Quite a day!

1:30 a.m.
Fitful sleep
Somewhat normal stress about getting up early to catch a plane
Also some “normal stress” about cancer check-up

2:40 a.m.
Awake again
…& so on…
4:30 a.m.
Need to get up in 30 minutes.
Wonder if I should try to sleep a little longer.

5 a.m.
What’s that noise?!?! Oh, yah, the alarm.
Guess I did go back to sleep.

6:15 a.m.
Out the door, on the way to Saginaw.

7:30 a.m.
AR. MBS airport, say good-bye to hubby

7:35 a.m.
Checking in at kiosk.
Agent says the flight is canceled because of t-storms in Chicago.
“Put you on 8 a.m. flight to Detroit – then 10:10 flight to Chi-town."
Sent to next desk
Hurry up & wait.
Call B. – maybe stay nearby.
Finally get some paperwork for Delta flight
No seat assignment yet
Hurry to gate area
Through security, no problem
Gate agent eventually issues seat assignment
Time for bathroom? Nope; boarding now.
Board plane, find seat, use bathroom.
Small planes have tiny bathrooms!
Call B. – I’m on plane
Call cancer center; inform transportation dep’t of flight changes
Turn off cell phone.
Barely notice take-off, normally a favorite thing.
Lean back, breathe.

8:10 a.m. – descending already
8:16 a.m. – on ground in Detroit. That was fast.
8:22 a.m. – at gate
Ask for connecting flight info – Gate A-57
Up this escalator, turn left, down the escalator, thro’ tunnel, up escalator
No big rush, departure is at 10:10 a.m.

8:35-ish – AR at new gate
Flight delayed, to depart at 10:54 a.m.
Call CC to give heads-up on latest schedule change

Flight delayed again – now to depart at 11:45 a.m.
Call CC to update.

Gate change
Flight delayed again – depart at 1 p.m.
Call CC – push back appointments?
Oops; wait. Flight is canceled
Stand in line to learn options
Call B.
Call CC
Keep standing in line

They’re closing this gate.
Go to Gate A-43 for options
Confirmed for flight tomorrow – 7 a.m.; for other options, must see person at desk.
Stand in line.
No hotel vouchers
Call B.
Call CC. Travel person gives blessing to going home & re-scheduling. She sees flight to Saginaw at 1:45 p.m. Seats available? Doesn’t know. Advises me to stay in line.

1:30 p.m. – still in line
The natives are restless (the other people standing in line)
Finally my turn
There is a flight to Saginaw at 3:45 p.m.
Can’t do that because United is still holding ticket.
Agent "releases" boarding pass as requested by CC's travel staff & tears it up.
Hmm… Wonder if that’s a good thing.
Call B. – Come to Detroit and get me…?

Find an outlet to charge phone
Call from CC: try to get United to release ticket for credit
Wait for phone to charge a bit
Go to ticket counter area; no United, different terminal.
Walk to shuttle stop, ride shuttle to North terminal, walk some more…
Huge line for United desk; never made it.

Hubby arrives to take me home.
Try calling United about ticket. Can't get thro' to real person.

Did I make the right decision? Who knows?
Learned later that more bad storms came thro’ both Chi-town and Detroit. Tornadoes were sighted and/or touched down in both cities. Trains were stopped, expressways closed and even the big planes were grounded.

Guess I made the right decision.
Happy to get back home safely.
But I still have to go for that check-up – try again same time next week.