Tuesday April 20th:
Up early and finished the last minute packing. Teri picked us up with all of our luggage. She drove us to get Dunkin Donuts for us and to take to my dad. We went to my dad’s apartment to visit him for a bit. But then loaded him in the van to go see my mom. My mom was still in the Nursing home facility from a fall she had back in November. With Covid protocols we had to wear gowns, gloves, N95 masks plus a shield. Let me tell you, that is very claustrophobic and hot. We were only given 20 minutes to see my mom in the dining room. My mom just had to wear a surgical mask. So we visited with her for a bit and said our goodbyes. Then took my dad home and said our goodbyes. Teri drove us to the airport in the rain. It was a nasty looking storm. She walked us to security where we hugged and said goodbye. The rain was really picking up and dumping hard. Security didn’t take too long because they directed us to the other end. But we are so used to going to the left side for security that when we went to the right side, we didn’t pay attention to our surrounding and took the wrong tram! So we had to ride it back to go to the one next to it. But bonus, we got two tram rides! We grabbed lunch at Chipotle for me and Jersey Mike’s for Ryan. The rain was just hammering and you could hardly see outside. There was a lot of lightning so all flights were grounded until it was clear for a set period of time. So our flight got bumped back, then again, then again. We left almost 2 hours late and had a connection that wouldn’t give us much wiggle room. They did say that all airports were notified of the massive delays and were holding flights as much as they could. We landed and then sat and sat and sat on our plane. Since we were so late, there wasn’t a gate for us yet. A lady asked if she could get up to go to the restroom since we were stopped. They initially told her no since we were on an active runway area. But then they said it would be a bit, so go ahead. Well no sooner than her getting into the bathroom then they were told the plane can move. But we can’t because the lady is still in the bathroom. She took her time walking to her seat and people were getting upset since we were all late. Once she finally sat down, they moved the plane. We had no clue if our plane was still there or not for our next leg home. So I grabbed our two backpacks and Ryan grabbed our 2 suitcases from overhead. We were fairly close to the front of the plane. So I booked it as fast as I could and had pulled up what gate we were going to. It wasn’t too many gates away. Full sprint to the gate and the gate said a different city. I was devastated to think we missed it! But the agents asked if I was heading to El Paso and I said yes. They said, just breathe! We knew you all were coming and held the plane. Take your time and breathe! Ryan came running right behind me. There were 4-6 of us from our Orlando flight on the same connection to El Paso. And they held it for us. We got onto our plane about 5 minutes after we should have departed. We fly Southwest so it’s open seating. It was a completely full flight and the middle seats were spaced apart. So Ryan and I were a few rows apart near the back of the plane. But we made it and so did the other passengers. We arrived close to on time in El Paso. We grabbed a quick dinner before the hour drive home. We were home before 9pm. It was good to get home to see our Winnie pup.
Final Thoughts:
It was a fun trip, spending time with Paige, quick visit with Robyn, time with Stacey & Stefan, quick visit with my little bro (Stephen), and an all too quick visit with my sister and folks. It was a toasty trip and being in masks at nearly all times wore us down quickly. We are used to wearing masks all day for work, but we are inside with air conditioning. So we just didn’t quite feel the magic and happiness as much. It was still hard to not see smiling faces walking around the parks. But we were happy to finally be able to take pics with masks off. This was our last trip for the foreseeable future. We decided not to renew our AP’s that we’ve had for over 5 years. We feel it’s not a good value and use of our money with all the restrictions still in place and less offerings available. I know some people don’t feel any of the magic is gone. But we were having a hard time finding it on this trip and our November 2020 trip. It still makes me happy to see the sights, hears the sounds, etc. But it’s just not the same for us. And that’s okay! We are taking a break from Disney and using our time to go visit other places. One day we will return. But we just don’t have any plans to go soon.
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Man, you had to be sweating out that connection, so glad they held it for you all! Thank you for sharing your trip with all of us!
