Ok - I have been flying and traveling a lot! I have been doing this for quite a few years and I know the process...be there an 1.5 - 2 hours prior to the flight if you are flying out of country, or and hour if it is domestic! I get that, and I abide by that all the time...
So it is 4:55 pm on Saturday afternoon...I kiss my family good bye and head to the Kitchener Airport...a direct flight out of KW to Calgary. It takes me 20 - 25 minutes to get to the airport. I fly out at 6:15 pm...lots of time...right?? I need to stop into Staples and buy something real quick, I know where the box is, and it will take me 5 minutes tops...So while I am driving, I fall into autopilot and drive right by the exit for Staples...no problem the next exit is not far and it will be just a minute more...now at this time, it is still only 5:05 pm...I am not panicing at all...lots of time!!
I turn onto the next exit and make the turn towards the store and as I am turning...I realize I am caught in incredible traffic...I cannot turn around and there is a median in the middle of the road and the traffic is crazy!! Initially...not a problem, the more I drive I realize this is becoming an issue...I waiver...do I just stop and try to turn a round...do i continue...it just keeps getting worse, and I continue to figure out which is the best alternative.
I finally get to the store and it is still only 5:20, now I am only 10 minutes from the airport...no problem...inside the store...the shelf is bare...the box I need for my trip is not there...a little panic sets in, I ask the sales guy - he VERY SLOWLY, looks and eventually finds it!!!!
now I am in full blown panic - OK - fly out of the parking lot into another parking lot called the highway...I finally make it to the airport and park and run into the check-in...you gotta know the airport, it is the size of a large home...I see the plane, no one is getting on, and there is 25 minutes to go...SECURITY HAS LEFT!!! They will not take my luggage, and they will not allow me to get on the flight!!! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!! I went up to the clerk very calmly and I said..."I AM BEGGING YOU, PLEASE HELP ME GET ON THIS FLIGHT!!"
I don't think it meant as much to her as it did to me!! SO, the next option, fly out of Toronto, in 2 hours...so I paid the $50 fee, and grabbed my luggage and hit the road!! I got onto the 401 Highway to Toronto...still not overly impressed!!
I am about 15 minutes down the highway when I see a sea of red lights in front of me...NOOOOOO!!! I quickly turn on the radio to 680 NEWS and they tell me there has been a MAJOR accident a few exits up and they have CLOSED THE 401!!!!!!
A quick call to Wendy and she helped me navigate a detour. I got on the phone with WestJet and told them what was happening...I eventually made it to Toronto and with about 5 minutes to spare, got to the terminal and made the flight!!
What a night...i got in about 1 am which is 3 am to me. Then I had to wake up @ 5am to drive 2 hours to Red Deer to sing...as I got halfway to Red Deer I realized the package that I so desperately needed...was still in Calgary!!!
I do have to admit though, that the people in Red Deer were fantastic...the day went better than anticipated and it all worked out fine! A little stressed but fine!!
Then the icing on the cake...I arrived back in Calgary at 7:30 am this morning. I was cleaning up in the bathroom, just brushed my teeth and leaned over to get something when my cell phone (BlackBerry - my lifeline to the real world) fell out of my pocket and into the toilet!!!
YES - the toilet!!!!! I grabbed it right away and started to dry it off and it still sits right beside me...totally on, and I see all the messages that are coming into it and I can't get them...it beeps and rings and shows me that there are messages...it just wont let me get them!!!
SO THAT HAS BEEN MY 2 DAYS IN CALGARY!!!!!!!
it can only get better...right!! I am looking forward to GMA Canada...I sing tomorrow night at the Worship Event...Matt Brouwer's Band is playing for me...and I am leading worship with Arlen Salte...Should be a great night!!
I will let you know how that goes...
Frustrated but still laughing...
Kevin
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1 comment:
Oh, Man. What an unfortunate stream of events!! To make myself feel better, I try to convince myself this is happening to protect me from something, or to put me in the right place at the right time. It could all just be coincidence, but I have to make myself feel better somehow!
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