It took FOREVER to get off of the plane, but we did…we got on to a shuttle bus, and got on line for immigration. The kids all wanted to run around because they were finally FREE from the airplane seats, and they were a weird mixed of extremely tired and hyper.

Our flight landed late in DC, and we only had three hours until our connecting flight…by the time we were on line in immigration, we were down to two hours. The other adoptive families, who were all ahead of us in line, insisted that Belane and I cut to the front, and I really appreciated the gesture. Truth is, that it was difficult handling everything by myself, and I was sorely missing Josh! Not just emotionally, but for how well he plays the role of “the pack mule” (his words). :)

We got through immigration smoothly and then it was on to wait for the luggage so we could take it through customs. And we waited…and we waited…and we waited. There were bags everywhere, but none were mine. My friend Josh (Keely’s husband) was kind enough to wait around with Belane and me, even though he found his bags about an hour before ours showed up, to help me carry them and load them on to a cart. He was one of the angels that really helped us survive the trip home.

I was the first on line for customs, and the other adoptive families filed in behind me pretty quickly. But instead of just doing my paperwork, the officer collected the immigration envelopes, passports, etc. from ALL of the families, and then was doing our paperwork all together. I finally told him that my connecting flight left in less than an hour, and he handed me my stuff and said, “Good luck with that.” Ahhhh...so nice to be home.

I ditched the suitcases on the “transfer belt”, and by the size of the GIANT pile of bags waiting go through and the lack of time until my flight, I knew then and there that even if Belane and I made the flight, that our bags wouldn’t.

I asked for directions to the United desk, so we could check in with our “paper tickets”, and was told to go up some stairs and ALL THE WAY to the end of a huge corridor. Not kidding…it looked like miles long. As I carried Belane, and our huge backpack and the computer and our two jackets, I really started to feel the exhaustion. I knew if I sat and got a drink and took a rest that we would miss our flight, and I just wanted to get home… I knew Josh and the kids were going to be at the airport, and I didn’t want them stuck there waiting and waiting either.

I honestly almost fainted, and I am sure I was quite the site, but we made it to the United desk to find that there was an enormous line. There was a United worker standing and directing people, so I told her that our flight left in 40 minutes, and that if I got in the line, I would surely miss it. She called over to a co-worker and told her that if I waited in the line I would miss my flight, and that lovely woman said, “So what?” Again…so nice to be home.

The woman mumbled something about cutting to the front if no one else minded, and at that point I didn’t care. I went to the front of the line, told the man standing there that my flight left in 35 minutes and that I had to be next, and he shrugged his shoulders.

I got up to the counter and asked the woman if we’d make the flight…she said it would depend on the line at security.

So, it was back to power walking, despite the aching shoulders, dizzy head and over tired body.

We finally got to the security line, and can you guess what happened next?? I was randomly chosen for “additional security screenings.” Yes, the exhausted woman, traveling alone for over 24 hours at that point with a toddler, who was desperately trying to make her connection, was definitely a security threat. I literally cried I was so frustrated.

Belane was an angel through it all…she could have made the whole thing a lot more difficult, but she settled in my arms and cooperated with the security stuff and didn’t need an emergency trip to the bathroom or anything.

I made it through the security fiasco, found the right “shuttle” to the terminal, and we managed to get on the plane with 2 whopping minutes to spare…literally. Everyone else was seated and ready to go. We didn’t get to eat or go to the bathroom or change our clothes or any of those other things I had been SO looking forward to, but we were working our way closer to home.