Early Wednesday

Okay, so who wants to hear about my fun day flying Hannah back to OKC?  Did I ever tell you that God is good, and to borrow a phrase from my friend Betty, The Lord is In Control!  Sit back and listen to my adventure.

 

So I stumble out of bed after sleeping 3 hours and get ready.  I'm really anxious, not wanting to go do this thing at all.  Get loaded up and head off to the airport after saying goodbye to my two boys.  Traffic isn't too bad, which is good since we left a little late (my fault).  Get to the terminal and check Hannah's bags.  Run upstairs and don't even have time to grab a coffee (bad omen) and start boarding within ten minutes.  Plus, another thing is I tried to call David 7 times on three different phones.  What the hell is the benefit of having three different phone numbers if he won't answer one of them?  Doesn't he know how freakin anxious I am?!

 

Okay, board the plane and sit there getting settled.  I'm like "Hannah it smells funny in here.  Does it smell like diseale fuel to you?"  Hannah "Mom, it's fine.  Just smells like stale air".  I'm sitting there thinking no it doesn't, that it smells like fuel.  Okay so maybe they are refueling and the smell will stop once we get going.  All the doors close and it seems like the smell gets stronger.  "Hannah, do you smell that?  It smell...electrical."  Hannah, being the adult here, "Mom, everything is alright."  I said "No, I really smell something now, really I do!"  Right about then the smoke alarm goes off in the back bathroom scaring the you know what out of me.  The stewardess fumbles with it for a minute or two and gets it off and calls up front.  The plane stops it's taxiing.  We sit there and I am totally freakin out.  Totally!

 

This man sitting across from us with his teenage son goes "are you alright?"  I know that all the color has completely drained from my face and my heart if racing 100mph or more, I can't catch my breath, and this man asks me if I am ok?  Seriously?  What part of me looks okay?!  So I go "Hell no!  Do I look okay?"  So he just begins talking to me about anything and everything to distract me but it's hard to concentrate when you can't breathe.  The stewardess gets off the phone a second time and announces we are headed back to the gate, thank you Jesus!  So we deboard and sit around waiting to see what is going to happen.  Right now I'm beginning to get a little bit of blood and oxygen back into my brain, but I still can't get ahold of David.

 

Announcement made that there was a fuse that was blown on one of the air conditioner units and that, once fixed, will we reboard the SAME PLANE.  What?!  Are you kidding me?  The same plane that just had alarms going off and smoke in the cabin?  Oh my!  Freak attack going on.  So I approach one of the gate employees and say "I feel just a little anxious about getting back on that plane."  "Yes," she says" you are getting on the same plane."  "I understand that...I'm pretty anxious about all that."  "Yes, that plane will be where you guys are going."  Is she understanding the words that are coming out of my mouth?!  "Hey, I said I am anxious about rebording the same plane we just got off of where the smoke alarm was going off!  Do you understand what I am saying?!"  Little stare.  "Do you mean you are nervous?"  Someone give this woman a prize.  "Yes, I'm nervous."  Well you can go down to customer service and see if they can rebook you, but that is the plane you will be getting on for this flight."  So I just look at her and go "Would you get back on that plane?"  She just looks at me and said "I'm not flying today."  Oh, I didn't ask that did I, but I think that was my answer.

 

I did wander on down to customer service and they were going to rebook me on a flight for Thursday, when they said that we were getting a new plane.  Really?  Okay fine then, I'll go ahead and go.  So I get back down there and it's the same darn plane.  What the...?!  I'm starting to get really upset when the Capitan walks up and touches my arm, "Ma'am.  The plane is safe.  The only thing wrong is there is a faulty air unit and we thought we had it shut down before we started to taxi.  It was just a fuse that blew.  We replaced the fuse and disconnected the air unit.  The plane is perfectly safe.  I'm getting back on the plane to fly and I wouldn't do that if I didn't feel it was safe.  I want to get to OKC in one piece just as much as you do.  I promise you, the plane is safe."  That was a calming effect for me.  Just as if Jesus himself had appeared right in front of me and gathered me in his arms.  "Okay," I say, "Lead the way."  And he did just that.  The plane smelled better and we backed out, taxied, and took off, landing in OKC without further incident.   And the nice man and his teenage son, sat right beside us the whole way talking to us, keeping me calm (can we say Angels?)

 

Okay now there is a time crunch.  I've only got 10minutes now to get Hannah to her Dad right outside of security and board my plane back to Phoenix.  Run Forest Run!  See the security gate.  See Tom on the other side.  Hug Hannah as hard as I can because I won't see her for 7weeks.  Then run back to the gate.  Got one more minute.  Grab a Diet DP.  Board the plane.  Take off.

 

I'm surrounded by AF guys laughing, joking, and talking about headed back to base at Luke in Phoenix and having only ten days before heading back to Iraq.  They are laughing and joking.  And I'm still thinking about my petty fear of flying.  These guys have already been to Iraq, and they are headed back in less than two weeks, and they are laughing and joking the whole flight. 

Dear Lord, please surround these fine young men as they are on the eve of flying back to Iraq to fight for our freedom.  Thank  You for these brave men who are willing to give their lives so that we may have the liberties that we take for granted everyday.  Please surround these young men with Your amour and protect them so that they will be able to complete their mission and come home safely to their families, just like You are bringing me home safely to my family today.

 

I made it back to Phoenix just fine.  Grabbed my Starbucks, got in my car and headed home.  Called Hannah, called David.  Kiss kiss, I love you all. 

 

Hope everyone sleeps good tonight.   I will.

 

De ;)

 

 

Tags: flying, angels, soldiers, safely home