This. Is. Happening. If only I knew what THIS would turn our to be!
Lillian and I are on our first solo trip together and here is a recount of the events...
Before leaving town we make a quick five minute stop to say goodbye to Callie. Shawn and she are moving Tuesday and that was a quick and hard goodbye. It was like ripping off a band aide.
We arrived in Longview, which we chose as the departure city because it was $100.00 cheaper than flying direct from Dallas, around 4:30. Our plane was to start boarding at 5:25. Luckily there was a great location for us to sit with Stephen and wait until we had to go through security.
After he left I realized this was real and I was alone, but traveling with Lillian has renewed my faith in humanity and trust in God. When the plane arrived I realized I would have to climb stairs to get on the plane. So I went ahead and took Lillian out of the stroller and folded it up. So there I was with baby, diaper bag, carry on suitcase and a folded stroller. I had it, I could have done it, but a sweet woman offered to carry the stroller for me.
We boarded the plane first and got settled quickly. She did amazing and was quiet as a church mouse the entire flight. She took a little siesta and then we were landed.
The flight took off about thirty minutes late. We landed around 7:10. My connecting flight was to start boarding at 7:25 and take off at 7:50. I had plenty of time if I hustled.
We taxied to within feet of the gate and then sat a good five minutes. Over the loud speaker came the captain, "Unfortunately there seems to be a problem with the automatic jet bridge. We cannot legally approach manual until we have one more person outside. We are waiting on that person." Another five minutes, "Folks we are causing a ruckus, hang in there with us. We know you all have connecting flights to catch." Finally after what seemed like an eternity we were off the plane. Only to have to wait in a line for another ten minutes to get our carry on luggage they had made us stow at the gate when we left. I was seated at the back of the plan and so I now found myself in the back of the line. But the sweet lady who had helped me with the stroller came up the way red rolling bag and stroller in hand! I am so grateful for her help.
I immediately get to the skyrail and ride almost completely around the entire place to my terminal. As I am waiting for the elevator I see sweet Lillian oblivious to my nerves and anxiety and remind myself there is NOTHING I can do to make the elevator move faster and if I miss the flight I miss it and I need to stay calm. I get off the elevator and literally run pushing the stroller and bag to the gate. The screen says, "Flight XXXX to Birmingham: DEPARTED."
The lady states the next flight she can confirm me on will be 3:00 tomorrow afternoon. There is a gentleman behind me that has missed the flight too. As I begin to enquirer where the hotel is she states it is off the property and I will have to ride a shuttle bus. I asks if said shuttle would have a car-seat and she said "no." I asked if the airline had a way to transport me and she said, "Can't you just let her sit on your lap?" I immediately replied with tears welling up, "That's illegal!" She basically tells me it's my problem to figure out and hands me my hotel and meal vouchers. I then inquire about my bags which she assures me will be stored and arrive in Birmingham on the first flight out in the morning. I explain I need to get it because I don't have enough formula or diapers to make it through tonight and all day tomorrow. Again I am given the "sounds like a personal problem look,". Lord bless my brother and the fact he lives 40 minutes from the airport. He was able to pick us up and deliver us to the hotel after a quick stop for diapers and formula. He also spent about an hour on the phone (all of this taking place about 10:00 pm) trying to find a taxi with a car-seat to pick me up at 12:30 the next day. We schedule the pick up, I order pizza, Lillian is fed and we are set for the evening.
And so starts the horrible day that was July 14, 2014. I get a phone call from the airline around 11:00 am telling me the 3:00 flight has been pushed back to 4:30. "That sucks" I think to myself. If only I had known what laid ahead!
The taxi driver calls to confirm pick up at 12:00. I ask to make sure he has a carsest. "Car-seat no, I don't have a car-seat. How old is baby. It can just sit on your lap." I explain the only reason we used their service was because I had been told there would be a car seat! He says he will call back in a minute. Que breakdown number two (the first one also involved someone telling me to just hold my baby in my lap! At this point Lillian has cried less than I this entire trip.). I head downstairs and the front desk girl doesn't know of any taxi's with car-seats. I call Emily my SIL and leave a tearful message seeing if she can send someone to go buy us a car-seat at Walmart. The lady in the lobby tried to make polite conversation about how cute Lillian is and asking how old she is but the tears weren't stopping. Finally in what seemed like an hour but was more like twenty minutes the taxi calls back and someone is coming with a car seat. Crisis averted...so I thought.
When I get to the I airport I seek out someone with whom to make a complaint . What this gets me is a voucher for lunch and being told they do have loaner car seats in baggage claim. I explained as firmly as I could that the ticket agent did not relay that information and was NOT interested in helping me. So for future reference I will DEMAND a car seat.
As we approached 4:30 the screen started to count down to boarding time which continued to be changed and set back another thirty minutes every time it got within five minutes of boarding. Finally we were told there was a gate change. I do believe this is American Airlines way of getting you away from ticket agents before they "tell" you your flight has been cancelled. And by tell I mean flash it up on the screen at the new gate for about five 60 seconds.
The short of the long of the story is God sent a family into our lives to be Jesus to us that night. Rick Spencer and his wife along with his daughter Meredith and SIL Zach were traveling back home from a vacay out of the country. This lead to a short conversation about international travel and our recent trip to Africa. After they asked what all we were doing there they let me know Meredith and Zach were both pharmacists (pretty cool). Then they asked if I had ever heard of an organization called e3 Partners. For those who do not know e3 is who Stephen and I took our trip to Tanzania with in June. Meredith and Rick had gone to South America several years ago on a trip. Know this information and know e3 doesn't let just anyone go on a trip left me feeling totally comfortable with them and when Rick asked if he could hold Lillian while I tried to figure out what to do next with the ticket agent I didn't hesitate.
I was able to book a flight for 3:00 the next afternoon and get on standby for the flight at was scheduled to leave at 9:00 that evening. Lillian and I parted ways our new friends and headed to the gate to wait. Ultimately the flight was delayed until midnight and at 11:30 Rich appears (Meredith had found us an hour earlier and had been visiting with us and the other lady God put in our lives for the long standby wait) and tells me he is trying to get them to let him give me his seat. The ticket agent had told him no it would go to the next person on standby so he asked for a manager. It worked. I boarded the plane about midnight. We found out after landing Rick was able to get on a flight to Huntsville and so my dad drove through the night to go pick him up and bring him back to Birmingham. Lillian and I arrived safe and sound to my sister's inlaws in Birmingham around 2:00 am on the 15th.
It was the craziest thing I have had happen in a LONG time. But God has put some special people in our lives as a result. Rick told my dad when they were driving back that sometimes God puts you in someones life to give them an encouraging word and sometimes he puts you in their lives to DO something. He knew he was put in our lives to DO. So I ask you today to remember to listen as God prompts and if he asks you to DO won't you obey, because you never know exactly how much you might be blessing that person!
