We were welcomed home by at beautiful sunny day when we got off the airplane in South Bend. We were also super lucky because it was the first flight from Detroit to South Bend to fly in 1 1/2 days due to weather.
The plane ride went well. Eric was so nice to watch all of the girls. The girls actually did pretty good and slept for most of the flight. As people were getting off a lady even told me that for a long flight she said they did great. I would have to agree that my kids are pretty good travelers. (Well that is Gretta & Eliza. Carli still struggles when awake. Lets just say the next flight didn't go as well after she had been strapped into her cars seat for almost 24 hours, but who would blame her. Luckily it was only 30 minutes long.) A long flight is hard, but at night its much better and even better with only a 3 hour time change. It was 7:45am in Detroit and the immigration line was short and then we got our bags. All 20 of them. Luckily they found a porter to help us. There was no way we were going to be able to get all of the bags through customs without some help. Of course they wanted to know why we had so much stuff, but luckily it went well and we got everything rechecked to South Bend.
That's when it got a little tricky. In Detroit you have to go back to the regular screening line to get back into the terminal for the domestic portion of the flight. You always have to get re-screened but in other airports they have a special place usually right after you re-check your bags to get you re-screened. The line to get screened was RIDICULOUS long. Some how part of our tickets said we were pre-screen and others didn't and lets just say the TSA agent wasn't helpful! So they wouldn't let us in the pres-screen line. Finally after another family with kids/stroller etc showed up 10 minutes later he said, "Why don't you go down to the other station they are better at handling strollers. They even have a special line for people with kids." WHAT!?!!? That information would have been nice 10 minutes earlier when we were worried we were going to miss our connection.
We decided to try it and he was right. They did have a special line and it was much quicker. The funny thing is that station is on the opposite side of where the elevator is to the main level. Don't you think you would have the stroller line closest to the elevator?!?! So instead after we got through security we had to walk all the way back to the other station to use the elevator. Sometimes I think it's TSA job just to make flying very painful! It doesn't have to be so painful, but somehow it always is. I think they were just jealous of our tans and that some of the other people were headed towards warm climates:)
I have had some great TSA experiences and some awful ones. It totally depends on the mood of the people working. I know it's a tough job and I am totally grateful for what they do, but their mood makes a huge difference and some of them are just cranky!
We made it to South Bend. We had to wait quite a while on the ground in Detroit because the plane had been sitting for 1 1/2 days and was cold and need to warm up and we had to get de-iced. Once in South Bend the Corporate Vans showed up and the drivers were super nice an helpful and helped us get all of our stuff loaded. The funny thing is the nice lady told me she would wait for me to get the kids coats out. When I told her we didn't have any coats. She was shocked!!! Luckily they kept the vans warm and we were fine. It took us a while to get out the door because one of our black/yellow bins was missing and we had to check all the luggage tags to figure out which one it was. That took quite a while. Then we were headed home.
The property manager happened to be on a cruise this week, but assured us that his 39 year old son could make sure everything was ready for us when we got home. He also came by a week before and turned up the heat and sent pictures of the house. Well let's just say I think we should have come home a week he was around because his 39 year old son dropped the ball. It was an EPIC FAIL!!!
We pulled in and Eric got out to find the house keys. They were suppose to be waiting for us on the porch. Poor Eric was outside searching all around the porch looking for them in the -1 degree temps and couldn't find them. Just then the son of the property manager showed up with the garage door opener and keys?!?!!? Really!?!? We were at least 30 minutes later than we should have been because of the missing luggage. I am so glad we were missing a bag and weren't sitting out side in the cold waiting for him to come. We could have opened the garage door, but because both cars were jammed inside the garage I don't think I would have been able to get my pregnant belly around them to get inside the house. And remember that big snow pile Eric emailed the property manager and his son about on Monday?!?!? Well much to our dismay it was still there? A little better, but not much and we found out that two guys from church were responsible for it looking better, not the property managers son who has been charging us each time he plowed the snow into the snow pile!!! Supposedly so it looked like someone was home.
When he showed up with the keys Eric asked him what he was going to do about the drive way and he said he would come back later and dig it out by hand. Later?!?!? What about right now?!?! (By the way he NEVER came back!!!!) Plus there was no way to get a car out of the driveway which created a problem when trying to get our luggage in the house. The missing keys and big pile of snow left should have been a tip off that all was not well:( I got the girls inside the house and instead of being greeted by a nice warm house I walked into an ice box!!! What they were suppose to have turned up our heat to 68 deg!?!?!? Well they did turn it up they just failed to make sure that it really was 68 degrees. It was a nice balmy 40 degrees in our house because the out take valve was covered and for safety the heat shuts off.
