Our Cramazing May, Episode LXIV: Hotel Heathrow

When we flew through England with Neil on our way to the USA, his visa didn't allow for him to go through customs and meet his British cousins, but this time around, that was not an issue, as Indian passports are easily allowed in and out of Great Britain.  Because of this, Tom and I had the great privilege of getting to see Hoffbeast's sister and nieces at Heathrow during our layover.

 

 

I was quite exhausted already from the emotions and lack of sleep of the last few days, so I considered getting a hotel room but chose against it since we only had a few hours at the airport before needing to check in for our next plane. If I had to do it over again, I'm not sure what I would do...sleeping at Heathrow was an adventure for sure (sleeping on floor + a tired toddler + a ton of luggage to manage = not that much fun), but I was so afraid that if I went to sleep in a bed, I would be sleeping so hard that I would miss my alarm and our flight!

 

 

 

So after driving around the airport getting some fresh air and making my decision, back into the terminal we headed:  me, Tom, Aunt Jill, Cousins Pip and Lizzie. It was soooooo good to be with them even for such a short time, to see the familiar faces that had been so supportive throughout this process and to get hugs to carry with us on the last part of our journey.  I knew that the next few hours were likely to be rough, so being with family was just what I needed!

 

 

Tom was so tired, so the aunt/cousins had to wait 'til another time to really see his personality, but even so, I think they were very pleased that they'd come!  They loved him instantly...how could they not?!  

 

By the time the family left, Tom was sacked out...I love this picture Jill snapped before they left.  When they walked away, I didn't even stand up because we were finally in a comfortable position, and I knew better than to disturb my sleeping baby at that point.



 

The chairs were not comfortable, so the next few hours looked something like this:  slink down in chair so as to try to sleep without waking baby; move over to a different set of chairs that would allow us to lie prone; have random traveler take off his shoes on row of chairs right next to us and chat incessantly about his travel woes (Listen, Mister, you have no idea, so hush and let me sleep!); move back to this exact spot in an effort to avoid random guy who had begun turning into stalker guy with every sentence--and his feet smelled awful, too; finally decide to move to the floor as the chairs were impossible to sleep on.

 

Since I was moving to the floor, I decided that I might as well move to the area where I would be checking into my flight in the morning (about 4 hours from then).  It was a bit of a walk, but once I got there, I felt better--random traveler soon was replaced by a nice family from Texas who I eventually trusted enough to leave all my stuff with so I could go to the bathroom...imagine having to haul all my luggage to the bathroom!  There also happened to be these I-have-no-idea-why-they-were-there carpet squares on the ground, so I made a little bed out of them...we must have looked pathetic, as the Texas family clearly felt sorry for us.  :)  They were very kind at a time when I needed it badly...seems like they gave me a blanket for us to cover up with--I remember it being cold enough in there that I was having trouble sleeping.  Amazingly, I did end up sleeping for an hour or two, and Tom slept on and off the whole time.

 

Oh what a night!

Our Cramazing May, Episode LXIII: Saying Goodbye...and Hello!

I slept really well, during the little time that I slept. And when I woke up, suddenly, the day that I had waited for had arrived...we were leaving for home.

It was a bittersweet morning, for sure.  We had absolutely loved our time in India!  It was life changing in so many ways; obviously, meeting Tom was the most profound thing that had happened, but truthfully, watching God move in such specific and personal ways was stretching and encouraging and faith-building, and we longed to retain the lessons we had been reminded of there.

We had gained lifelong friends in the McFs.  This remains one of my very favorite pictures from our time in India...L and Tom on the morning they said goodbye to their first homeland and hello to their new one.  L was so caring with Tom, a little mama, really.  I am so thankful that they had each other during this intense two weeks of transition to life with new families...they had shared life before we knew them, and that is something that will always be special to them.

Just look at their faces...joy and security and love are written all over them!  Makes my heart melt all over again as I look into the beautiful eyes of my son from that morning!

As much as L was like a little mama, she was also very much like a big sister.  This video is so beautiful because it shows them playing together and illustrates the carefree-ness of that last morning.  In it, L is teasing Tom by telling him that there is a big monster up the stairs.  She kept saying it over and over again, and Tom eventually believed her and was quite frightened!  What are "big sisters" for, if not to scare and confuse their "little brothers"?!

