Life is a Bowl of Cherries

Our holiday in New Zealand began with tense moments at the Tulsa airport. I am a cursed traveller. My family knows this to be true but we all ignore the bullseye on my backside because if we didn't, we'd never go anywhere.

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I had planned for everything right down to the little quart-sized baggies that each of the five of us withdrew from our backpacks. I had strategically spread out the toiletries that would be needed in Sydney once we reached the hotel on our brief layover there before heading on to Auckland.

We passed through Tulsa security and made our way to a restaurant which was located near our departure gate. We had about an hour before takeoff. As we sat at the table, I fished around in my purse looking for my phone. I was waiting to hear about a deal that didn't get wrapped up before our trip and I promised my customer that I would check in with them in Denver and then again in Los Angeles, when we landed. But there was no phone. NO PHONE!

In an age where business agreements happen via text and voice, I was at a loss. Dallas hopped up and said he'd go check the car for me which was really pushing it since we had taken advantage of a long term parking arrangement that was off site and required a shuttle. We had exactly an hour and sixteen minutes before take off. He called from the car to give me the bad news. It wasn't there. Did I want him to go home and get it? I barely whispered, "yes," because I couldn't work through another solution in my brain. Off he went.

And the minutes ticked by.

He called to tell me that he had my phone and was on his way back to the airport. We were 34 minutes from departure.

Fifteen minutes later, they started boarding our flight. When there was no one left in the waiting room, the kids and I got up. I sent Dylan and Olivia onto the plane. I waited. Then, I approached the gate agent and LIED, telling him that my husband had just run out to the car for his forgotten diabetes medicine and would be right back. I have no idea why I said this except that it seemed so much more reasonable to expect them to hold an entire plane full of cranky holiday passengers for life saving insulin than for an asshole who left her business phone at home.

Turns out, it didn't matter either way. His reply was pretty blunt. He said,
"The only decision you have to make is whether or not you are going to get on that plane and make your flight or wait here for your husband and miss it." It was a horrible decision and in the thirty seconds that I stood in front of him opening and closing my mouth like a fish while my brain chugged away at a solution, my husband showed up.

And thus, my marriage lived to see another happy day because the truth is, I would have boarded that plane and left a note with the gate agent telling Dallas to pay whatever it took to get the next flight out to Los Angeles. He would not have been impressed.

I'm glad he made it, though. We had the time of our lives.


View from the airplane flying into Queenstown (South Island) Queenstown cemetery which wasn't the slightest bit creepy. I can't imagine a better place on this earth to be laid to rest if that's your sort of thing. Many of you might recognize this place. It's Hobbiton from from "Lord of the Rings" which is located just outside of Matamata on the North Island. My irreverant, yet completely lovable father in law. His date scones are a work of art and he generously taught me how to make them. My gorgeous mother in law. My fabulous sister in law who sat with me on my trip to Brazil, reintroduced me to gin and who gave me the best (albeit filthiest) Chrismas gift EVER. I will share more on that in another post. This is Gilly, my brother in law. He was a lovely, gracious host and I'm just thrilled that he's in our lives.
Cherry picking in the grove behind the house on Christmas Eve, 9:30 pm. I will NEVER forget that experience. You haven't lived until you've had the opportunity to eat a sweet, black cherry right off the tree.
The trouble with vacations is that they always end.