American Eventing Championships - Atlanta Georgia (pt.2)

*Hopefully I can get this done today but my mind seems to be scattered lately, like little kids running through a pile of leaves my thoughts too seem to be riding on the winds*

So Thursday finally came around and I had two classes in the morning afternoon that I had to go to before my AWESOME! parents drove me down to IAH (Houston International Airport) to catch a late flight to Atlatnta, GA. 

I don't know if anyone else experiences this, but everytime I go anywhere with my parents that may involve traffic or directions they are always kind enough to let me drive.

So I drive us down to Houston, and fearing that I would miss my flight we got there early.  Well, we got there REAL early.  2 hours early!  So my mother has the bright idea that we should go find a bar and have a drink before I get on the plane.  I am not a fan of flying.  If I was meant to fly, I would have wings and feathers or a rocket coming out of my butt.  Well we try to find a bar and on one side of the airport is a plethora of construction and by the time we managed to get out of it nearly an hour had passed.  So rather than press my luck at this point we headed back to the airport.

We arrive at the terminal that I would be flying out of and I grab my book bag. 

*Ok, the whole scattered thoughts thing is kicking in here too.  I have a side story about my book bag or backpack if you'll permit me a moment to wander.*

[Thursday before leaving the house I had to go through my entire backpack to make sure that I didn't have anything in there that airport security was going to flag me for.  I was already a little nervous about flying, coupled with the fact that I had a one way ticket and all I was carrying with me were a ton of books and flying on the weekend of the ten-year anniversary of 9-11.  I did not want to look like I wasn't planning on coming back if you catch my drift.]

Ok, book bag out of the car. . . Dad hands me $10 and tells me to go grab a beer and a bite to eat before my flight.  Thanks pop! I walk into the airport carrying my bag and immediately walk past 4 police officers and their drug dog.  Nice doggie, don't bite me.  I get in line for the security check and was not in line for a minute when I guy came up to me and asked me to follow him. . . Yippee! Body cavity search :-O They were opening up another line and I got to go first, Wahoo!.  I toss my ginormous backpack in one of those itty bitty cat litter trays and try to fit my shoes in there somewhere and head through the scan. 

BEEP! BEEP!  Oopps, forgot my cell phone.  "Sir please step back."
Again through the scan.  BEEP! BEEP!  Nothing left in my pockets.  "Sir please step back.  "
Oh man, this is going to be bad. "Sir please walk through again." 
All clear.  Hallelujah!



Finally I head off to go find my gate.  By the way I'm still more than an hour early for my now delayed flight.  I find my gate which isn't too far from a bar.  Not wasting anytime I head into the bar and order the biggest Shiner they have and drink half of it in one gulp.  Told you, not the biggest fan of flying.  Feeling a little better, and definitely more prepared for my flight I ask the bartender for my tab.  $9.25, well there goes dad's $10.

My plane finally gets there after a second delay, and I board an already full plane.  Apparently everyone I was flying with had preferred passenger status.  I don't really understand why you want to be on the plane first anyways.  I know I have a seat, I chose it when I did my check-in.  So why is everyone always in such a hurry to be first.  Personally I'd rather get on last.

So on the plane, I get seated and almost immediately fall asleep.  This is a trick that I have to thank my wife for.  When she gets on a plane, as soon as her butt hits the seat she is asleep and she usually doesn't wake up until the plane is on final descent.  I have learned this trick from her and I'm sure chugging a huge beer in a minute helped.

*to be continued . . .*