Day 14 Travel Day

Day 14 Travel Day. Roomie’s flight was 9:40am, while ours wasn’t until 2:25pm. I thought I’d say ‘farewell’ to her, and go back to sleep. I woke up, waved to her, and that was it. Zonked backed out.
I woke up to a door knock a few hours later. She sent one of the kids up to get a meal ticket. I missed her. I didn’t think to call, I went back to bed. The maid knocked. Doug called. Another kid rang the doorbell needing a meal ticket. (giggle. I was in a room with a doorbell.) I dragged myself out of bed at 10. I was looking forward to sleeping in for the last week. Whine. Bitch. Complain.
The kids were all on time. They all wanted to go to the airport together. I told them they wouldn’t all fit in the shuttle bus. It took 3 trips. They sobbed and said ‘good-bye’ at the hotel, on the bus, before checking in, after checking in, and by then heartless me had enough and went through security. They’re miserable, and I’m just so happy to be going home. It’s rude of me to be so happy while they are mourning the loss of new friends and friends with benefits.
We had a fabulous ticket agent. He didn’t charge any of the kids overweight baggage fees. The agent next to us had people repack their suitcase or pay for being a kilo overweight.
First call was a boy didn’t have a flight home and was on standby. Next was a stop at the United counter, but the kids fixed the problem on their own. Our little nerd carefully checked baggage penalties and fees before going to the airport. His third bag, a set of golf clubs, should’ve cost him $200.00 to check. The counter agent told him $400.00. When I left, it was down to $250.00. One of the kids lent him the fifty dollars. He had asked me for two hundred; I hesitated as he was flying home to Europe.
Our flight left on time. Roomie called, she was stuck in Phoenix overnight. Our flight was late arriving to Las Vegas, and the airport was crowded. All flights to and from Chicago were cancelled, and the airports were all screwed up. Some of the kids called. 2 girls’ flights were delayed at least 2 hours. A large group was going to be stranded in Seattle overnight, and one was going as far as Anchorage for the night. Our flight was an hour late leaving-they didn’t have a crew to work the flight. Thoughts of an overnight stay in Vegas with 11 exchange students pounded through my head. Wouldn’t that have been fun? The flight was overbooked, and they offered incentives to people for giving up their seats. Not us.
We’re coming home.
There are no empty seats on the flight to Cleveland. We boarded as a group of 12 during ‘family’ boarding. I wanted them all together. We’re on SouthWest without assigned seats. None of the kids wanted to sit in my row with me. Little bastards.

The kids thought I was too strict. I think the chaperones thought I was too lenient. I’m certain I pissed off everyone at least a few times during the trip. I bought a guard’s whistle at Alcatraz for fun. I ended up using it several times to get their attention. It was embarrassing, but it worked. I think all I did was yell for 2 weeks. “Sit down.” “Be quiet.” “We’re walking.”