Ahh, our last day in California! We had a 10:15 am flight to Chicago, which would arrive around 4:00 pm local time, then Christina was going to get on a flight to Waterloo, and see the rest of her family that night.

That did not happen.

But first! We had a smooth morning checking out of the hotel and returning the rental car.

We had plenty of time at the airport and enjoyed doing some souvenir shopping for the family.

We boarded and I let the woman next to me know I’d need to get up and walk quite a bit because of my blood clots. She told me she used to be a physician’s assistant, so she totally got it – she even reminded me to get up during the flight! Christina did a great job with that too. (This lady was super nice and cracked me up quite a bit during the flight. She was on her way to New York for a reunion with classmates from high school – they’d been friends for nearly 60 years!).

We were sitting on the plane for a while when they announced there was no oxygen to the cockpit and they were trying to fix it. Christina’s layover window was so short that she got a notification she had been booked on a new flight the next morning (this was after discussing if I’d drive her home, or if Dad would come get her). It was nice they “fixed” it so quickly, but a bummer she did not get to see her sons and husband that night.

So we sat and waited… maybe an hour and a half? A few times they’d announce they were trying another method to fix it, until finally, they announced we all had to deplane and find new flights.

They kind of said it like that – that there would be agents to help us all find new flights and we were like “er…. new flights for all these people to go to Chicago?!” I felt chill about it, but people were PISSY. We overhead a conversation with a flight attendant who was flying on the airline with American where they said they were getting us a new plane. Why our pilots didn’t know that… who knows. But by the time we got off, they told us a new plane would be there for us. Phew.

So we got lunch and waited. It was a bummer, because Ella slept the whole time we would have been flying, then woke up for the actual flight – which left at the time we were supposed to arrive in Chicago – so 4+ hours later. Our new arrival time was after 8:00. Blah. Ella was a great flyer (and got lots of compliments), but it would have been nice for Christina if she had been sleeping.

Anyway. Our second plane took off and got us to Chicago. We were keeping our emotions under control until we got to Chicago and had to wait forever for a gate – which is typical at Chicago – but we were just super over it and getting a bit punchy (the lady next to me asked me the gate number and I was like “H 4. H as in ‘get us the hell off this plane.’ ” She laughed and asked if we were getting punchy.). Steven picked us up, and got there when we landed. He was there an hour before he saw us. Then the elevator was broken to the parking garage. It was just one thing after another and we wanted to GTFO of there.

But we eventually made it home and Steven made us pasta to eat at 10:00 pm. Then Christina spent the night and I took her and Ella back to the airport the next morning. I learned Apollo is the only cat who is not scared of babies. I was happy for the extra time together but sad she had to wait to see her family. And that I had to to back to the airport muah ha ha.

While we were on our flight I could feel my throat getting sore. I didn’t sleep well at all that night and woke up all stuffed up. I needed to ask what cold meds I could take at my INR appointment Monday afternoon so I didn’t take anything until then (Mucinex yes, cold syrup, no). It sucked to come back and immediately get sick (I did not unpack for 3 days – that is so unlike me) but it happens to lots of people, so whatever. I am feeling better this week!

So yeah, normal stupid delay stuff, just annoying. But, if it meant I got to have a wonderful vacation in California with my snister and Ella, so be it! I am so grateful we got to take this trip. I truly had an amazing time and will cherish these memories forever!