You are lucky, if...

We're getting to an age where we don't want to rush when we travel. So after a nice lunch with John's folks on Monday, we headed out to the Columbus airport several hours early so we would not have to "hurry." Ha Ha.

We turned in the car and got everything hauled to the United Airlines counter where we bumped up against an ominous, slow moving line.  Grim passengers were having excruciatingly long conversations with the ticket agents.  What were they negotiating? I don't carry a smart phone, but the ugly rumor soon spread down the line that a flight to Denver was "delayed."  This was the worst possible news for us, since our connection time in Denver to Seattle was only an hour. Now we were going to miss our second flight.

Our turn finally came at the counter: a pregnant mom holding her squirming toddler and a pair of (already) fatigued-looking grandparents.   Would they take pity on us?  There was bad news, good news.  Our plane had "mechanical issues" and was still grounded back in Denver.  Now it would be a minimum of 4 hours until it could get to Columbus and turn around with us.  If at all.

The best possible scenario was 6 hours of waiting before our trip could begin.  But the good news was the agent reserved seats on another late flight to Seattle from Denver.  So it really paid off to be early in line, and with a few strokes of the keyboard he probably saved us from standby in the middle of the night or (gulp) having to camp out at DIA until the next day. 

We did the security thing and parked ourselves at the gate with an assortment of overpriced snacks, trashy magazines, bottled water and expensive kid activity books from the newsstand.  We ate some food from the Wolfgang Puck Empire.  John commented what a boon delayed flights are for airport business. There is no way to leave and no place to go.

Our departure time kept clicking back later and later until it finally settled on 7:10 and stuck. John commented (gloomily) that this "didn't mean a thing" but it "could mean good news" if the plane was finally headed out to Columbus.  That gave me more vague and depressing scenarios to ponder. This is what travel is like with an "aviation expert" along.

After a few hours of waiting Amanda looked tired and started explaining to me what her "normal"  Braxton Hicks contractions were. I did not want to learn about this from the nurse-to-be. Then Nova made it darn clear she was sick and tired of B Concourse. We all were. Then I had to take a walk, do some deep breathing, and drink a $5 Frappuchino.

And then! The happiest sight in the world. Our (hopefully repaired) plane arrives at the gate about 4 hours late and the journey home finally begins.

Nova was asleep  in her seat before we even took off for Denver.  Her little body didn't know if it was a late nap or an early bedtime. We didn't care. She was blissfully out all the way to Denver. She was a great traveler and didn't fuss a single time and was either sleeping or playing quietly with toys and books.  And Amanda was a real trooper-- we were proud of them both.

In the air, Boeing aviation expert John made casual remarks about flying on a plane that had a "serious mechanical issue" just a few hours earlier.  The pilot came on the intercom. Did I detect a note of concern in his voice as he described the extreme heat and cross-winds ahead in Denver?  On final approach the flight attendant said to leave everything behind in an emergency evacuation. Did they always mention that before routine landings? The flight attendant then said they were "expecting unanticipated turbulence."  Can something be unanticipated if it is expected?

There was a surge of adrenalin for me and Amanda right before the smoothest, quietest landing of the trip.  Go figure.  At least it woke us up for the next gate trudge. More airport snacks, more waiting.  

The sun set in a smoky sky right after we landed. Denver was still hot as an inferno in the middle of the night.  While I'm chattering on about petty inconveniences like airport delays, Colorado residents are fighting terrifying wildfires.  Parts of Woodland Park and Colorado Springs where I grew up have been evacuated, and although Cripple Creek is not in immediate danger the main highway is closed and the detour is hours long to get to the city.  Please keep our family back there in your thoughts.  Click HERE for a link to the Colorado Springs news station for the latest. 

After a 2 hour wait and the usual niggling delays and frustrations, our flight finally left Denver about midnight.  It seemed like such a long trip but when all was said and done we were just 4 hours late.  It must have been an exceptionally bad day for United. Or maybe it was just a typical bad day with typical delays.  Who knows?  But along the way we heard worse tales of travel woe.  We met a lady on our flight who had arrived in Denver 12 hours earlier trying to get to Wisconsin, but she was just giving up and going back to Seattle.

Nova finally fell sound asleep right when the plane pulled up to the gate in Seattle.  We transferred her to the stroller and she slept through 5 elevator rides, baggage claim chaos, the trip out to long term parking, and the drive home in the car.  She woke up the next morning in bed at Nana and Grandpa's house.  And so you see, we are the luckiest people in the world.

Thanks again to our wonderful family in Ohio.