The Longest Day

Well, we finally made it to Oregon...after 17 hours! The day started off well when the lady at the ticket counter said she would let Ryan come through security with us and help me to the gate. I was so thrilled and it was a very good thing, because our plane was 30 minutes late. So, he was able to keep Lauren entertained and spend a few more precious moments with us before we boarded the flight. Once we got on the plane (at 1:00pm), Lauren did great - coloring and playing with her toys and looking out the window. And Nolan nursed during take-off so we didn't have any ear pressure problems and fell asleep on me halfway through the flight.

But, around 3:30, which is when we were supposed to land in Houston, I noticed that we weren't even descending yet. Finally, around 3:45 the pilot came on the intercom and said that we had been circling Houston airport for a while, but couldn't land due to thunderstorms. They had closed down the airport and were re-routing us to Lafayette, Louisiana to land and refuel until the storm passed. Obviously, at that point I was concerned, but I thought as long as we didn't miss our connecting flight (we had an hour and a half layover in Houston), we would be okay. So, we landed in Louisiana and sat on the tarmac waiting...and waiting...and waiting. After 5 hours, we were finally cleared for takeoff and headed back towards Houston. Lauren was tired and starving (she hadn't eaten lunch yet even!) and Nolan had barely taken any naps longer than 20 minutes. I was doing my best to hold it together emotionally, knowing full well that we had missed our connection to Portland hours ago...and praying under my breath that we could get another flight out.

We landed in Houston and I immediately found a ticketing agent - she said that the flight to Portland had already left and the next one out was at 9:45pm...but it was full. She told me that I could go on standby for that flight, but if we didn't make it, the next one out wasn't until the following afternoon. That pretty much threw me over the edge. I burst into tears and quickly dialed Ryan's cell phone number. He helped calm me down, told me to go get some food and rest and then head to the gate where the Portland flight was and talk to the ticketing agent.

The only problem with this plan was that the Houston airport was a madhouse! It had been shut down for 5 hours, so there were a million people there, all trying to get to their destinations and having no sympathy for me in my situation. So, there I am carrying Nolan in the front pack, pushing the carseat and stroller in front of me with one hand and holding Lauren's hand with the other to make sure we don't get separated. We did get her some pizza and then made our way back to the gate we were supposed to be at (after they changed it on us twice).

Once we were finally to our gate, I stood in line for well over an hour at the ticket counter, trying to find someone to tell my sob story to, hoping they would give us priority on the stand-by. Meanwhile, there are 5 people in front of me and even more behind me in line, all trying to do the same thing. After an hour, I called Ryan and told him I didn't think we were going to make it and we started to discuss plan B. He decided to try and call the airline and work it from another angle. Well, whatever he did must have worked, because a supervisor came over to the ticket counter shortly after that and called out, "Smith, party of 2". And I screamed, "That's me!" She said, "Come over here." And I asked her, "Are we getting on this flight?" She said yes and I completely fell apart sobbing. I was so relieved and tired and thrilled all at the same time. Lauren kept saying, "Mommy, don't cry, we're getting on the plane." And all I could do was praise the Lord because I knew He truly worked this miracle because He knew I couldn't bear anymore.

We finally got on the plane headed for Portland. Nolan only screamed for 15 minutes before falling asleep in my arms. Lauren lasted about an hour and a half and then slept for the remainder of the flight. I closed my eyes and thought, "Lord, I don't know how you got me through this day, but You did and I am so grateful." I have never been so happy to see my parents in all my life. They were there to greet us with open arms and big smiles at 12:30am. We got back to their house and crashed, so thankful that the day was over and it was one we will never have to relive again!!