Journey to Germany

Sometimes I like to write in list form. That way I don't have to be creative. =) This is an idea of how March 25th-the day we flew to Germany-went.

Night before: Samuel is up crying and feeling sick.

3AMish - Samuel finally stays asleep

3:30ish - We finally fall asleep

7ish - Doug gets up

8ish - Heike gets up

9ish - Call from pilot friend who bought us the stand-by tickets [Hereafter referred to as pilot]. 2:30PM flight we’re booked on out of Greenville is suddenly full. There was 12 seats available, now there is none. Can we get on an 11:45AM flight? Mild panic ensues as we try to get ready.

9:30ish - Pilot calls back. He looked at the flight wrong, it’s not an 11:45AM flight, it’s a 10:15AM flight. There is no way we will make that. Okay, we will try at 2:30PM.

12:00PM - Leave for airport. Get checked in, through security

2:30 - Flight delayed

3:00 - Really nice lady at the gate lets us get on plane first. Steward looks at us carrying 2 pets and says something about only one pet being allowed on plane. We respond that we have checked 17 times with different personnel at United, the limit is 4. He says he will check with the captain, but it will probably be fine, but we should sit together only on the right side of the plane. So we go ahead and sit down and get settled. 

3:15ish - Steward comes up and says one of us has to get off the plane with one pet. Now. They are already behind schedule. Hurried discussion about who should get off. Heike gets off with Jaymes, and bursts into tears.

3:30ish - Nice gate agent tries to rebook Heike a ticket. She is unable to because they had already given her a seat. Have to call pilot and he has to rebook her. Get in touch with Pilot (who is also in an airport trying to catch a flight with his family). Rebook flight for 6:15PM.

5:00ish - get paged by nice gate agent. Flight is canceled due to problems with aircraft. That was the last flight out tonight. Flights tomorrow are completely booked. Heike may not get out of Greenville till Monday. Able to book flight from Charlotte to Dulles for a 7:45PM flight. It takes an hour to drive to Charlotte.

5:15ish - Doug's parent's drive Heike to Charlotte. Doug waits in a customer line in Dulles for over an hour and has to change Samuel's diaper 4 times. Samuel goes through 2 pants with bad diarrhea and then starts screaming each time he goes to the bathroom because of bad diaper rash.

6:30ish - Heike goes through security in Charlotte and prays to get on plane. Doug searches the airport for diaper cream.

8:00PM - Heike gets on plane with cat in tow.

9:15PM - Heike gets to Dulles and runs through airport to meet Doug and Sam. Boarding time is 9:10PM.

9:40PMish - We all get on the plane together! Ask young girl if she can move so we can sit together. She eventually decides to move and the three of us (plus 2 cats) are sitting together on our way to Germany!