DSCN4019 from Hoffbeauty on Vimeo.

Once we said our goodbyes and promised to see the McFs again, Tom and I loaded up into our cab for the drive to the airport.  The McFs would follow shortly and we would indeed see them again soon.



These are views from the cab as we were driving into the airport...it was just surreal that, after all we'd been through, we were finally leaving!

Thankfully, when we arrived at the airport, I had our printed itineraries in hand, so there was no worrying about whether or not we would be allowed in.  Tom did well...

...until he didn't.  Once inside and after waiting in several lines, he was just done.  And I couldn't really blame him.

Overall, Tom did very well, and after some time, we were finally on board our plane...I was hoping that we have an empty seat next to us, but as it was, a lucky college student got to share the row with us!  Truthfully, it couldn't have been better. He was so gracious with us as I tried to entertain Tom for the next eight hours or so.  

Tom slept a good bit of the time, so that made the trip easier, and mostly, he was all smiles.  What a joy!

 

Our Cramazing May, Episode LXII: Waiting for Hoffbeast (to tell me that they were on the plane)

New night, same drill.  The cab arrived at our hotel at 11 p.m., even earlier than the night before, just to make absolutely sure that Hoffbeast and Rex had plenty of time to get to their gate this time.  Our friendly front desk manager had made good and sure that our itineraries had been printed out this time and that they would have no problems getting into the airport...and that they had his number in case they did!

Here's what I wrote that night as I waited...

Exhausted. That's me.  Completely exhausted.  And so ready to be home.  It's been the trip of a lifetime, and meeting our precious son is worth every ounce of tired that I've got in me (and I've got quite a few ounces of tired, believe me!), but all that doesn't make me any less tired today.  In this moment.

I am staying up, waiting for confirmation that the Hub and son are getting on the plane.  I assume they will, as tonight they breezed through check-in and through security and made it to their gate 3 hours early!  They've just been hanging out there ever since.  But I'm not banking on my assumptions.  Today there was a dust storm in the area, so for all we know, their plane will be delayed.

Tom and I leave for the airport at 10:30 a.m., which is in about 9 hours.  I would love to get lots of good sleep, but who knows if I will or not.  I have a feeling that it will be fitful sleep, as I will be too nervous about missing our plane to sleep very soundly.  But the bed is calling my name right now.  One more hour, Hoffbeauty---you can make it!

The Embassy.....it was wonderful.  That's all I'm gonna say for now.  The details will have to wait.  We got Tom's visa in hand less than 2 hours after arriving!  And the things I was "worried" about never even crossed my mind once we were there.  (That's not saying much, since my mind was pretty much on autopilot after having stayed up all night.) 

We got back to the hotel at about 11:45 a.m., and I slept on and off for the next 5 hours or so.  Have I mentioned that I'm exhausted?

But as I look at my son, there is such joy, pride, love, and undying affection....praising God tonight for the gift of our Tom--and for my whole family!  Can't wait to be reunited!"

As it turns out, they were delayed.  Next, I wrote this post...

"Their flight has been delayed by 1.5 hours.  They should have time to make their connection in Brussels.  If not, I might just have to call my friend, Cindy, in Germany and have her go get them!"

They did not make their connection, and before I could finally go to sleep that night, I had to again communicate with our awesome travel agent, this time so that she could rearrange their flights home.  They had originally been booked for Brussels to Chicago; the new plan was Brussels to New York and then one more flight, this one directly home to Milwaukee.

Their travel excitement didn't end there, though. When they arrived the next day in New York, their plane would land in Newark, where they were told that their plane to Milwaukee was departing from JFK and that they were be driven there in a black car. Problem is that they only had an hour between flights, and the drive was 45 minutes.  Somewhere on the drive, Hoffbeast realized there was a good chance they would miss this flight, too, but thankfully, that plane was late in arriving, so they made it...phew!

Back in Delhi, as soon as I had rebooked their flight, I went to sleep and trusted that they would make it...I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer!

Our Cramazing May, Episode LXI: Our Last Night in India, take 2!

