Houston, We’ve Had a Problem

Posted by Kalie on September 9, 2009

Okay, so it wasn’t really Houston that had a problem, but rather Newark.  Houston was my problem solver.  Here’s the story…

I woke up early to catch my 11:30 flight to Newark in Omaha.  We (Shawn, my parents, Jesse, Jenna, Matt, and myself) left at 7:30am, allowing us four hours to get there and checked-in on time.  As I entered walked up to the desk to check-in, the man helping me asks for my last name.  I think nothing of it and reply, “Whidden.”  He immediately took out his walkie-talkie and urgently said, “She’s here.”  I’m a bit worried by this, thinking maybe I’ve been red-flagged by the Scottish government because of the unpaid parking ticket my family got two years ago in Edinburgh.  After some fast typing, the man tells me the plane I’m supposed to take going to Newark is running four hours late and I’ve been moved to a different flight going to Houston, and it’s leaving right then so I must run to catch it before it takes off.  I do as he says and quickly explain the situation to my family.  I was so caught up in the idea of missing the plane that I walked toward security, completely forgetting to say goodbye.  My parents caught me before I got there and we exchanged a hasty goodbye.  Once through security, I found my already-emptied gate and the man taking the tickets said, “Ah, you’re the London girl!  Glad you could make it!”  I was comforted by this, and by the fact that the pilots were still waiting outside of the plane.  Being the last person on the plane, I found my seat easily.  To be sure, I asked the man sitting next to me if this plane was going to Houston, and he assured me that it was.

Once to Houston, I had a few hours of layover until my flight to London.  The plane was really nice – a Boeing 777 with tv screens on the back of every seat.  Each person could choose from hundreds of tv shows and movies, and thousands of music to listen to.  I entertained myself by watching episodes of the Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons, and House, looking out the window at the nighttime view of the US, and sleeping.  After seven hours of air time, we finally arrived in London.  I had a four-hour layover there, filled with getting my luggage, going through customs, re-checking my luggage, and finding my gate.  The flight to Dublin was only an hour, and as I exited the plane onto the tarmac was greeted by suiting Irish weather: chilly mist and fog.  I went through customs again, found my luggage again (this time it was minus the two things on the bottom that keep it parallel to the wheels – excellent), and bought a bus ticket to the city center where I met my brother’s friend, Clay, who I’m staying with.  So far I’m having a great time and will update you soon on my happenings in Dublin!

Cheers!

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