The Flight to Texas (aka the Plane Ride from He##)

 My wish for my 70th birthday was to spend a few days in Waco, Texas with my darling daughters.  

We selected dates that worked for all three of us.  I had found the savings bonds in the hutch that I cashed in for nearly the entire amount of the plane tickets.  Gary used Hilton points for a suite at Homewood Suites in Waco for three nights.  Expedia came in handy for renting a vehicle from Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning.  We were all set.

Wrong.  

What happened?

• We boarded the plane (the A group) and before the B group could board, we were asked to de
• -plane because the plane had a flat tire.
• Another plane pulled to a different gate since the tire was going to take too long to change.
• We re-boarded the plane only to sit on it for an hour since lightning prevented transfer of baggage from one plane to the other.
• After taking off and being in the air for maybe 10 minutes, there was a huge ball of light, then large BOOM.  The plane had been struck by lightning!  After probably another 10 minutes the pilot told us that everything had checked out ok; otherwise we would be turned around and returning to Indianapolis.
• Upon landing in Atlanta the flight attendants changed our plan.  We had to be off the plane since it was being grounded following the lightning strike.
• A service agent re-routed us to Dallas through Memphis.  Along with the boarding pass, which was not in the A range which I had paid extra for, we received $100 vouchers for future flights.
• Since we were waiting for nearly two hours for the next flight, the girls searched for food---Jersey Mike's subs for lunch!
• The plane landed at Memphis, then we sat ON the plane for probably 90 minutes, waiting for the next group of passengers to board.  We couldn't leave the plane, nor could we move seats.  But we could use the bathroom on the plane.
• After landing in Dallas, we proceeded to the baggage claim. After the last bags came onto the belt and were picked up by their owners, we were still standing there, waiting.  When we checked with the agent, she told us that our bags were on the next plane from Atlanta, due to land in an hour.  A check with another agent found us staying there since Waco was not in their delivery zone and they could FedEx overnight to our hotel, but that wouldn't help us have our clothes for the night nor other things we needed.  Plus our plans for Friday were to visit all of the Chip and Joanna things which was the purpose of the trip!
• After we picked up our luggage finally (the last three bags onto the belt), we took the shuttle to the car rental location.
• The guy at the counter was less than cooperative and was not going to give us a vehicle even though we had reserved it through Expedia (he doesn't work with Expedia) and I had a confirmation number (he doesn't work with Expedia) and my name was on the credit card and Hilary was listed as the driver and the two had to match.  He wouldn't change anything or cancel out anything or work with us because he doesn't do anything with Expedia.  A call to Expedia was fruitless because I was put on hold for the next available agent and the wait time was FOUR hours.  When we returned to the counter, the man agreed to let us put the additional charge on Hilary's credit card.  As soon as we walked out the door, another man handed us the keys to the vehicle he had waiting for us (so much for the counter guy telling us that if we cancelled no car would be available). 
• Road construction, concrete barriers, orange cones, and a small red car that darted in and out of traffic.  That was what we encountered on the drive between Dallas and Waco.  The breaking point was when the debris appeared on the roadway followed by the sight of that little red car smashed on the side from a collision with a FedEx truck.  Both the driver and the passenger were out of the car and walking around, but still it was rather scary.
• More road construction in Waco with picking our way through cones to the In-and-Out Burger place for take out, then missing our turn off to the hotel and being re-directed through a residential area to finally arrive at Homewood Suites.
• Arriving at Homewood Suites was the easiest part of the trip.  Online check-in plus having a digital key were very handy for these tired travelers.  After we ate our sandwiches, Hilary and I  visited the front desk for two more physical keys, extra towels, and four more pillows.  

 It could only get better, right?  And it did.  We had a great time exploring the shops, buying treats from the bakery, visiting the Dr. Pepper Museum and the shops in town, and just being together.

But I know that whenever we mention our trip to Waco, or celebrating my 70th birthday, the Flight to Texas will be the first thing that comes to mind!