I woke up from my very long nap still tired, but with an incredibly grateful heart. Not only was the Embassy trip successful (such a welcome procedural process compared with the nightmare of acquiring the passport!), but my family was still in India with me to celebrate!  It was as if we had been given a little extra special night for bonus laughter and joy...both of which were easily flowing. The seven of us were just so.....joyful.  The next day, we would be boarding three separate planes to journey home, beginning with Rex and the daddy in the wee hours.  

We decided to use one of our Sheraton Club goodies that our front desk friend had given us when we had checked in....a free cake from the restaurant! So...after another amazingly yummy dinner, we had a celebration cake, complete with a Happy Birthday knife (It wasn't anyone's birthday, but we sure did have two cramazing gifts to celebrate!).

I had a scarf that I had been wanting to give to L, so after dinner, I was able to do that...we had just loved having this adventure with our new lifelong friends, and L had grown to be so special to us.  It was hard to think of saying goodbye...for real this time.  But it was time.

The last activity of the night was, of course, another night swim.  But this time, I didn't even take my camera.  I just enjoyed, took it all in, and thanked our cramazing God for His wonderful gifts.

Our Cramazing May, Episode LX: The Embassy

The Embassy.  Last stop before having all documents enabling us to take our son home.  I was exhausted, needless to say, when Scott, Karen, L, Tom, and I climbed into the cab that would take us into the part of the city where the embassies are housed.  Thankfully, even though many of the details were tucked away inside my tired brain, getting around Delhi had been Scott's domain, so I was able to rest on the drive and didn't have to think too much.  I remember very little of the drive, but eventually, we pulled up close to a building with a much-welcomed image...an American flag.

Visiting the American Embassy while you are in a foreign land is a rather amazing experience, not even including the adoption part.  Lines and lines of people waiting to be given an ear, a chance to state their case as to why they should be allowed to travel to the United States of America.  As an American citizen, an embassy is security, is belonging, is home; to others, it's a dream, a desire, a hope. What a privilege it is to be an American, to be able to travel to other countries and then to return home; an American passport should never be taken for granted.

Thanks to families who had traveled before us, I had specific instructions as to what to say when arriving at the Embassy's first checkpoint.  These words would be the "golden ticket" that would get us sent to the front of the line.

And boy, did those words work!

No cameras are allowed inside the Embassy, so I have no pictures, but indeed, the words "I-800 Adoption" ushered us into a building, past a waiting area full of people, then outside into a courtyard while appeared to be another holding area for folks who were waiting, and then, finally, into the main building.  Upon entering, we were greeted with the beautiful and welcoming pictures of President Obama and Secretary Clinton.  No matter whether or not you agree with the politics of the standing President, when you enter an American Embassy, you are on U.S. ground, and you are glad to see his face smiling down at you as if to say, "You're a citizen.  Don't worry...we've got your back, and we are here to help you."  I stood for a brief moment, looking at the flag and thinking about all we had been through that had gotten us to this point.  And then I had to move on, because our escort was walking fast!

It was during the walk through that last room that I noticed the stares....it was as if our long but fast-paced walk had awakened me, and all of a sudden, I was alert and no longer felt the exhaustion that was clearly there after a night of no sleep.  The McFs and I waited until our names were called, and the whole process was incredibly smooth.  The Embassy worker I talked to was very kind, and I distinctly remember him asking if I was pleased with the adoption process.  I was surprised by that question (as we hadn't gotten any question remotely close to that in our Ethiopia embassy experience), but I was happy to have a place to give some feedback, both positive and negative. Overall, though, it was hard to be too negative--after all, I was standing there with my son!

After the interview, Mr. Embassy told me that I could leave, get some food (no food allowed inside, so I had a hungry-and-quickly-tiring little boy), and come back in four hours.  However, as per advice from previously-traveling families, I told him that I would just wait.  The McFs had some friends in the area, so at this point, they left to meet them for lunch, assuring me that they could get another cab home and that I could take ours back to the hotel.  As predicted, about 45 minutes later, he called me up and returned Tom's passport to me, complete with visa for entry into the USA!

And this is where it gets interesting.

