to me. God was in control. He knew my heart, and my desire to get home as soon as possible, But He also could’ve had a different plan than my heart had laid out. And then when my bag was lost and I thought I was going to have all sorts of dental problems from losing my retainer, my mom reminded me to bring it to God. “Does God know about this?” He does know. He knows my EVERY need. And He will provide… I just have to TRUST. It’s funny because I’ve been praying for patience. I think I got the best test yet on Saturday.
