Monday 02.03.2014

What a great day today!!

Although I had to leave my family.

To my surprise, when we opened the door to go out to the car, the humidity about knocked me back. Ugh!! It's HOT out there... and humid, too. No kidding, 75 degrees and stifling. And I was dressed to go into single digit temperatures.

Matilda and Jeremy took me to the airport. I talked about going bye-bye, going to the airport, etc. When we got there, she kissed me, then hugged me. And cried when I walked away. Daddy sat in the back seat with her for a few minutes, and we waved bye-bye and blew kisses until I got to the entrance of the terminal. I'm pretty sure she had stopped crying by then, watching me go in.

My first flight was a half hour delay. Other flights to the East Coast had been cancelled, so there was also the commotion of people trying to re-book their lives.

At Charlotte, NC, I had plenty of time until my flight to Detroit. I found a sandwich shop and got a fresh warm sandwich and went to the gate area to find a quieter spot to eat.

The departing gate was almost an alcove, and only a few people were there. A man with three children was trying to keep the kids (1 almost 4 and twins just 6) engaged. He found something Mickey Mouse on the IPad and they were pretty good overall. Mom came up with food, and Dad was on the phone, trying to find other flights. Not that I was "eavesdropping"; one can't help but hear conversations when they are just 2 seats away from you. Seems their flight was cancelled and they were on a Standby status, the challenge being the need for 5 tickets. I said a little prayer for them.

And then they rounded up and left.

When I boarded my plane, which was on time, a nice young man in front of me was moving things in an overhead compartment to put his bag in. And when he did, there was also room for mine. And he asked if he could put it up there for me.  Sure!!  Thanks!!

We waited for about 15 minutes to move away from the terminal, but we got underway and had an uneventful flight to Detroit. Sure, there was a little turbulence that felt like driving on a bumpy road, but not very much.  And when we stopped, my seat mates were courteous and the gentleman pulled my bag out for me.  Thanks!!

Ok--now to the Big Blue Parking Deck.

I had my parking ticket, on which I had written the space number. And I mostly remembered how to get there.  After walking the width of the structure, I found signage that pointed me in the right direction.  Ah ha!!  There it is!!

I pushed the key fob to open the trunk. And since it was so cold, I thought I'd start the car. I pushed the button on the fob--click, click, click......oh, no, the battery......?????    I just put a new battery in last year, didn't I????   Big Breath.......

I put my luggage in the trunk, and held my breath to start the vehicle. Nope.

Hmm.

I put the hood of the car up. Maybe someone would come by, stop, and offer to jump the car.

Not much in the way of traffic in there.

Now, I always buy the "roadside assistance" with my car insurance, and I got the paper out of the glove box. A nice lady named MaryBelle (isn't that a lovely name?) answered and we worked through the process. She was in St. Johns, and not familiar with airport parking. But there was another person there with her, and between the three of us, and putting me on hold several times, we were getting somewhere.

One of the times I was on hold, a nice man walked by, asking if I needed help. Yes, I need a jump. He said he had a brand new pair of jumper cables that he had gotten for Christmas, and that he would bring his car over and get the car started. ("I haven't even used them yet," he said as he walked on to his car.)  When he said that, I wondered if he knew how to use them. But I did, and I wondered if they might be long enough to reach.  I was fortunate when I found a parking place--it was on the end of the row, or maybe the beginning of the row? where one section separates from another. The side of the car that he would pull up to was opposite the battery. Hmm.

MaryBelle came back on the phone, asking more questions. She's telling me that some company will be out in 45 minutes or less, and will call me to verify my location. While she's talking,  a white pick up truck pulls up with the logo of something like Parking Services or something. A very nice young man asks "Did you call for a jump??"   Ha!!!  MaryBelle, one moment please....

No, but I need one. He says there's one ahead of me, and he'll be right back when he's done with that one.

Wow!!

I tell MaryBelle that the Parking Services guy will be coming back to start my vehicle, and thank her for her time.  She says to call her back if I need anything more.

And the first guy shows up in a Taurus or Fusion. I thought he said he had a truck--not that it matters. He pulled up, got out of the car, and I tell him that my battery is on the far side from where he is, and he comments that he doesn't know which side his battery is on.  I tell him the Parking Services guy came around, and will be back to give the car a jump. I thanked him for his kindness and offer to help, and sent him on his way.  (I think he was secretly glad to leave, and disappointed that he didn't get to use his new jumper cables)

Several minutes later the Parking Services guy comes back. He's got long, heavy duty cables, and I know it will be fine.  Such a nice young man--he told me to get into his truck while he got things ready (it was 5 degrees out there) and I filled out his paper. When we were connected, the car fired up like there wasn't a problem.  Yay!! Thank you God!!

He finished up, putting his cables away, putting the cover back on the battery, and closed my hood. Another fellow approached him asking where a certain Section was. The nice young man said he would help him in just a hot minute--I'll finish here and be right with you. I think he ended up taking that guy to his vehicle, and it might have been in the other structure. None-the-less, he was kind, polite, and willing to help however he could.

An uneventful drive back to Jackson.

I stopped for a few groceries and the car started right up.

At home, I plowed through the snow in the driveway, about 6-8 inches deep, not knowing if the car was going to stop. I made it into the garage. I ended up shoveling from the back door to the garage before unloading the car. It's really cold out!!!

I got home about 10pm. I'm unpacked and unwound and looking forward to being in my own bed.

I'm thankful for all the nice people I have come in contact with today. God and His Angels sure look out for me!!

And thank you for reading! Hugs.