We're Home!!!

YAY!!! We're home safe and sound!! Our flight home went much better than our flight out there -- imagine that. We flew out of Sacramento on time and landed in Denver. We didn't have much of a layover there and flew into Dallas. Nicole's flight from Sacramento landed in Dallas before we did and she found out our original flight had been delayed until 8:15 (we were supposed to land in Abilene at 8:30)!! Nicole said there was a flight leaving in 20 minutes. We had planned on trying to get on an earlier flight home, but we only had minutes from the time we landed (Me, Krissy, & Kelly) to get to the other side of the airport. We told Nicole to stop somewhere and try to get on stand-by. Meanwhile, Kelly, Krissy, & I were on a train and running through the airport like crazy people!!

We made it to a counter and got us on standby, but we had to go back up the stairs and get back on the train to get to the gate. Again, running like crazy to catch the train. . . I'm sure we were a sight to be seen!! We make it to the gate and they let us on the plane. We are sitting on the plane and I'm talking to the children's pastors from New Hope in Abilene (they were at the conference, too) when they come over the speaker and say we have to deplane. . . UGH! But, I would much rather be on a plane that everything is working than a plane that has a problem!!

We get off and stand and talk to the "New Hope" people and we are allowed back on the plane after about 10 minutes. Our plane landed about 7:45, but our luggage wouldn't be there until 9:15 pm because that was our original flight. I did seem to get a little more sick on the way home than on the way there. . that wasn't fun!

I couldn't go home without my luggage. Payton had asked me if I would get him a basketball jersey while I was gone. His only requirements were that it wasn't pink or purple and that it had a number on it. Funny thing is that we were in California -- the Sacramento Kings and the LA Lakers, but they are both PURPLE (and $55)!!! I found plenty of those jerseys, but no other colors. I went to Old Navy and found a blue & white jersey with a number 4 and some shorts. . it would have to do. I thought about carrying it on, but decided to put it in my suitcase. When we got on the earlier flight, I was expecting a major confrontation when I got to the airport because I didn't have that uniform in my hands, but Payton shocked me. He was very understanding and very patient with the whole thing. We went to Rosa's to eat and went back to the airport to get my luggage. My suitcases came around and I had to open them right then and there to get that uniform out. . . good thing I made sure I put it on the outside of my suitcase!! He was very happy with it and that made me happy!!

So, yes we are home, but we're all exhausted!! Krissy called this morning to see if she was the only one who couldn't get going. I told her that I was having a hard time, too. But, I have too many things to do!! ;)

Thank you to those (I can't remember who actually did it, but a few had the same idea) who cleaned my house and did the laundry and watched Evan for Aaron!! It was so nice to know that my life group wouldn't be completely shocked to come to my house on Wednesday night!! It also made it so much easier to come home and the house was picked up and there wasn't PILES & PILES & PILES of laundry waiting for me!!! It was also nice that Aaron could go to work without Evan for 1 day (Thanks Becky!) Those things were HUGE blessings to me!! Really nice to know that my "family" was taking care of my family while I was away.

Again, I'm still processing stuff and I can't wait to share what all we received while we were there. God gave me an awesome vision about our children's ministry and about our name and just some amazing stuff. I want to share it at church sometime when I have the opportunity to do so, but if that opportunity doesn't come, I will blog about it soon. . . but for now, I need to find out the status on our Easter Egg hunt. . looks like it could be inside again!!