Like a rushing river, as soon as that visa was in my hand, I was hit with an absolutely overwhelming exhaustion.  I was so, so, so tired, and I had been carrying Tom in the Ergo at this point for 3 or 4 hours as well as trying to keep my mental faculties alert and useful.  Once I had the visa, it was as if my job was done, and so was my mind.

I walked out of the Embassy like a zombie.  I remember being almost stunned that it had happened, that I had everything in hand needed to bring my son home, that a sleepless night had resulted in a still-successful embassy appointment, that our faithful God had been so...faithful... throughout this whole cramazing experience.  I wanted to cry, I wanted to jump up and down (but had no energy), and mostly, I just really wanted to sleep.

When I got out to the street, I realized I was in trouble because I. had. absolutely. no. idea. which one of the dozens of cabs...was ours.  I remember standing there just kind of dumbfounded.  I had the visa, but I had paid almost no attention to any details on the way to the embassy.  I didn't know what our cab or our driver looked like, and I could barely remember the name of our hotel at that moment. I certainly would be no help on directions.

Thankfully, through the fog, I recalled that Scott had given me a tiny piece of paper with our cab driver's phone number on it.  I must have looked ridiculous, turning back and forth trying, with what little brain power I had, to figure out how in the world I was supposed to call this guy.  After asking some random guy if he spoke English (He didn't.), my decision was to walk over to the Indian soldier with the really big gun and ask him for help.  This man....thank you, Lord....this man took pity on me, took the piece of paper, dialed a number, and, in Hindi, presumably told our cab driver to come get me.  A couple of minutes later, a cab drove up, and as sure as I'm sitting here, I tell you that I had no idea if this was the right cab or the right driver.  The soldier motioned that I should get in, and I tell you...that was a faith stretcher!  "Okay, Lord," I reasoned, "You've gotten us this far; I can trust You to get us the rest of the way."

My driver did not speak English, so I had to assume that he knew where he was going and that he was taking me back to the hotel from which I had come, but I'll tell you, I honestly didn't know. Sitting in the back of that cab was probably the most apprehensive moment of the trip for me, and yet, I was too tired to be really scared.  I did start making a plan, though, which included jumping out at a stop light if I didn't recognize something in ten minutes (This was about 30 minutes into the trip already, and since I had dozed on the way there, I was only guessing as to how far away the hotel was from the Embassy.).  Thankfully and with great, great relief, with about two minutes left on my timer, I saw the sign for the Sheraton high in the air.  I was so happy to see that sign, and it was probably about then that I lost it (again) and burst into tears.  I can't honestly remember much, but I know that when I got in our hotel room, I literally handed Tom to Hoffbeast, said, "We got the visa, and I'm going to sleep," and did just that.  And I slept all afternoon.

Our Cramazing May, Episode LIX: Meanwhile, Back at the Sheraton...

From my perspective, this night was just as crazy, but in a there's-not-a-lot-I-can-do-about-it sort of way....or so I thought.  To this day, I kick myself for not thinking about going down to the front desk and asking for help.  Remember the nice manager who had told me to let him know if I needed anything at all?  He really meant it, and I should have remembered and believed him.  But I didn't...remember, that is.  Or believe him.  One or the other...or maybe both.  

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Tom and I went upstairs, and I got him ready for bed, excited that our Embassy appointment was in the morning and that we were getting so close to home.  He went to sleep easily, and I checked email and killed time until I could hear that Hoffbeast and Rex were safely at their gate...which I never did hear.

Thankfully, Daddy's phone battery lasted just long enough for us to communicate ALL NIGHT via texting. My side of the story was documented that night as I posted updates on my blog....


12:55 a.m.
"Tom and I had some good bonding time today...good thing, since Daddy (otherwise known as "the clingee") is gone now.  Hoffbeast and Rex left a couple of hours ago for the airport, where they are currently trying to get their e-ticket printed out so that they can get through security.  I probably knew that they needed it at some point, but if I did, that little detail completely slipped my mind.

They will fly from here to Belgium, then on to Chicago, where our fabulous intern, Noel, will pick them up and drive them home!  Tonight, they will get to see Neil again after being gone from him for 2 1/2 weeks!  I'm so excited for them!

