Man, has this blog suffered since I discovered "Facebook". Anyway, Wayne and I just returned from a fun trip to Jeff's vet school graduation (call him Dr. Smart!) and I thought I'd better blog about our Salt Lake City airport and Chicago Midway airport experiences. This blog is used as my personal journal and apparently I am writing in it about as often as I did my actual journal.

Of course, we had to clear airport security in Salt Lake and I knew I'd "beep" because of my new artificial knee which I received on March 11th. (that needs to be blogged about later!) Anyway, of course I "beeped" so was sent to wait in a separate booth. My cane was taken away from me to be screened and I was given an "airport loaner". What did they think they would find inside my cane??? Anyway, they screened my body with a "wand" and the only place it beeped was my new knee. So, they called a female attendant to literally pat my WHOLE body down. During all of this, Wayne is off in the corner waving to me, he having cleared security in about 15 seconds.

Our plane was 20 minutes late in leaving which wasn't good since we only had 30 minutes leeway to land in Chicago if we got off on time, get through the terminal, and catch the 1:30 bus to Madison, Wisconsin. I had requested a wheelchair in Chicago because, face it, me and my cane have two speeds - slowest and stop. I knew I needed help getting through the airport.

Our plane was late arriving in Chicago and because of some mixup arrived at a different gate than where the wheelchair was waiting for me. The stewardess said to stay on the plane and they'd inform me when it arrived. No thanks, I was in a huge hurry to make this bus. You see, we had a 2 year old with us (grandson Michael) and if we missed the bus we had a 3 hour wait until the next one. Entertaining a 2 year old for 3 hours at baggage claim wasn't an option so we HAD to make this bus.

I noticed a lady (not an airport employee) wheeling a wheelchair to our gate. I said "That is for me!" and promptly sat down in it. Wayne and our daughter-in-law Nicole piled Michael on with me along with two carry-on bags and Michael's carseat. Nicole set off pulling two bags and Wayne took off pushing the loaded wheelchair and pulling another bag along behind him. This crazed man was attempting to set speed records through Midway Airport. We were passing tons of people and attempting to not take them out with the carseat which was precariously poking out from the wheelchair. We began observing several other wheelchairs, all being pushed by airport employees in red vests. About this time we decided we had stolen some wheelchair but we didn't have time to repent so onward we flew past security guards who didn't even stop us.

We left Nicole at baggage claim to get her checked bag and Wayne pushed me, Michael, and all of our stuff to the outside curb to await the bus. He had to set the brake on the wheelchair to keep it from rolling away, then returned to help Nicole leaving me alone with a baby, carseat, and two bags, and very defenseless. Within a minute the bus pulled up right in front of where I was parked. I looked at the driver when he opened his door and said "You are who I need." Poor guy looked shocked and probably wondered what he had done to deserve this lady in his bus.

Well, our stuff got loaded in the bus, Nicole's bag arrived quickly at baggage claim, and we made our 1:30 bus. Wayne wheeled the wheelchair back to the airport and left it just inside the door. I have probably made Chicago Midway's "no fly" list and I am sincerely sorry for stealing the wheelchair away from that lady. In my defense, however, I WAS DESPERATE!!!