So my cousin from Oklahoma whom I sorta share the same birthday with- she was born March 28th and I was born March 29, 1960. She was born in California and I was in New York, we always felt that we would have been born the same day on some time line. But, as a child I always the younger one and she would always taunt me by saying “Respect your elders…I am your elder.” Needless to say my pay backs came when she turned thirty first, and forty and this year turning 50! I hadn’t seen my cousin since 1997 and was determined to see her. She was going to vacation in Virginia where her sister lives. My intention was to go down for a few days, but as luck would have it I had a full schedule between job interviews and work commitments. There was two days to fit it in, Monday and Tuesday- so being the me that I am I called Orbit cheap tickets on Sunday afternoon got a six o’clock flight to land in Newport News because my cousin had said it was a closer airport (She didn’t think I was serious about going down-I was and did). I arrived at 7:30 ish.
The flight down was uneventful and the anticipation of seeing my long lost twin cousin was keeping my mind occupied.So my darling 77 year old Aunt is making her famous Mac and Cheese while her 21 year old granddaughter and I are watching..As she scrapes the bowl trying to get all the macaroni's out, wipes the sweat now pouring in the macaroni, she comments how hard it is and says, "Imagine what this does to your stomach! Dinner will... be in a half hour." Her granddaughter and I look at each other and announce “We’re on diets!” I also started reading Joel Osteen’s It’s Your Turn. The book is about opening yourself to GOD’S love and not allowing stress and disappointment to discourage you from your successful God goals. I am opened to positive energy. My cousin and my aunt meet me at the airport and my twin cousin will be at the beach the next morning. That’s cool. My cousin and her husband are great and I find the ride back to their place long. I keep it to myself. At the house we stay up and chat until midnight. She has a 21 year old that will be forced to hang with me the next day.
We wake up and my aunt is put to work making macaroni and cheese- she’s like 78 and is trying to work in a kitchen that is modern and spread out, add a 70 lb. dog getting in between her legs and you have the aunt from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Stacy, my cousin’s daughter and I watch, promising each other NOT to eat the macaroni and cheese, expressions like; “Kiss it up to God,” “Three second rule” and pinkie swears not to tell anyone where the macaroni landed after the dog flip…I never said anything about writing.
We get to the beach and it seems like it’s the shadiest day of the week-surprise me, but I managed to get a shade burn. At night we laugh and spend more time taking pictures than talking. I find out that Norforlk to a closer airport and Newport News is the cheaper airport…I would have paid the extra. They are all asking me to stay longer, but I have my own theory- see if I stayed a week they would be pushing me out the door to leave, staying a day has them begging me to stay!
The next day I arrive at the airport at 6:30 am. My cousin dropped me off on his way to work. My flight is at 7:50 am. THANK GOD FOR JOEL OSTEEN! I start reading my inspiration book and it’s all about delays in life…We board the plane and are on time until….We are taxiing around the airfield and called back to our gate. It seems a storm and traffic back up caused LaGuardia to refuse to allow us to take off until 9:45. We were supposed to land at 9:05 am. I reread Joel’s chapter and understand that God has a reason for this delay…What could it be? There is an announcement…Flight cancelled! Why???? I want to flip out and yell and act like a lunatic, but thanks to Joel, I think why?
Then they announce that we can take a flight to Indianapolis to get a flight to LaGuardia. That makes no sense to go three fours out of our way to go 53 minutes away! I text my friend when I land in Indianapolis. He tells me to look for Mary Tyler Moore’s hat! ?? Mary came from Minneapolis not Indianapolis…no one comes from Indianapolis and there is a reason… their state motto is “cow tipping is fun pa.” That is what the tee shirt in the gift store said. I went a little less tacky and bought a “hoosier momma?” tee- which I just noticed is woman’s med. So is the continuing saga of my life. I guess the tee shirt is how they get tourist to visit or just book a flight with orbiz and you will end up there.
Now I tell GOD, get me to my night job by 6pm and I will believe in all that Joel teaches-does not look good for God. We land in LaGuardia at 4:20 pm. I get to the curb and am told the only way to get to Port Authority is to take a bus- subways are now close to airport. God is in trouble, traffic in midtown AND we have to stop at Penn station first. I get there in record time and after a few kick starts get on the bus to Hackensack, where my night job is, before 5 pm. Alas, Tunnel traffic---amazingly the traffic was light and I get to my night job by 6:02pm. It wasn’t 6 , but pretty close.
I just want to know why an airline can sell you a ticket for a 52 minute flight taking off at 8am and have it postponed until 10am then cancel it and make you take a flight to Indiana to get the plane that you were supposed to have at 8am...and have you arrive at 4:20 PM...and then tell you to have a nice day!!! HELLOOOOO the day is over!
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