As for me and Tom, we have the all-important Embassy appointment tomorrow morning, and we are hoping to hang around the Embassy area until his visa is issued.  It would be great if it didn't take very long, but we'll have to wait and see.  They will just be coming off of a long weekend, so who knows how many visas will need to processed in front of ours.

Today we moved to a new hotel (Have I mentioned what beautiful hotels we've stayed in in Delhi?!  And our hotel in Bhubaneswar was great, too!) so that Tom and I can be with our travel partners since The Hub won't be with me anymore.  We loved our last hotel, but this one is fantastic, too!  I feel like a queen staying at these nice places...this is NOT normal life in America!  Another added mercy....it has been great to be able to be physically comfortable while being taxed so much emotionally.

So after arriving at our new hotel, Daddy and Rex rested while Tom and I explored the hotel and grabbed some grub.  Let me just say....the kid can eat!  And I got all sorts of smiles from him!

Beautiful day, beautiful boy!  :)

___________________

3:04 a.m.
Well, this is yet another unexpected turn of events.  Hoffbeast and Rex have missed their flight out of Delhi.  Just goes to show you that getting to the airport more than 3 hours early doesn't guarantee that you'll make your international flight.

I'm still not sure what all happened, but it sounds like they ended up not having the necessary boarding passes once they finally made it to the front of the security line.

I am Facebook chatting with our travel agent now, trying to figure out what to do.  As you read this, please pray.  They are sad but are doing okay.

For my part, I have prayed that if, for some reason, the Daddy needs to be at the Embassy appointment, that he would be.  So I know that God is at work.  Not sure whether they will get rebooked for a new flight tonight or just end up waiting 'til tomorrow, same time.  Thanks for your prayers...

____________________

4:18 a.m.
That's the time on the clock....and I'm on the phone with American Airlines trying to figure out my family's new plane reservations.  I wonder how expensive this call is?  Never did I have a clue that I would be pulling an all-nighter the night before our Embassy appointment.

I'm feeling for my husband and son...they must be exhausted, and their journey isn't over.

_____________________

5:37 a.m.
....and I am finally off the phone (Eventually, I figured out how to skype AA which saved us money....wish I would've figured that out before.), and my boys are finally on their way back to the hotel.  Luggage took forever to get back, then security wouldn't let them leave the airport.  Then once they got out, they had no money for a cab.  What a travel nightmare.  Will we laugh about it someday?  I hope so...

If I go to sleep, I will miss our appointment, so I will shower, eat something, spend some time in the Word, and get the little guy up and dressed.  After the appointment, hopefully The Hub will be rested enough that it will be my turn for sleeping.

What a night!"

I ended up spending $250 on that phone call, which is especially irritating because one, I wasn't able to get them rebooked that night (They ended up booked on the very same flight the next night.), and two, I kept telling each American Airlines person that I spoke with that I was making an international call and could they please not put me on hold...which they did, each one of the four people I spoke to, in turn.  Customer service that night was not awesome, needless to say.  It should be noted that our travel agent was awesome, though.  She was so sympathetic and was trying everything she could do to help from Washington.  

In the end, the worst part of the situation ending up being that all I really needed to do was go downstairs and tell the desk manager that we were having trouble.  Yes, it's true...at any point in the night, he later told me, he would have sent a car to the airport with the needed documents.  Oh really?  That's all I needed to do? Oops...that was a rather expensive mistake.  Our wonderful desk manager friend did what he could and took 20% off of my phone bill, but that was the only help he could offer at that point.  That and a kind-but-disgusted little shake of his head which said, "I told you that I would help you if you needed any help!  Why did you not believe me?!"  I'm sorry, kind-but-disgusted desk manager friend...believe me, our bank account is very sorry.  

So, it was 5:30 in the morning, and I.was.so.tired.  But I knew I had to stay awake.  My body doesn't do well on less than 2 hours of sleep, which is all the possible time I had before needing to leave for our Embassy appointment.

That part of the story is next...

Our Cramazing May, Episode LVIII: The Airport Saga

This story has been so long in coming that poor Rex has wearied of the wait, and poor Hoffbeast has had to tell and re-tell it, just so that I could attempt to get it recorded as it happened.  Some of the details have been lost over the years, but it goes something like this...

