Enroute to Deutschland

Got up this morning and had an agenda: get on the plane without a hitch. Failed.

I called the airline to make sure when to arrive. I was instructed to arrive no earlier than my itinerary and that I'd any paperwork was wrong, I would not fly...a stark contrast from the previous baggage person who said there was an offsite vet who could help if something went wrong with the pet paperwork.

We walked the dog for several hours. She ate and drank a little, but not much due to the stress. She behaved very well through the day with only one barking fit that was readily controlled.

The baggage man started out a bit harsh, but after realizing that I had never done this before, we became quick friends. He joked with my mom and dad about the whole process, told us about his travels from California to Maryland, and told me that all of the paperwork was in order except the orders had no baggage amount or weight limit for me. This was only a problem "when my wife has to file a claim." Even after asking about it, I'm still not sure what claim had to be filed or why or if one needed to be filed at all.

I carefully fed and gave water to Etsy at the vet recommended times before departure. I went to drop her off before heading to security for the gate when I was abruptly stopped at the pet drop off. I had arrived at 1200 and waited until 1630 to drop the dog off for the 1700 flight.

"The flight has been delayed."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah"
"For how long?"
"We don't know yet?"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah"
"Seriously?" -clearly, I didn't believe him.
"Yeah"
"Look. My boarding time is 1700, what is it now?"
"Well, we think it's more like 1900 now."
Later...
"Any update? I'm thinking of having dinner with my parents."
"Oh don't do that. We're currently working on getting food vouchers for everyone due to the delay."
Later...
"Everyone! The boarding time is now 2110 and the departure time is 2210. You may leave your pets here while you get dinner."

Soooo...I had dinner with mom and dad. It actually worked well to calm my nerves. I was getting teary the first time I almost left Etsy...sad as that sounds.

We walked Etsy some more. She was thoroughly beat. The delay will ironically work on my favor for her. It's close to her actual bedtime, she's tired so will likely sleep well, and arrival time will be in eight hours at midday...close enough to her regular wake up time and eating time.

I said goodbye and thank you to my parents. My mom teared up, but we were all happy to be there for each other. It was especially nice that my parents stayed with me through the whole flight snafu. Being alone at the airport for 9 hours with the dog in tow would have been a lot to handle in terms maneuvering around the airport and waiting for the next thing to happen. It was a weird feeling to know that I wouldn't see them again for potentially 3 years.

The lobby at the gate was odd in a way. Lots of young families and couples, a disproportionate number of young me my age, several older people...all complete strangers, yet we all held one unique common bond...the military. I have never worked for a large company before, but I think this is what it must feel like...lots of strangers all with the same employer directly or indirectly. You're all on the same team but you only know a tiny fraction of the players.

Anyhoo, I ended up boarding the flight almost dead last at 2230. I guess I'll just chalk that up as one more item. I will say that EVERYONE has been extremely patient and NO on has complained. A real plus for the military.