Got Mother-in-law and brother-in-law out of bed on time. Check! Packed, ready to go to Sea-Tac airport 3.5 hours early (dammit). Check! Returned rental car while wife and in-laws checked luggage... Check! When they found out my mother-in-law needed a wheelchair, we had outstanding service from a man who pushes wheelchair-bound people around the airport.
The flight from Seattle to Minneapolis was smooth, and seamless. No weather issues, no screaming bansheebaby creatures, and a smooth flight.
Got in at Minneapolis, under the assumption our 1.5 hour layover would be sufficient time to enjoy a meal and maybe do a little shopping in some of the stores. Did you know Best Buy has a vending machine? Yeah! A vending machine that dispenses cell phones, etc. Tanya told me I could look all I wanted...but that she had the credit card and the debit card and I could use either one if I could peel it from her cold dead fingers with my cold, dead, detached teeth! I took that as a maybe.
It was not to be. We were carted (it's a verb. Feel free to check), to close to our terminal for our connecting flight...then transferred Mom to a wheelchair.
It didn't matter. When we got to the terminal...the flight had been changed to another gate. We went (a motley, drag-ass crew 1/4 of which was being wheeled) to the appointed gate. After 1/2 hour there, I went back and checked the sign. Our 7:30 PM flight had been changed to a 9:00 PM flight. An hour later, we found out the flight had been moved to another gate. One more wheelchair assistant (I don't know his title, but the guy was great) pushed Mom to the next 'new' gate. He was at least 60 years of age, that man pushing the wheelchair, but he advised us to take the moving walkways. We did...and he managed to keep up with us. I was impressed.
We were supposed to land in Saginaw, MI at 10:06 PM, and got there at 12:30 AM. Flew through some pretty cool lightning along the way...but we landed safe, and sound...if a bit tired.
Then, because I was the one suffering from a 12-hour long nicotine fit (abated in good part because of a nicotine patch and a few of those little tobacco pouches you suck on to get a fix), I went out to long-term parking to find my Mother-in-law's Grand Marquis...in the dark...in the rain...and I didn't have any idea where in the lot it was. I found it eventually...parked next to the 1973 baby-blue Cadillac my other brother-in-law drives. Hard to miss a 143-foot-long ancient Cadillac, even in the dark and the rain. $36 later, I was in the 2007 Grand Marquis, out of long-term parking, and picking up the rest of the family.
All is well that ends well...and I now pronounce this day at a good end. I'm going to sleep now. It's late, I'm tired...but tonight my head will rest on my pillow, in my bed...and a cat will probably rest on my head.
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