Alternate Ending.

This weekend I got to visit my cousins, Matt and Cyndi Holuta in Washington.

I rode the conveniently located $20 bus to the airport.  

The flight was timely and provided beautiful views. 

In the evening we got caught up, had a great dinner, then watched some ski videos.

Classic Holuta/Wallwork family time.

Saturday, we drove away from the cold and rain in Olympia, through the mountains, to sunshine and wine in Leavenworth, WA. 

Leavenworth is a Bavarian-esque tourist town..

..with crazy big mountains behind it.

I kept waiting to hear the Pennsylvania Polka..

We had our fill of good wine and food, so we headed back home.

 Sunday afternoon Cyndi and I went shopping and got our nails done, duh.

Then we went out to dinner at a great place on the water. 

Monday I explored downtown Olympia. When Cyndi was done with work we headed to Seattle for dinner before my flight.

Cyndi dropped me at the airport and I awaited my flight, which was scheduled to leave at 850p.

An hour before we were to board they announced our flight would be delayed. My plan had been to take the Marin Airporter  (see the rainbow bus above) back home for the easy fee of $20.  However, that bus stops running at midnight and my new scheduled time of arrival was 1156 pm. Ooo, we're pushing it..

I called the company and the manager for the night assured me, "don't worry, we'll take care of you" and he told me to call when I landed.  So at 920 pm, we boarded the flight, prepared for take off.. Then the brakes were put back on, lights came up, and we were told that the plane would be delayed again, without a new time of take off.  Apparently the winds in San Francisco were so bad that they had only one landing ramp open.. I called the company again and they said I was S.O.L. 

To make a long and stressful story short, I called and texted the few people I know in San Fran to see if they could help me, and for some reason or another I couldn't make plans to get home easily. 

They finally announced we were leaving Seattle at 1105.. luckily I had the third installment The Hunger Games (yeah I read 'em!) to keep my mind occupied during the short and turbulent flight. 

We landed at 145 am.  All of the super shuttles were busy for the next however many hours, cabs were going to be expensive, and there would be no airporter for several hours. Luckily my friend Tanya, who lives in the city, was still awake.  So I took a cab to her one bedroom apartment, where she was already hosting two friends.  She was scheduled to work daylight the next day, but was called off in the morning.  

We slept in a little because we were both exhausted, then I tried to figure out a way home.  Somehow we figured it would be best to take a bus to the ferry terminal, then take a ferry to Larkspur, where one of our traveler friends from LA, that was visiting someone in that area, would pick us up. 

So, still wearing the same clothes that I had been for over 24 hours, nerves fried, tired, and after taking every type of transportation possible, I was finally on the way home. When I walked in my door it was 230p.. Over 12 hours later than I originally anticipated  getting home, all over a 2 hr flight delay.

I'm so glad Tanya was around. She kept me from losing it.

It was a beautiful day, so we decided to just enjoy it and each other's company, because we realized this would be the last we'd see of each other for who knows how long.

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Boy am I learning how true that is.. Whether it's something simple like my flight plans home, or something like planning a career, or my next assignment, we can think we know what's happening but there may be an alternate ending.. I have to say this whole getting stranded at the airport thing freaked me out the most when I thought, what if this were to happen in Denver, where I don't know anyone.  I'm nervous guys. I'm nervous to be alone, to start again at another hospital, with different rules, hierarchy's, and ideas. But I know this is where I'm supposed to go and what I'm supposed to do, so I'll continue to plan, with the comfort that He is establishing my steps and watching over me the whole time.

The other plus side to being delayed for so long was that I had to call off work and spend my evening with Bagheera and Ashley, something the three of us haven't done for who knows how long!

We had a great dinner, watched a movie, and started packing. Again.

Can't believe three months just went by.  What will these next three months hold?