One Box at a Time

We are officially in the single-digit countdown to be together as a family in Hawaii. There have been so many highs and lows in this journey that it's hard to believe we are finished with one chapter and starting a new one. What little belongings we have left to start this new life with a fresh outlook we are sending one box at a time across the big blue. The poor mailman is going to hate us for the next couple of weeks. 

I'm sad to leave Oklahoma. This has been everything I've ever known but I'm so excited for this new adventure. There are so many lessons I hope this teaches our children.   I want them to know that sometimes life is out of your control. You can do everything right and things might still go awry. That doesn't mean this is a failure. You can turn any situation into a good one if you have the right mindset and you take the opportunities that you're presented. Lean on your faith, believe in the good and let life lead you. I want them to learn that what one person believes is success and the American dream is not the same as the next person. 

For some people, the American dream is a single-family home on a quarter acre of land with 2.5 children, a dog, a mortgage, a career, newish cars and a busy schedule. For someone else, the American dream is traveling the world with no limitations, hopping from city to city: no kids, new ideals of what marriage entails, a job that takes them far and requires much of their free time. Still someone else might believe that the American dream is living a gypsy life: a tiny home with minimal furniture, lots of adventures and the ability to spread your wings at a moment's notice. Who am I to say that any of these dreams are wrong?

I have loved living in Oklahoma with it's wide-open spaces, friendly people and that feeling of home. I'm excited for Hawaii because although there aren't the wide-open spaces, there's plenty else to explore. So we're leaving our roots in Oklahoma, we're spreading our wings, and we're teaching the kids to fly.  

Delays, Delays

I'm going to see my husband. It's the first time I will have seen him in almost 5 months. I'm so excited I can't hardly stand it. I don't know how military families manage the time apart. I've been restless, irritable, and emotional at the best of times. Did you know that your conscious mind can plummet you through the stages of grief when you are separated from someone you feel strongly for, much like that person passed away? I didn't. Had I known the struggle would be so hard and hang over my every waking moment, I might have chosen another path for this journey. 

But I'm finally going to see him, in reality not a computer screen. I get to take in his smell, touch his face. I feel like I'm on my way to a first date, hahaha. I elated and nervous at the same time.

My flight was to be 12 hours flying time with one layover. I started in OKC at 6:30 Sunday morning, which means I was there and making my way through security at 5 am. I scheduled a flight originally to land at 2:30 pm local time (6:30 pm OK time if you're keeping track). My first flight begins boarding procedures and we learn there's a ground stop in Houston, delay of at least 40 min. My layover was only 45 min so I speak with United agents about getting on a different flight plan. For whatever reason, I am shuttled from one plane going to Houston in the OKC airport to a second plane going to Houston from OKC at the same time. New flight plan, from Houston, I'll go to San Francisco and on to Honolulu. New arrival time, 4:45. By the time the ground stop is lifted, my second connection will be missed. After landing in Houston, I receive a SMS message informing me that my connection was missed and I've been rescheduled for a flight to Honolulu via Seattle, with an arrival time at 12:30 pm Monday. In Houston I attempt to get on a standby list to get to San Francisco but am told I have to fly on the same plane as my luggage. It was suggested that I just accept the new flight plan. Of course, in a manner only befitting me, I don't accept this and plead with United agents until I learn where their customer service center is. So, off to another line I go to wait. 

Many people missed connections, so many flights had to be reworked. I'm just standing there trying to be strong and failing miserably. I finally get to the counter and explain my situation to Ellen R. It is important to me to recognize her because she was not only helpful, but calming and understanding. She informed me that when United change my flight, they not only had me flying to Seattle, but then back to San Francisco before going on to Honolulu. Frustrating to say the least! But, as I'm begging if there's anything or any chance, she tells me that there is a flight going to Los Angeles, I would have to fly standby, but if I could get on there, a flight from LAX to Honolulu had lots of open seating. I asked about our luggage because that plane was already boarding and she said, just worry about the luggage at my destination. 

I'm pretty sure I was at the end of the standby list, but made it on the plane and spent my first trip to LAX with a 4 hour layover. Ate some overpriced food, but worth it after snacks and peanuts all day. Bought a couple of souvenirs because who knows when I'll be in that airport or even California again. Secured tickets to Honolulu and once aboard, learned that with some crazy south winds our flight time was extended by 45 min, best case.

There's one hour left of this last leg of the flight and I'm not going to say it hasn't tested even ounce of my patience. What started as a 12 hour flight has morphed into a 22 hour flight, if we land at the projected time. But, for a day and a half, I will get to hold hands with my best friend again. Remind myself that there is a final destination and the end of the tunnel is so close. 

This is a picture of the majority of our changes throughout the day, not including the boarding passes for our Seattle-San Fran- Hononlulu that I was able to get adjusted.