I am a planner. I have to have all my "ducks in a row"..."my T's crossed"..."my I's dotted"...you get the idea...before I do anything. I am a master planner, and at least one of my little birds has inherited that trait...and one...not so much!
So, months ago I had this grand plan when purchasing airline tickets for Leigh, Carrie and the kids to come here for Thanksgiving. My plan was to have Leigh meet Carrie on the layover so that they could travel the last leg of the trip together. An extra set of hands always comes in handy!
The last few weeks have been unsettling to say the least...and we are still reeling from the the heartbreaking loss of Carter. None of us is functioning with a clear mind...and may I add restless nights with little sleep. Most days we just don't think clearly.
So Sunday arrived...travel day! I was ecstatic when I went to bed the night before because the next day I would have most of the "flock" back in the nest. Will was not scheduled to arrive until Wednesday...college expectations just get in the way sometimes!
My honey and I awakened to the phone ringing at 6am...this can not be good. Carrie was on her way to the airport...already late as her flight was to leave in an hour...she had gotten off work just a few hours before...had not slept...Cailyn had woken up earlier and had not gone back to sleep. Tension was in the air. But that was not all. Carrie could not find her wallet with her license OR her passport. She was in quite a pickle stressing about not being able to get on the plane.
After finding the phone number for the airline, she called and found out that she could still board the plane...good news for all of us...but it would take a bit longer than normal to check in and process her because of it. This news, however, added more stress as she was already late getting to the airport. Needless to say...she did not make her flight. My stomach was just a mess...none of us needed this wrinkle in my grand plan at this point in time.
She and Cailyn sat on standby for the next available flight which would arrive around the same time that her connection was to leave. We contacted Leigh...putting her on alert...so she could let the nice folks know at the airport the predicament Carrie was in. Maybe by chance they would hold the plane for her. Maybe???
Nope. Leigh's flight out of Minneapolis had been delayed because of a mechanical problem, and she did not know that the nice people at the airline had already put her on another connecting flight because she was going to miss the original one. Are you with me yet? So much for the grand plan.
Leigh arrives at the midpoint and gets on a shuttle bus to head towards the flight she thinks she is still on...time is ticking...only a few minutes to spare. On that bus were Carrie and Cailyn...thank you God for that answered prayer...and they "O.J.'d" it through the airport to the next gate. None of them had slept at this point as Leigh had just gotten off the night shift and went straight to the airport.
They arrived at the gate to find that the nice people at the airline had already closed the door and they would not be able to board. At this point Leigh found out that she was scheduled to leave on another flight which left in a few hours. Carrie on the other hand was flightless. After much conversation and checking best scenarios, the nice people at the airline came up with this one. Carrie and Cailyn would be leaving shortly for a flight to Washington, DC then catching a connecting flight to Allentown, PA from there arriving about an hour after Leigh. So much for my grand plan!
Fast Forward...I arrive at the airport to pick up Leigh, and Nevin (Leigh's honey) who was arriving about the same time...he had been on a different flight than Leigh...and up to this point had a smooth traveling day. Leigh got there first and we headed to baggage claim. Yikees! Her bag was not there...BUT Carrie and Cailyn's were! She went to make a claim for her bag and ran into Nevin, who had just arrived...however his bag had not either!!! What a nightmare!!! This was not part of the grand plan!
Well, they are all here safe and sound...except for Will who I am praying does not have ANY of this nonsense to deal with. They did find Leigh's bag at the airport before we left there...tucked away for safety by the nice people at the airline. We are sitting here awaiting the delivery of Nevin's bag at our door. He may never want to come to PA again after all this!
The one thing I should remember about all of this is...it does not matter how much planning I do...or how many ducks I line up...or T's I cross...or I's I may dot...I AM NOT IN CONTROL!!! The real MASTER PLANNER had another plan than mine...and I must believe that His was better. After all, they are all here safe and sound...bonding...loving...being thankful for time together!
We do have so much to be thankful for, in spite of our cloudy minds...sleepless nights...and broken hearts. Being together makes everything a little more bearable.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and your precious families from all of the Wilkinsons!!
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