IN THE LAST HOUR

Another week-end approaches so it is time for another Sunday Scribblings!

The lift off is this phrase....."In the last hour..."

I immediately envisioned the last hour before any vacation I am about to embark upon. I have no idea why this pushed its way out the waiting room of my thought factory into the audition stage, but it did and it got the job!

In the last hour before the last vacation, I was at the computer trying to print out our boarding passes to the Ship. The site kept blocking me and I was crying. My tears were dripping on the key board. Earlier that week I had tired to print them out and the ink cartridge failed. Failed might be too kind a word, the ink cartridge died. Maybe you only have one chance to print the e-ticket and that is it!

Joe was becoming annoyed at the delay, after all we still had to drive to Chicago to catch our flight. He reasoned that we had our passports, the cruise was paid for, we would get on the Ship!

In the last hour before Bridget and I were to go to Florida several years ago we drove to Louisville and my brother-in-law was going to drive us to the airport and save us the cost of long term parking.

We arrived early and parked the car in the back alley (if you know Louisville, you know all about back alleys) At the time they were doing some landscaping to the back yard and Bridget and I tried the back door and found it locked. We set up on the back porch waiting for B-I-L to wake up (it was very early, like 5am) and chauffeur us. A lot of time passed and I became worried and tried the door again. Still locked. I decided to try the front door and then and only then did I realize we were at the wrong house!!! We hustled over next door and got in right away to find a very concerned B-I-L waiting for us with coffee!

It took while for Joe and my relationship to advance to the point where we were comfortable to travel together to family functions. After two year and a half years, we went to Colorado for a family wedding (I have a big extended Irish-Catholic family). When all was over and it was time to go home back to Kentucky, the morning of the flight Joe was up and wanted to go to the airport. He did not want to miss the plane!

I spent five hours waiting to fly out of Denver.

That was only the beginning. Ever since then I have come to realize that Joe likes to be at the airport in time...(early)... for the flight. Needless to say, I have spent a lot of time in airports.

The funniest and worst time, was when we got there at 1am only to find out the airport in Chicago (international) is locked up till 5am! WTF!!!!

It's International!!!

I had to sleep on some ugly hard plastic seats waiting for Air Jamaica to open.

Before flying out to Ireland we spent many of the last hour's pretuning in the International terminal with my sister and above mentioned B-I-L and their two young children. Their flight to Shannon left before ours to Dublin.

Young five year old Brendan walked away from us in his red and white Hawaiian shirt (easier to see among the masses)turned and waved good-bye, "SEE YOU IN IRELAND" he yelled!

I am very fond of that last hour before the take-off.