Click Your Heels ThreeTimes..........

Click your heels three times and repeat there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home..............nope I'm still not home.

This post is going to be a long one so stop right here and go get something to drink and make your self comfy.

Ready? Here we go.........We were so excited for the trip home for a couple reasons. Yes it is good to be home but Art used our sky miles and got us tickets home in first class. Plus we had some of our palace dollars left so we reserved a limo back to the airport. We were going to go home in style. That helped lessen the sting of leaving paradise. We got up early and had our last breakfast and sat by the pool and said our goodbyes until it was time to grab a very quick lunch and head to the airport. The airport there requires you to be two to three hours early and we have been there that long and barely made it through the lines and security so we knew being there early was important. Our flight was scheduled for 4:00 so we headed to the airport at 1:00. A Lincoln stretch limo pulled up for us. (I will post pictures later). Wow it was fun. I felt so important. We got the airport and when we check in (here is where the fun begins)the ticket agent told us do to mechanical problems with the plane it was still in Phoenix and our flight would be delayed 2 1/2 hours. Oh dear!! We have a connecting flight we told her. She looked up to see what else would be available to us if we missed our connection and that meant spending the night in Phoenix so we really hoped to make the connection. We spent all afternoon in the airport. Sitting in the boarding area I felt something hit my arm really hard and when I looked down whatever hit me cracked the crystal of my watch. Woo dang! We went to Bubba Gumps for a salad and cold drink and watched the Cowboys beat the Giants in football. While there Art got an email from the airline telling us our flight to Tucson would also be delayed. We laughed and said we aren't going to Tucson we are going to Phoenix. A little later one of the men sitting down from us said did you hear customs in Phoenix is closed so we are going to Tuscon. WHAT?! We can't enter the US until we have been thorough customs so at least they found a customs office open. When we got on the plane they told us yes we were going to Tuscon to go through customs and then we would go back to Phoenix. For those unfamiliar with the customs procedure let me take a minute to explain. You get off the plane and go to baggage and collect your luggage drag it through customs, pray you don't get selected for them to search through yours, claim you items, have your passport scanned and send your luggage through a security point to be reloaded on the plane, walk what seems a couple miles back to the real airport, go back through security and reboard. Due to the late hour (after midnight at this point), the folks on our plane were the only ones in the airport. Plus everything was closed. Not even the escalators worked. We even had to use stairs to get off the plane as the jet way was also closed. As you can imagine getting a couple hundred people through this process took a couple of hours. We got back on the plane for a 25 minute plane ride and arrived safely in Phoenix. No the adventure doesn't stop there. They rebooked everyone and gave us a hotel voucher. You can imagine that many folks all wanting the hotel shuttle takes a while. So after picking up our luggage, we went out to join the masses waiting for the shuttle. Standing there Art suggested we just take a taxi. That way we could get there and check in before the big crowd. Thinking what a madhouse that would be all of us trying to check in at the same time I agreed a taxi would be the better plan. So we walked down to where the taxis where and told them we were staying at the Clarion. Our taxi driver Achmed was a foreigner and told us this was his second day on the job. We took off and he said he wasn't sure of where the hotel was. WHAT?!?! Art said you need a GPS and he replied he had one and asked what the address was. We said we didn't have a clue. He then pulled over and looked though some papers then said let me call my boss. His boss didn't answer so he put the taxi in reverse and backed back up to where we started. Got out and got directions from the other taxi drivers. After about 25 minutes of driving Art asked if he knew where he was going. He assured us he did and 5 minutes later we arrived. Some other folks decided to take a taxi after we did and they were already there. After checking in we got to bed a little after 4:00 this morning. Once we got in bed I was so tired and as I reflected on the day all I could do was laugh and laugh I did. We are rebooked to fly to Los Angeles this afternoon and then home tonight. We hope. I may be posting how I spent my vacation in Phoenix. Never a dull moment. Oh!!!!! I forgot to mention we are no longer booked in first class. We went from first class to the back of the plane. I think we may go shoe shopping. I am in need of ruby slippers. My black slip ons are working. Stay tuned we may make it home yet.