Traveling as Two: Heading Home was a Bumpy Ride

Thursday was our departure day, so we spent the morning gathering our things and packing our suitcases. We finished our second puzzle and got ready to leave for the airport.

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We stopped at the local Wawa and got sandwiches and snacks for the flight before heading for Philadelphia. I love crossing the bridge and seeing the big ships down in the water. There is some weird part of me that seems to love everything about big water.

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, but when we approached the counter for our boarding passes, the attendant noticed that I was carry a small oxygen concentrator. (My doc prescribed oxygen for me at night since I can't seem to wear a cpap or a bi-pap.) That led to a huge issue. Crafty was allowed a boarding pass, but I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork first. 

Papers were faxed to the attendant, then I filled them out and they were faxed back. Questions were asked about me using oxygen in flight, and I guess I gave the wrong answers because suddenly nothing on the paper I filled out could be changed, I was a medical flight risk, and without a call from a doctor late on a Thursday afternoon, I could not fly. 

I called my doc, but he had already left for the day. Eventually my pleading got me a call from my original lung doc who made the order. I was released to fly, but I only had 12 minutes to get through security and make it to the terminal before they closed the gates. I had already sent Crafty about 5 minutes before.

I grabbed my little concentrator, slung it on my back, and hustled toward security. Crafty was about 15 people ahead of me, but no one seemed to like the somewhat hysterical woman I had become, so a few minutes later, they allowed me to cut the line and I was behind her waiting to get through the big x-ray machine. We only had 6 minutes to get to the terminal. 

Crafty got through quickly and I found myself grabbing my shoes and other belongings while encouraging her to just go and tell them that I would be there shortly. By the way, trying to run in an airport terminal without your shoes on is not really a great idea... Of course our terminal was the last one.

Crafty reached the door at 6:03. Only one employee was standing there as she rushed up. He calmed her down and said they had been waiting for us. That's when I came barreling up in my stocking feet, heart pounding, purse flying,..in total disarray. He suggested that I relax, sit down and put on my shoes, take a breath. The plane would not leave without us. 

We boarded without incident, but other factors, including someone who was nearly removed from the plane for not wearing a mask, kept us from leaving on time. In Utah, we circled for about 40 minutes in turbulent weather waiting for an opportunity to land. I even asked for a barf bag, but thankfully, did not have to use it.

Finally on the ground, we still couldn't navigate to the terminal for another half an hour. My poor sweetie waited in the parking lot to pick us up for nearly 2 hours. I have never been so happy to get off an airplane.

We loved our time in New Jersey, but home is full of things that must be done before Crafty takes her next flight alone to Wichita, Kansas on August 3.