Nadia and Rachel are taking a trip

Nadia and Rachel are taking a quick trip for Florida for a few days to visit Nadia’s mom. Just before we left to drop them at the airport, however, a little snag was discovered that resulted in some uncertainty as to whether Rachel would be able to board the jet. So after I dropped them at the airport departure area I had to drive around and hang near the airport for about 25 minutes just in case she was not able to go on the trip.

Fortunately, the difficulty was resolved and everything is fine. Nadia and Rachel are on their way!

In the meantime, Taylor, Jasper, Lucy and I are admirably holding down the fort here in Oak Lawn! (Although, they’ve only been gone about 3 hours.)

McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, Wendy’s and all local pizzerias have been notified and cautioned to expect a sharp increase in sales over the next few days.

(By the way, Nadia’s parents live in Port Charlotte. So, should I be concerned that the destination on their tickets is marked as “Daytona Beach” on the week that spring begins? …Hmm, just wondering.)

We're On Our Way

As we were boarding our very full flight Nadia noticed a seat at the very front of the plane was open.

She said, "You should grab that seat!"

It's helpful for me to have some leg room because I have a slightly higher chance than the average person of having blood clots.

I said, "That seat has to be taken already."

Nadia said, "Ask if it's taken."

So I looked at the woman sitting next to the open seat and I asked, "Is that seat taken?"

She seemed incredibly disappointed to hear me ask, but with reluctance and great sadness in her eyes she slowly nodded her head indicating the seat was open.

Wow! Jackpot! A seat in the very front of the plane even though it was already mostly full! I sat down and immediately took off my shoes and socks.

(Not really. I wrote that last sentence for those who are familiar with "Planes Trains & Automobiles.")

So we are on our way to a very distant destination for a very short time

At The Airport: Delayed

We sailed through the security check point without a hitch and arrived at the gate for our flight home with more than an hour to spare. There was no attendant from the airline present, however, the sign at the gate contained a word. It is a disappointing word. It has the potential to be a very irritating word. It is a word that no traveler ever wants to see.

The word? “Delayed.”

How long will we be delayed?

What is causing the delay?

Where might I find chocolate?

These are the questions that sprang to mind. But there was no one to provide answers, only random fellow-travelers poking at their phones and sighing deeply—many of them wearing flip flops even though their destination is Chicago.

So, Nadia, Rachel and I sit here enjoying the lovely *ambiance that can only be found in an airline terminal… while one is delayed.

*NOTE: I often use French words when I have spare time on my hands.