The vaca that didn't want to end

Yea!!!! I'm FINALLY home. I say finally because I didn't think I would ever get here. What a great time though.

My sister and I had a blast, the sun was hot, the rum flowed like water, the eye candy delish. In fact we had such a good time, we felt a need to continue to donate money into their casino. We even laughed about that by the time the trip was over. Visited the straw market in Nassau, they have more knock off bags than I have ever seen in one place in my life. Little Ms can't make a decision is the proud new owner of 3 Kate Spade bags, I managed to control myself and only give a home to one.

However all good and warm things come to an end, and so this happy feeling does as well. We were leaving on Sunday, and I went to the airport a little early with my sister, her flight left earlier than mine. I had a quick jump to Ft Lauderdale, followed by a flight direct to Pittsburgh. Only when I landed in Ft L, my flight was cancelled!?!?!



ummm what? there was no snow, no rain, no nothing...there WAS however, a mechanical issue, and I guess no other planes in all of the eastern us to replace the broken one. After waiting for a stand by position on a flight to DC, that was an impossible dream, i got a free night in the Embassy Suites in Ft Lauderdale. Which may have been a bit more enjoyable had it not been drizzling, and I had had someone to chill with. Of course i forgot to add that I had nothing...NO THING with me. I had a camera, a comb, and my book. Plus because the casino had been so stingy I also had about 100 bucks, and a maxed out credit card.



WOO HOO PAR TAY.



So i got cozy with some sushi from this palce near the hotel and watched Star Wars, I couldn't even use my phone too much, my charger was in my checked bag.



Got up the next morning and headed to FLL, this time I had to go to Charlotte then another flight to Pburg, and another quick jumper to the city near my home. Get to Charlotte (home of a Jamba Juice..mmmmm), and got onto the worst ( although thankfully short) flight of my flying life.



I was in the middle seat.which I totally despise. I am a wee bit claustraphobic, and sometimes all of a sudden I'll just feel like there is no air and I literally have to restrain myself from jumping up and running. Which may be frowned on, what with all the heightened security these days. Being seated in the middle of a PACKED flight, on an older plane, next to a very nice, but very overweight gentleman with a nasal issue. NO AIR



Got to Pburg, and at this point I had been in airports for oh about 17 years. Ok maybe it was more like 20 of the past 30 hours, but still, I was happy to be almost home. Next flight is a quick 35 minutes....35 wee little minutes on a small plane that will probably have 10 other people on board. yea for air.



Turns out there were 4 of us, get on the plane...only the plane doesn't want to go, get off the plane, wait 30 minutes, get on the plane again. Now were cookin, headed to the runway...oh no not so quick. Turn around ...get off the plane (I swear I am not making this up).



At this point i ask the girl at the desk if there is a flight available to another close city, ok first she says to me "Did you check a bag?" why yes I checked a bag..."We won't separate a passenger from a bag." was her reply, my retort? "You separated me from my bag yesterday, no problem. I don't even know where my bag is"



she huffs...I swear she HUFFS and does the eye roll and pecks at the computer. "well we have one in 15 minutes, but you have to go through DC" see this is my life, the night before I would have killed to get to DC. Last night if I could have gotten to Dc I could have been home. But NOOOO last night I couldn't beg my way to DC...today I can go to DC and then head back home again. Because I might want to spend another 6 years on planes and in airports.



At this point we were down to 3, one of the passengers decided to cut his losses and just head back home. So myself and a very nice woman and her daughter sat and waited, and waited .....and waited just a wee bit more. Finally an hour and a half later we board the plane. While we are waiting to take off I peek out the window and see my bag...oh sweet bag how I missed you, being placed on board. I joked at least by having to wait so long, my bag caught up to me.



So we quick head home and into our very small airport and go to get our bags, their bags come through....and thats it. I wanted to cry, i even peeked under the flappy thing the bags come from to see if anyone was there to get my bag that I KNOW was on the plane. No one....so I go to the desk....no one. So i ask the TSA guy, can I back through and tell them I need my bag.



WHOA....THAT IS NOT ALLOWED.



Just to give you an idea of how small this airport really is, the guy who works the desk, also de ices the planes, AND handles baggage. Ok Rite Aid is bigger than this airport, however I could NOT enter the gate area without a TICKET.



BUT my BAAAGGGG.



If I could just wait a few minutes someone will be out. Only 15 minutes later no one was out..so I left. Iwas tired and hungry and missed my kids and was 20 minutes from my house and just wanted to go home.



At 10:30 pm my phone rings..the airport wants to know why I didn't stop at the desk to check on my bag.



I had no strength to answer, I just told them weather depending I would be down for it the next day. Weather has been icky and I still don't have it.



So ends the vaca that didn't want to end.....but at least I made it home and can laugh about it now, and I still have tan lines!!!! wooo