Our Interesting Trip Home

Irate passengers at airlines desks in SFO, Houston AND Sao Paulo.  Check.

Checked my kids and I and our five huge, heavy pieces of luggage in at the wrong terminal in SFO. Check.

Gentleman that helped me with my luggage in SFO did not like my “tip” (I thought tips were up to the giver and a bonus, not an obligation.  Apparently, I am quite uninformed).  He informed me his tip was to be 1.50 per bag and then was totally embarrassed when I handed him a $20 bill, the only other thing in my wallet!  I pressed it into his hand and said, “Go and God bless you!  Today is your lucky day!”  He practically ran away!!  Check.

I felt that I had this much luggage!

At the moment I was ready to board in SFO, I realized that Chloe and I did not have seats.  It was an overbooked flight and I could only imagine staying put for another what, oh three hours or so waiting for a flight to Texas in which I would then miss my flight out to SP.  Some good-willed couple gave up their seats for us at the last moment and one lady offered to wait for another flight.  You know that particular airlines is extremely disorganized when her own employees bad mouth her and fight with each other in front of passengers.  But we made the flight and sat together!  Check.

I went to board in Houston only to find that while I had been given boarding passes for our entire trip in SFO, Noah’s boarding pass had been overlooked and I failed to notice it (hard to imagine, huh, with getting two busy children safely through the airport without losing one of them!).  SO, back we went to the check in counter to arrange for Noah’s boarding pass.  Check.

As already mentioned on Facebook, we arrived in Sao Paulo with not single piece of luggage.  Four pieces were delivered 24 hours later.  The final one was finally found and delivered last night, four days later.  For the first time ever, the airlines managed to puncture a hole in one of my storage boxes and a shampoo bottle exploded in another.  I was just telling someone in the States that thankfully I had never had any issues with my huge pieces of heavy luggage in almost 8 years of traveling back and forth from Brazil!  Nothing ever stolen, lost or broken…until this time!

BUT we are most grateful.  For the challenges, for the victories (a huge victory that I was able to handle the inconveniences cheerfully and graciously, very unlike me in stressful situations!), for the precious children who slept so little on our 24 hour journey.  For safe travels.  That I will never, ever again see the somewhat put out passengers who shared our close spaces on our flights home.   That God most graciously heard and answered every single prayer on our behalf.  Not always in the way I would have liked or felt to be the easiest, but He heard and He answered.

It is most GOOD to be HOME. 

Stay tuned for more highlights of our marvelous time in California!