The Terminal

This last weekend I went for a little vacation amidst the vacation I have been on since moving here. I had a Terminal experience that was actually quite comical. I felt the whole thing could be narrated into an entire movie alongside Tom Hanks.  My day as follows:

-Got to the Washington Dulles airport in time to catch my flight at 6:50.

-Entered the plane as the very first person on the flight and took my seat as the very last person on the plane (not to my planning...wish I was on Southwest).

-Sat on the tarmac for an extra 40 min and then slept once we were safely in flight.

-Arrived to Atlanta ten minutes before my connecting flight was to take off and so needless to say, I, being the last person on the plane, had to run like the dickens to attempt to catch my flight out to Phoenix. (For those of you who have never been to the ATL airport, it's a nightmare).

-Ran past the shuttle in attempts to outrun it to get to the neighboring terminal in time...the shuttle was faster...

-Arrived to the gate, deprived of all oxygen, just moments after my plane took off. Had a flashback of Dumb and Dumber.

-Was told by two employees that the next flight out wasn't until 9:50 that night. Sadly, it was only 9:30 a.m. They told me there were no other options. So I began to explore the airport.

-Being stressed, I passed a spa and massage parlor. Never had a massage before, so stopped to enjoy one (Yeah, sad that my first real massage was in the airport!). 

-After feeling like the new me, went back to reason with yet another employee to see my options. I was then told they had just sent a group of the Phoenix fliers who had missed their flight, like me, on another plane at 10:30 a.m. It was 10:35. I don't know how I was misinformed, but I had been enjoying a massage while my flight was taking off.  I started to laugh at this point. They thought I'd snapped. 

-New flight set for 7 p.m.

-Discovered a miscommunication between airlines and I was sent as the in-between. Rode the shuttle 5 times and was escorted by staff on the 5th try. 

-Sat to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society to escape my current life in the terminal.

-Called Taryn, who is living about 1 hr and 40 min outside the airport. She, so graciously, came to rescue me.

-Sat on the curb outside to wait for Taryn.

-Taryn picked me up and we ventured down into Atlanta to go to the Central Olympic Park (I think?) and I am proud to say that Taryn was quite handy on the directions (way to go Tar!) which is something to say considering our lack of any sense of direction with the two of us in the past.

-Enjoyed a stroll around the park and sat in a little outdoor lounge to enjoy some cool drinks and wonderful chatting. Nothing more lovely than spending an afternoon with Taryn, whom I miss so much.

-Back to the airport and through security...one more ride on the shuttle...I think that 

makes 6 (actually 7 if we are including the time I ran past it in attempts to outrun it).

-Happily seated on the airplane going to Phoenix at 7 p.m.

-Arrived at Phoenix...baggage lost...started laughing again.

-Picked up by Matthew in time to enjoy a wonderful meal and a good laugh at the day's events at my grandparents home with my brothers and sister in-law.

-Slept in my brother's clothes.

(This is us being ridiculous after stuffing ourselves to the brim at Rosa's. I must say we had a great time. The funny thing is that we could read each other's minds and kept laughing the whole lunch even though we never had to say what we were laughing about. Good day).

simply stated: when in doubt, forgo the tempting massage at the airport