We had had a beautiful last day, said our goodbyes, and Daddy and Rex were off for the airport. Tom and I went back upstairs, Tom to sleep for a wonderful eight hours or so, and me to wait and hear that the guys had arrived at the gate and were loading their plane.  That was all I needed to hear, and I would join Tom in dreamland.

Not so fast.

Enter Hoffbeast, the storyteller...

"We get to the airport three hours early, plenty of time to get checked in and to our gate with time to spare.  But when we get up to the airport entrance there in New Delhi, we notice that the armed guards are stopping everyone and checking itineraries.  Rex and I have e-tickets, so the guard looks at me and says, "No, I must see paper.  Go down to Gate Whatever-it-was, and there's a printer you can use." 

We walk down to that specific entrance gate and get in the first of many lines, realizing that we really did need to print our itinerary in order for us to be able to enter the airport.  The problem is that there are lots of language barriers, but through the conversation, I'm finally able to figure out that the printer is broken.  "Oh, well, are you fixing it?" I ask.  Head motions in India are interesting...it's a little hard to tell if certain motions mean "yes" or "no."  Well, I decide, it must be a "yes," clearly. After all, surely I'm not the first person that this has happened to.  We wait a while, and then I go back up to the window, all to be told that the printer is broken, which, of course....I already knew. "Yes, well, is it being fixed?" I ask again.  I sit back down, and we wait some more. I come back later and go through the same routine.  At some point, the guy at the desk sends me to another desk to ask if American Airlines can print the itinerary for me.  When we arrive at the AA counter, the woman working there insists that our flight had left an hour before, something I know can't be true because we still have a couple of hours before the flight is scheduled to leave. Eventually I figure out that an AA flight had left but that our flight, operated by Jet Airways, is still on its way.  American Airlines agrees to try to print the itinerary, so we wait....only to find out after awhile that the woman that we had been talking to is gone.  And isn't returning.

Meanwhile, there is a nice young Indian man that Rex and I are talking to.  He had been wanting to practice his English, and since we are just waiting for the printout and seemingly have time, we oblige. Eventually, he goes up to the counter for us and is able to find out that AA had to have Jet Airways print out the itinerary, since that's the airline on which we are flying.

Jet Airways is all the way at the other end of the airport, so we walk all the way down to the other end and finally are able to get the itinerary printed.  Our helpful Indian friend wants us to stay and chat, and since we are safely inside the airport now, we stay for a bit more to talk to him. During that time, he asks what the word "ironic" means, and I find myself quoting Alanis Morissette to him, explaining that irony is like rain on your wedding day or having 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife.  My wordsmith son chimes in and correctly explains that, "Actually, irony is more like a superstitious man having six black cats."

Yes, that is irony.  As was what was about to happen to us.

Eventually, we decide we should go and say goodbye to our new friend.  As we round the corner, we are met with a huge line to get to the counter to check our bags.  When we finally get to the front of the line, we find out that our bags are overweight.  No problem.  At this point, we will just pay the extra.  Problem is that we aren't allowed to do that there...we have to go down to a different counter for that. So we walk down to that counter, pay, and finally get our boarding passes. (At this point in the story, Rex wants to insert that we just kept walking back and forth, up and down the airport terminal over and over again...it was ridiculous.)

Finally, we get in line to go through security, and it is hard core. They are checking everyone, and the line is moving very slowly.  It's at this point that I started realizing that our time is getting short. Finally, we get to the front of the line, and I put the boarding passes up on the desk. The man looks through them, then asks me, "Where are your boarding passes for your final flight to Chicago?" "What do you mean?" I ask.  "They're not there?!  Oh my gosh, I don't know!"  He tells us that we have to go back to the check-in counter to make sure we have ALL of our boarding passes.  I never did figure out exactly what had happened with that, but at this point, there wasn't time to try to figure it out--we just had to fix the problem!

When we get back to the Jet Airways counter, they're closed. So someone tells us to go to the JA office which had one of those plexiglass windows with the speaker.  There's only one guy in there, and he is paying no attention to us.  At all.  "Excuse me!  Excuse me!" I'm yelling through the speaker. And at this point, even Rex starts to get annoyed because he had noticed something about the ignoring-us guy.  "Dad!  Dad!  He's watching Youtube!"  It was awful.

