Longest day of our lives

Wednesday morning Keyanna gets up at 4 AM and I get up and 4:30. We are in high spirits thinking we are getting on a plane at 8 AM for Tokyo. We are checked-out of the hotel and got on the airport shuttle at 5:40. When we reached the Delta check-in counter and after the agent had the dreaded "talk with his superior," we find out disturbing news. They don't have seats for us. Apparently the flight is over-booked by 30 passengers, and since our reservation was only made the day before we get bumped first. They put us on stand-by and told us to come back at 7 AM. Of course we are way past ready to see Zethan and Trynna. We are missing home so badly that this setback tests our mettle...big time. We came back to Delta again and again trying to get on the flight, but God did not want us on that flight for some reason, maybe just so we would once again realize that He is God and He is in control. So we accepted the fact that there was no way we were getting on the Tokyo flight. Our initial disappointment was very heartbreaking. We both were expecting to get on that 8 AM flight more than we should have been, and thinking about the prospect of having to stay in Hong Kong another night away from our children at home who were waiting for us filled our hearts with grief. Not to mention, we had absolutely no clean clothes and our food for Nathanael would soon run out. While trying our best to get past the sadness and frustration and look forward, we had to wait ANOTHER 45 minutes for the United check-in to open at 8 AM. During this time I did a lot of praying. Father, you are in control. Your will be done. Finally the United check-in opened at 8:15 and God provided! New flights through San Franscisco and Washington/Dulles. We would be arriving in Nashville at 11 PM, but that was better than SITTING in Hong Kong across the largest ocean on Earth from our children. Our first flight would leave almost 4 hours later. And so began the longest day of our lives!

Hong Kong airport at 5:55 AM

Waiting with no control in this situation at all

We have our tickets and we are sitting at the gate. First flight is departing in about 3 hours from now.

I went to buy some sandwiches and when I returned Nathanael's short nap was already over.

There was an older man sitting behind us at the gate, and Nathanael took an immediate liking to him.

The same man actually ended up sitting right behind us on the plane as well, and he helped entertain Nathanael during our 11 hour flight to San Fran.

We pulled a balloon out of our suitcase to try to pass the time for him.

Everyone around us kept telling us how cute he was, and Nathanael just loves the attention (as long as Mommy is in sight and nobody tries to pick him up).

He let me hold him for a few minutes while Mommy was gone to the bathroom. He didn't know Keyanna had left, and in this picture he did not yet know she was back.

On the first flight to SF. Nathanael was a ball of energy.

Hard to keep this boy still for long

He was actually VERY good for first flight. He slept twice for 3 hours each time. So for about 6 hours of the flight he was asleep. Keyanna and I watched Secretariat on the movie screens, which was a pretty good movie when you are captive on an airplane. In between naps, Nathanael let me hold him while he and I ate cheerios.

Getting close. We start to see land!

Golden Gate Bridge. Hooray!

Finally back in America

Here we go. Nathanael is about to officially become a U.S. Citizen!

I snapped this picture and was quickly told, No pictures! I knew it, but couldn't help myself.

At the gate for our next flight now. Another 3.5 hour wait. I was excited to eat some American food so I left Keyanna and Nathanael at the play area to find some. I ate an entire 10 inch pizza with Italian sausage, onions, red and green bell peppers. It wasn't the best pizza, but that particular day it was SO good.

Nathanael found some new friends to play with at the Kids' Spot.

Sometimes he just entertained himself.

Starting to get bored and tired

Looking at the airplanes

Plane like the one we flew on over the ocean from Hong Kong. We sat in the 2nd row from the back, which was great because there were only 2 seats on the side instead of the normal 3. On the very last row directly behind us sat the man we met at the gate in Hong Kong. He lives in Chapel Hill, NC which is cool because I am a UNC college basketball fan. The Tar Heels were playing Boston College as we were waiting and boarding the plane in Hong Kong. I was checking the score, and the Chapel Hill man asked me about the game. The Tar Heels won easily, so that was one highlight of the long day.

One like we are about to board for Washington, D.C. This plane also only had 2 seats on the the each side with a few seats in the middle. So nobody for Nathanael to grab. Good!

By the time our next flight takes off, Keyanna and I are really feeling tired so we both take some tylenol PM and we get maybe 2.5 hours of very uncomfortable sleep on the 5 hour flight to DC. At this point we had both been awake for almost 27 hours. Nathanael was so much more fussy and tired by the end of the DC flight. For the Nashville flight, he was quickly falling apart. He was a mess. He was crying and Keyanna had to take him to the back of the plane where there were some empty seat around her. By the time we finally arrived in Nashville, it had been almost 34 hours since Keyanna or I had been in a bed and with only maybe 2.5 hours of light napping. But we were FINALLY HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!