I made it there and back! Like I said, my original flight connecting in Chicago was cancelled, so I was put on the next flight out of Boston mid-day. This allowed me some time to fellowship with some good friends who put me up for the night in Boston; instead of having to leave at the butt crack of dawn, I got to hang out with Ian and Dawn. :)
I caught the next available flight early Sunday afternoon, and when I got off the plane in Chicago every sign was bad. Not only did I have to walk the maze of corridors to the furthest gate, but as I approached the cluster of gate numbers in which my gate should have been, I saw a sign pointing down a flight of stairs. Now, by this time the temperature is 20 degrees warmer than anywhere else in the entire airport and the closest Starbucks is about halfway back on the trek I just finished.
Glancing at the departure times listed on the scattered "Airport Information" screens, I realized that my connecting flight had already been delayed by a half hour and that I had plenty of time to make it to Starbucks and back; however, there was another time listed closer to the original flight time. I know, it confused me too. The only thing I was sure of at that point was that I did not want to sit down in the bunker with 300 other hot, sweaty people until they called for the puddle-jumper flight to Fayetteville, Arkansas. I managed to get a grande raspberry mocha frappuccino light with no whip cream and casually sipped it as I made my way back through the corridor.
I went downstairs to finish my drink and to make a few phone calls before the flight. I called Dad for his birthday, and then called a friend to touch base. I thought that I heard them say something about my flight, but there was no sign of active boarding or a formed line--nothing that would indicate to the average flyer that the plane was trying to leave! Finally I realized that they were about to call people by name to get their attention for the flight so I quickly approached the desk and was allowed to proceed directly to the tarmac. The state of disarray suddenly made sense to me--the entire exterior of the terminal was under construction.
We ended up sitting on the runway for another 45 minutes due to thunderstorms. I felt really bad for my ride, who did not get the message that my flight was delayed by about an hour; he sat there and waited nearly the entire time!
We had an incredible week and all of the mks seemed to have a great time ice skating, go-karting, playing soccer, and just hanging out playing card games. The group had fused in such a unique way within the first day that they ice skated in a herd around the rink. It was a phenomenal sight. I also loved ministering with the Trills, which enabled us to pull off a skit picking on Dennis Jennings at the end of the week. Everyone was laughing so hard, and Dennis took it so well. Apart from the fun and games, we were able to dig into God's Word and discuss some practical issues that each of the mks were facing.
I was right, it was one of my favorite weeks of the whole summer. :) I am hoping that Mason will be able to experience something like this with me at some point.
-mri
I caught the next available flight early Sunday afternoon, and when I got off the plane in Chicago every sign was bad. Not only did I have to walk the maze of corridors to the furthest gate, but as I approached the cluster of gate numbers in which my gate should have been, I saw a sign pointing down a flight of stairs. Now, by this time the temperature is 20 degrees warmer than anywhere else in the entire airport and the closest Starbucks is about halfway back on the trek I just finished.
Glancing at the departure times listed on the scattered "Airport Information" screens, I realized that my connecting flight had already been delayed by a half hour and that I had plenty of time to make it to Starbucks and back; however, there was another time listed closer to the original flight time. I know, it confused me too. The only thing I was sure of at that point was that I did not want to sit down in the bunker with 300 other hot, sweaty people until they called for the puddle-jumper flight to Fayetteville, Arkansas. I managed to get a grande raspberry mocha frappuccino light with no whip cream and casually sipped it as I made my way back through the corridor.
I went downstairs to finish my drink and to make a few phone calls before the flight. I called Dad for his birthday, and then called a friend to touch base. I thought that I heard them say something about my flight, but there was no sign of active boarding or a formed line--nothing that would indicate to the average flyer that the plane was trying to leave! Finally I realized that they were about to call people by name to get their attention for the flight so I quickly approached the desk and was allowed to proceed directly to the tarmac. The state of disarray suddenly made sense to me--the entire exterior of the terminal was under construction.
We ended up sitting on the runway for another 45 minutes due to thunderstorms. I felt really bad for my ride, who did not get the message that my flight was delayed by about an hour; he sat there and waited nearly the entire time!
We had an incredible week and all of the mks seemed to have a great time ice skating, go-karting, playing soccer, and just hanging out playing card games. The group had fused in such a unique way within the first day that they ice skated in a herd around the rink. It was a phenomenal sight. I also loved ministering with the Trills, which enabled us to pull off a skit picking on Dennis Jennings at the end of the week. Everyone was laughing so hard, and Dennis took it so well. Apart from the fun and games, we were able to dig into God's Word and discuss some practical issues that each of the mks were facing.
I was right, it was one of my favorite weeks of the whole summer. :) I am hoping that Mason will be able to experience something like this with me at some point.
-mri
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