Going Home

After getting up at 6, I managed to take out the trash, strip the sheets off the bed, pack my remaining items, and dress to look half decent for my flights. Jane's husband graciously offered to take me to the Glasgow airport, which saved me the hassle of lugging my luggage all over the place. The car ride was full of wonderful conversation and I finally got to have a proper conversation with David. (I was also quite impressed that I understood his words amidst his thick accent!) 

At the airport, I waited for about 20 minutes for the check in station to open. Once I had my boarding pass, I was ushered up to the second floor, through security, and then towards my gate. After a quick breakfast at a cafe, I waited for the screen to finally give me my official hate and boarding time. 

The plane from Glasgow to Dublin was quite small, but it was enough for the short flight over to Dublin. In Dublin, I passed through security twice before reaching the line for the US preclearance. It might have taken forever, but it was nice to know that I wouldn't have to deal with it in Chicago. The only downside, though, was the fact that I had little time for last minute gifts. 

At 3:30, I boarded the plane bound for Chicago. Even amidst a few very grumpy flyers and a tv that wasn't displaying properly, I managed to pass the first 7 hours of the flight with ease. As we neared Chicago, though, things became a bit tense on the plane. 

The captain came on the system and told us that would be arriving early, a small blessing for a girl that couldn't wait to see her loved ones. As I stared at the map monitor, though, i noticed that the plane was facing the wrong direction to be going to Chicago. It turned out that a system alarm had sounded and we were forced to do figure eights until it was resolved. So, 40 minutes after we were scheduled to arrive, we touched down and taxied to our terminal. It felt like ages, but we managed to finally land in Chicago!

After I finally located my luggage, I briskly walked to the arrivals area and found my family waiting to take me to dinner. Luckily, we stayed in Chicago at a hotel, which was a blessing after sitting for so long!

Even with all of the crazy waiting and circles, I am thankful to finally be home!