We're Here, but we're Naked

Have I mentioned lately how much I loathe travelling? Our morning started officially when Joanna (the greatest friend in the world) picked us up from our house at 4:45am. That was the easy part of our trip. We arrived at DFW before 5:15 for our 6:30 departure, only to find the whole world in line to check in with U.S. Airways. Halfway through the Cattle call, the ticket agent opened a brand new line, which meant everyone who came in after us rushed over to this line and were checked in before us.

Security was, to put it mildly, thorough. After we removed our shoes and belts and cell phones and appendixes to put them through the X-Ray machine, I walked through the Metal detector with no problems. Jennifer, on the other hand, was missing part of her boarding pass, so she was forced back into the cattle call that is the U.S. Airways check in. Do you know that helpless feeling when you're separated from your loved one against your will? It isn't enjoyable. To make matters worse, as soon as I gathered my materials together, what did I find in between my wallet and my left shoe? That's right, the other part of Jennifer's boarding pass. Wanting to spare Jennifer the needless standing in line, I decided to be the sacrificial male and leave the terminal to find her, even though it would mean going through the heinous security again. For the record, if you ever want to play the part of the sacrificial male in a situation like this, don't ask the security person who just looked at your laptop warily where the exit to the terminal is. To them, this might seem suspicious. To make this really long story only a little longer, Jennifer and I found each other again, once more braved the harrowing security, and got to our gate with no time to spare.

Of course, no time to spare in aviation terms doesn't quite mean what you and I would mean by this. We got to the gate, were allowed on the plane, squeezed into the tiny little airplane seats, and sat in the sweltering plane for forty-five minutes on the tarmac. This, of course, made us late to our connecting flight in Philadelphia, a little two engine contraption with literal propellers. On the positive side, they held the plane for us. On the negative side, they didn't hold the plane for our luggage. So we are finnally here in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and, as we understand it, our luggage is currently revolving around the baggage claim three hours away in Newport News, Virginia.

Notice how calm and relaxed Jennifer is in this picture. This was taken in the terminal at Philadelphia. She is so graceful under pressure, even when we thirty minutes late for a flight.

Now, this is Jennifer after dealing with the people of U.S. Airways about our luggage. It has been a difficult day to say the least. Tomorrow, since Jennifer and I will apparently have to be clothed in the only clean outfits we have, our birthday suits, expect lots of pictures of the Vacation home. Don't worry, we will watch out for mirrors. Until then, here are a couple of pictures to whet your appetite.