The Journey to Paradise

I awoke in Eugene on 7/7/13 with plenty of time to make a trip to the store before going to the airport. I picked up sunscreen, after sun lotion, bug spray, and lip balm. Don Dixon was kind enough to drive me to the airport about two hours before my 12:29 flight to San Francisco was scheduled to depart. To Preface this, there had been a airplane crash the day before at the San Francisco airport. My flight was delayed but i was told i should have no problem making my connection. When i went to the gate I intended to pass the time which i did mostly on my laptop until about 12:00 which is when i removed my headphones and found out that the fligh which was supposed to take me to SFO was not even in SFO yet from which it had to come pick us up in Eugene from, before returning. The flight arrived at approx. 4pm and a quick turnaround got us to the bay area at about 5:30. In Eugene I was told the flight to Houston from SFO which was scheduled to depart at 3:00 was equally delayed and I still had a chance to make it. So my flights were not rebooked until i landed in SFO and realized my flight was no longer there. The first customer service agent of the day put me on standby for the next flight to Houston which was scheduled to depart at 7:25. This gave me time to eat my first meal of the day (a bread bowl of minestrone soup) before returning to my gate and finding out I was not lucky enough to be allowed onto the 7:25 flight. Returning to the customer service desk, I began what would take up the next 3 and a half hours of my life. The next flight to Houston, a redeye, had been cancelled. The next flight after that one was not until 10:30 the next morning which would cause me to miss my connection to Roaton. The next flight to Roaton was not until Wednesday either from Houston or Miami. For most of the time spent until about 10:00pm I believed that I would not make the 11:00 am flight to Roaton from Houston the next day. finally after the third customer service agent I worked with hit her 16 hour work limit, I was able to book a redeye to Phoenix and a 5:00am flight to  Houston which would get me there just in time to make my connection. I'm still convinced it was my calm demeanor and patience that netted me my success, good karma i suppose. Stepping off the plane in Roaton into the afternoon blast of heat was a tropical awakening. I was very happy to arrive and only slightly uneasy about being in a new place where if my parents were delayed for any reason i would be lost and confused. To add a bit of fun my bags didn't arrive, but my parents did, and they took me to our cabins from which i am now writing this. Kirsty and Brian live next door and the five animals, 4 cats and a dog have already found a good friend in me. The water is warm and the sun is shining. I went to bed happy (although wearing my dad's clothes) and ready to dive in the morning.