This is when we start realizing that if this guy doesn't hurry, we're going to miss this flight.  Finally he notices us, and I ask him for the boarding passes.  He says that he can't help us but that there will be someone at the counter to help us when we get there.  Nope, there was no one there.  A custodian came, but he couldn't help, of course.

At some point, two Jet Airways flight attendants see what is going on and realize we are having trouble, so they try to help us. They take us back to Youtube Guy and say, "This man needs your help!  He is going to miss his flight if you don't help him!"  And he says, "Oh, we will have a customer service person meet him at the counter."  Oh my gosh....it just kept going on and on!  So we go back to the counter, again, and eventually a guy comes and says, "Why did you come so late? You should not have come so late! You have missed your flight!" SIR, WE WERE NOT LATE!  I try to explain the situation, but he insists that we were too late and that there was nothing now that could be done.

I ask if there is any way at all that we can get on this flight?  But after he insists that the answer is no, I decide, "Okay, let's get our bags and go back to the hotel."  At this point, the guy says, "Oh no, it could take a while.  We have to get your bags off the plane."  I'm like, "The plane is still here?  Well, why can't we get on the plane then!?"  But he was insistent that it was simply not possible.  We eventually have to go back to the security guy, who had started out hard core but eventually was nice. He was still trying to get us on the plane.  He tells us to wait there for a second security guy, who arrives and tells us to wait for him to come back.  So we do, but eventually, some other guys come along and tell us to come with them.  So we do, only for the second guy to find us and reprimand us for leaving.  "Why did you leave?! I tell you not to move from this place, and you did!  Why did you do this?"  After that, Nice Guy comes back and says that he has tried but that he wasn't able to get us on plane.  So, we have no choice but to wait for our bags.  

We go back to the counter, where we were instructed to go, and at this point, Rex falls asleep on the floor right in front of the Jet Airways counter--after all, it's 4:00 a.m. by this point--and I'm thinking, "I'm cool with that.  This is awkward for you, and it should be!" Eventually some guy tells me that I will have to move my son.  I tell him, "No, we're waiting for our bags.  My son is sleeping, and I'm not moving him."

At five o'clock in the morning, we finally get our bags.  We just want to get out of there at this point, but while trying to exit, I am told, "Sir, we need to see your boarding passes."  When I tell them that I don't have them because we missed our flight, he says, "I'm sorry, you cannot leave the airport.  You must go to the info desk to get them." Believe it or not, they send us back to the JA office, but eventually, they get someone to escort us out of airport.  Now we need a cab, but I have no money because we had given the last of our Indian money to the cab driver before.  There's a long line to get a cab, and when we finally got to the front of the line, we are told that they don't take credit cards. But I have no cash.  I'm thinking, "You don't take credit cards?  Now, this is one of the largest cities in the world, right? And all of your signs say that this is the fourth best airport in the world. Hmmm."

I needed an ATM and was afraid we would have to go back into the terminal, but fortunately, there was an ATM outside.  "Please work," I thought.  It did, and I was so relieved.

When we had first arrived at the airport, my phone was low on battery, and for most of the night, while texting with Hoffbeauty, my phone was at 10%.  Finally, in the cab, on the way back to the hotel, the phone dies.  Well, I can barely remember that we are staying at a Sheraton, much less try to tell the cab driver which one.  Eventually, it comes to me, but most taxi drivers in India just drive around, stopping to ask someone if they can't find the exact spot.  I am no help to him at all....after all, I've been up all night at this point and it is now almost 7:00 a.m.

Thankfully, right around 7:30, we rolled into our hotel, and I have never been so happy to see a bed! We quickly caught the mama up on part of the story....and went to sleep.

And off she went to the Embassy, having had no more sleep than us..."

