I previously posted about my upcoming Vermont non-Vacation here. Clearly my road trip was nothing like my cross country adventure of 2009 as posted on day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4 or day 5.
Sunday night (during our disc adventure and errands) I stopped by my office and looked for my Lions Thanksgiving Day football squares and checked in for my Monday morning flight and printed off my boarding passes. My flight was at 11:30a.m. out of Southbend, Indiana. I had confirmed with my friend that Southbend was on the same time zone as Chicago, an hour behind Michigan.
Monday morning after taking T to school, I had plenty of time to freeze the chili I had made throughout the night in the crock pot. I finished packing my overnight backpack and picked up the house. I left the house with plenty of time. I stopped just shy of the Indiana border and fueled up the car so that my sister-in-law had a full tank. I also went inside and bought a couple of lottery tickets and two Sobe Life Waters. I realized I was overcharged and I waited in line for the .69 overcharge.
I walked back out to my car, with my $11 plus change crammed in my pockets. I noticed a silver PT Cruiser was still at a nearby pump. I was then approached by a man in his mid-thirties in a hoodie that resembled a guy I grew up with. He apologized for having to ask, but they had "puttered into the station on fumes and were trying to get to Michigan City" and he asked if I had any spare change. I reached in my pocket and left the change and handed him $11.00. He looked at it, dumbfounded and asked if I was serious. "Have a safe trip and holiday." And I thought to myself, Karma. If he was lying, Karma.
I continued on the way to Southbend and chatted on the phone with my mom. I decided I would grab a sub from Subway before arriving at the airport. I was surprised that my phone hadn't auto corrected the time. When I walked in Subway I inquired as to the time. 11:18a.m. OH. MY. WORD.
Apparently, Southbend is in the same time zone. There was no way I could get back the two miles, park the car and make my 11:30a.m. flight. NO. WAY. So I did what I do best, I ordered my foot long sub. I then drove to the airport, parked up front in short-term parking for my sister-in-laws convenience and I walked into the airport. I looked at the monitor and saw the dreaded "On Time" status for my flight, despite the rain. I walked up to the Delta counter and gave my boarding pass and asked to be booked on the next flight to Detroit as I had missed my plane. The agent asked which flight and then made a call. Fortunately for me, the plane was delayed and hadn't even boarded!
I made that flight and was delayed one hour and fifteen minutes. I was to have 1.5 hours of a layover in Detroit, originally. I walked the brisk walk of 31 gates and arrived at my gate with three minutes to spare before boarding. Karma.
On my flight to Burlington Vermont, I scratched off my lottery tickets. I won...$10. Karma. When I was approached by the flight attendant, she said, "You look like the daughter of a friend of mine." Ok. How does one respond to such a statement? She proceeded to say the name of the subdivision I grew up in (although when she said it, I didn't recognize it as my subdivision and clarified the town where I grew up) and she then announced the street I grew up on! She moved into the same subdivision I was raised, in 1978, and continues to reside in the same residence. She was unaware that my parents had divorced in 1992 and inquired of my family. Small world!
I called and reached my brother at the airport and when we found each other, his one arm was limp. He had spent three hours in the ER in the early morning as a sack in his elbow had erupted (and Wednesday the hospital confirmed he had an infection). He was on pain killers and was in severe pain and an isolating cast. My sister-in-law was still 45 minutes away stressing that my oldest nephew may have contracted HIV after finding a spoon and a hypodermic needle in the rental attic of a friend of hers. Oh the drama.
My niece had a rough night and I was kept awake by my brother trying to soothe her in the adjacent room singing This Old Man while my two nephews slept on the hide-a-bed in my room. My brother took my sister-in-law and niece to the airport at 4:30a.m. Tuesday morning and came back and slept. I was ready to go at 5:00a.m. but decided he needed to sleep. Finally at 6:30a.m., my brother and the boys woke and we packed up the vehicles and had breakfast. We were on the road at 7:30a.m. Other than trying to get through customs driving my brother's vehicle stock full of their personal belongings, the drive was uneventful. Getting into Michigan from Canada was a little more challenging as I was suppose to have an "itemized list". Fortunately, I was let through without having to have the vehicle searched. We arrived at my mom's, west of Detroit just before 9:00p.m. Two vehicles. Two children. Two adults. Safe and Sound.
So much better and less adventurous than my cross country adventure. There is definitely something to be said with traveling with your own family than someone else's family. And having karma on your side never hurts either!
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