I called my good friend Amy Barfuss and the shuttle van driver was nice enough to drive us over to her house. We hung out at her house while poor Eric dug out the vent, and arranged with the neighbor to have his friend come with his front loader and dig out the driveway. It took most of the day to get the heat up to 68 degrees. So instead of unpacking most of the day was wasted doing things that should have already been taken care of. UGH!!!!
I am just grateful for such a wonderful husband who took it all in stride and worked so hard to make everything right. He also had arranged for our cell phones to turn on Wednesday and for ATT to turn on our internet. What a great guy!
Thursday morning we were greeted by this beautiful sunrise.
That's when it got a little tricky. In Detroit you have to go back to the regular screening line to get back into the terminal for the domestic portion of the flight. You always have to get re-screened but in other airports they have a special place usually right after you re-check your bags to get you re-screened. The line to get screened was RIDICULOUS long. Some how part of our tickets said we were pre-screen and others didn't and lets just say the TSA agent wasn't helpful! So they wouldn't let us in the pres-screen line. Finally after another family with kids/stroller etc showed up 10 minutes later he said, "Why don't you go down to the other station they are better at handling strollers. They even have a special line for people with kids." WHAT!?!!? That information would have been nice 10 minutes earlier when we were worried we were going to miss our connection.
We decided to try it and he was right. They did have a special line and it was much quicker. The funny thing is that station is on the opposite side of where the elevator is to the main level. Don't you think you would have the stroller line closest to the elevator?!?! So instead after we got through security we had to walk all the way back to the other station to use the elevator. Sometimes I think it's TSA job just to make flying very painful! It doesn't have to be so painful, but somehow it always is. I think they were just jealous of our tans and that some of the other people were headed towards warm climates:)
I have had some great TSA experiences and some awful ones. It totally depends on the mood of the people working. I know it's a tough job and I am totally grateful for what they do, but their mood makes a huge difference and some of them are just cranky!
We made it to South Bend. We had to wait quite a while on the ground in Detroit because the plane had been sitting for 1 1/2 days and was cold and need to warm up and we had to get de-iced. Once in South Bend the Corporate Vans showed up and the drivers were super nice an helpful and helped us get all of our stuff loaded. The funny thing is the nice lady told me she would wait for me to get the kids coats out. When I told her we didn't have any coats. She was shocked!!! Luckily they kept the vans warm and we were fine. It took us a while to get out the door because one of our black/yellow bins was missing and we had to check all the luggage tags to figure out which one it was. That took quite a while. Then we were headed home.
The property manager happened to be on a cruise this week, but assured us that his 39 year old son could make sure everything was ready for us when we got home. He also came by a week before and turned up the heat and sent pictures of the house. Well let's just say I think we should have come home a week he was around because his 39 year old son dropped the ball. It was an EPIC FAIL!!!
We pulled in and Eric got out to find the house keys. They were suppose to be waiting for us on the porch. Poor Eric was outside searching all around the porch looking for them in the -1 degree temps and couldn't find them. Just then the son of the property manager showed up with the garage door opener and keys?!?!!? Really!?!? We were at least 30 minutes later than we should have been because of the missing luggage. I am so glad we were missing a bag and weren't sitting out side in the cold waiting for him to come. We could have opened the garage door, but because both cars were jammed inside the garage I don't think I would have been able to get my pregnant belly around them to get inside the house. And remember that big snow pile Eric emailed the property manager and his son about on Monday?!?!? Well much to our dismay it was still there? A little better, but not much and we found out that two guys from church were responsible for it looking better, not the property managers son who has been charging us each time he plowed the snow into the snow pile!!! Supposedly so it looked like someone was home.
When he showed up with the keys Eric asked him what he was going to do about the drive way and he said he would come back later and dig it out by hand. Later?!?!? What about right now?!?! (By the way he NEVER came back!!!!) Plus there was no way to get a car out of the driveway which created a problem when trying to get our luggage in the house. The missing keys and big pile of snow left should have been a tip off that all was not well:( I got the girls inside the house and instead of being greeted by a nice warm house I walked into an ice box!!! What they were suppose to have turned up our heat to 68 deg!?!?!? Well they did turn it up they just failed to make sure that it really was 68 degrees. It was a nice balmy 40 degrees in our house because the out take valve was covered and for safety the heat shuts off.
I called my good friend Amy Barfuss and the shuttle van driver was nice enough to drive us over to her house. We hung out at her house while poor Eric dug out the vent, and arranged with the neighbor to have his friend come with his front loader and dig out the driveway. It took most of the day to get the heat up to 68 degrees. So instead of unpacking most of the day was wasted doing things that should have already been taken care of. UGH!!!!
I am just grateful for such a wonderful husband who took it all in stride and worked so hard to make everything right. He also had arranged for our cell phones to turn on Wednesday and for ATT to turn on our internet. What a great guy!
Thursday morning we were greeted by this beautiful sunrise.
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