Crazy trip home

Have you ever had one of those days where you think, " What ELSE could go wrong?!" Well, we had several days in a row like that! On our last day in Dubai, Dwayne went to the US Embassy to pick up a second passport that he had requested. Well, they mistakenly cancelled his first passport and even put the obligatory punch-holes right through it. This meant he now would have lots of issues getting back to work in Saudi in mid-June (upon return from the US). He was completely disgusted with this situation. We left Dubai at 2:45 am on June 2 and landed in London (Gatwick) about 6-7 hours later. We had about a 3 hour layover there...which is just about perfect when you want to grab a meal, and let the kids run around a bit to get the extra energy out of their legs. When we checked it, they hand-wrote our gate number on our boarding passes and it said Gate 57. Not a problem. We ate, shopped around a bit, and headed down to Gate 57 about 1.5 hours early. We sat there and sat there...just waiting like you do at the airports. Well, the gate still had not opened and it was time for our flight to leave. We didn't question it because when you travel, this kind of thing happens all the time - - flights are late.

Well, Dwayne went up a floor to check the flight boards and it said our flight was at Gate 51! We ran as fast as we could with all of our carry-on luggage to the Gate and upon arrival they would not let us board. We showed them our boarding pass and they said they could understand how we would think it was 57 (because that IS what it said!). We were devastated because that was the only flight to Cincinnati that day. A pretty ambivalent employee escorted us down to retrieve our bags (which had been pulled from the plane) and then took us to ticketing. We had a very unpleasant experience with Delta employees at this airport - - all of whom were either rude or had a "we don't care" attitude with us. We have vowed at this time never to fly Delta again. We ended up having to pay 200.00 USD extra per ticket (x4) to get tickets for the next day. We booked a room at a local hotel and with heavy hearts boarded a train, then a taxi to get there. So, after overcoming the disappointment of being "stuck" in Gatwick, we made the best of it and went out to an area called Crawley Town Centre. The girls made out like Bandits at the Disney Store and we treated ourselves to some yummy comfort food chocolate chip cookies.

The next day, we flew from Gatwick to Cincinnati without delay. The flight was scheduled for about 8 hours and we immediately noticed there were no TVs on the seats...not good news for us! Trust us, having the tvs for Kaleigh and Ashlyn is nice on the looooong flights! But, they survived nicely the old fashioned way with books, coloring, and naps. ;)

We arrived at the Cincinnati airport on June 4 and were happy to be back on American soil. What a cute airport...too! We found a good Mexican restaurant and hunkered down for our meal when the airport made an announcement that we were all going to be EVACUATED for a possible tornado heading our way. Lisa, who has been involved in a tornado situation, was initially panic-stricken but quickly regained composure because the girls got nervous with her. They escorted the elderly and families with children first in a very orderly fashion into the bowels of the Cincinnati airport...even most of the airport employees were saying they had never been down that far. Imagine a dimly lit tunnel with a double-decker conveyor belt on one side of the hall for the luggage. There were hundreds of us down there without any communication. We were released after about 30 minutes. Hats off to the staff at that airport for being patient and kind to all of us.

Even after all of the flights were indefinitely delayed, God apparently had mercy on us because our flight left for Roanoke on time! We just couldn't believe our luck! We were greeted by a hailstorm and a subsequent tornado (another area in Roanoke) upon arrival in our Star City.

Being back in Roanoke has been wonderful so far...the lush green mountains are a literal feast for our desert-weary eyes. Everything is a slower pace for us for now...a much needed break from the sometimes hectic Dubai. We feel as though we have two completely separate lives...which is not necessarily a bad thing! Kaleigh and Ashlyn are enjoying the time with their doggie (Caesar) and being able to play outside (for hours at a time). When we left Dubai, it was at least 110 degrees each day...just too hot for extended playtime! We have noticed that the 90-degree days here are not such a big deal. We are after all...desert people now!!