Our Cramazing May, Episode LVII: A Beautiful Last Night in India (or so we thought)

By the time Tom and I got back from our afternoon exploring, the guys were fast asleep, so we joined them for a nap....it was wonderful!  What a nice place to be forced to live in for a couple of days!  ;)

After our naps, we woke up to...more food!  And more importantly, to our last evening together as a foursome.  Our time in India had been spectacular and very cramazing, but at midnight, Hoffbeast would leave with Rex for the airport, and we would be separated for a few days until we were joined together again at home with the rest of the fam.  We wanted to really take it all in, enjoying the night together with our dear friends, the McFs...

We walked down to the restaurant, expecting a delicious meal.  But we were NOT expecting the spread that we saw!  It was an incredible feast of a buffet, and we LOVED it!  I think Hoffbeast especially enjoyed it...he had consumed a lot of Indian food by this time and had decided that he could live there, if only for the food.  This was his last night, so he'd better eat up!

Me, on the other hand, I'm not exactly a foodie.  But I sure do love sweets!  So of course, I had to take photos of the amazing, huge dessert table....I really couldn't believe how much food was available to us, a little strange when you realize the poverty not far outside the doors of the hotel, but when you are guests at the hotel, there is little to do but be thankful, enjoy, and be filled with appreciation, both for the beauty and also for the provision.  Just another example of God's abundant grace!

"What do you think of all this food??!?!"  They were stunned, obviously.

L was all smiles!

Tom was quite happy, too, especially when there was food around!

I love this picture, the last taken of the seven of us...what an amazing blessing it was to travel with this sweet family.  (You're stuck with us for life, McFs!)

After dinner, we went for a beautiful night swim....the kids loved it, and I think we were all feeling grateful--for our travels, for our kids, and for the fact that HOME was getting closer by the minute.

(I wish I could upload a precious sound clip here that I have...it's L yelling, "One, Two, Three!" as she and Rex jumped in the water, something they did over and over and over again...)

And then, just an hour or so after this was taken, Tom and I walked Daddy and Rex downstairs to a waiting cab where we would say goodbye......until the next morning, when they unexpectedly returned to the hotel.  Coming up, Rex's long-anticipated and favorite story of our whole trip....sort of.  Not fun to live, but kind of funny to recall.

Welcome, guest blogger/storyteller, Rex..........

Our Cramazing May, Episode LVI - Afternoon at the Sheraton

Our taxi ride to our final Delhi destination would prove uneventful, except for the fact that when we arrived at the hotel, a dog had to sniff our car for bombs before we would be allowed on the property.  That was interesting.  Thankful for the thorough safety check, sad that it was needed.  We went with it because, well, what choice did we have?  This is simply life in this part of the world.

Of course, I'm still unsure of Delhi's geography, but I do know that the Sheraton felt much further away from the city proper.  It was quite a drive to get there, but thankfully, our driver managed to get us there with no problems.  And immediately, we knew that we would again be treated like royalty.

This place, like the Hilton Garden Inn, was very, very nice!  And so beautiful!  We were immediately welcomed like family to this hotel, and the front desk manager made sure to take very good care of us.  They signed us up for their Sheraton rewards program and by doing this, cut down our cost by a significant amount.  And threw in free breakfasts.  And a discount at the restaurant.  And on and on.  He said again and again that if we needed anything at all, we were to let him know!

Our bellhop was just as helpful, going above and beyond to make us comfortable and feel really cared for.  Rarely have we seen such amazing customer service, especially at two hotels in a row!

Since Hoffbeast and Rex were flying out that evening, they decided to get some rest, while Tom and I went exploring.  Again, this hotel had an amazing rooftop pool, not quite as wonderful as the last, but almost!  One edge of the pool waterflowed over the side of the building, making it look like you could just cascade down it and be lost.  It was quite safe, of course, but what a beautiful optical illusion!

We eventually found the restaurant and some grub, most of which Tom downed as if he were a grown man.  Seriously, I couldn't believe how much he ate!  You have heard the phrase, "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach?"  Yep.  That was happening here....I was about to begin an around-the-world trip with my son (who, at this point, MUCH preferred Daddy!), so our bonding-over-food was much needed, and by the time this meal was finished, I had begun to win him over!

Seriously, aren't those eyes amazing??!

Such a happy disposition...

I was definitely falling in love!  What a cutie!!  :)

DSCN3924 from Hoffbeauty on Vimeo.