Kathryn's Exciting Flight Home

Kathryn had many exciting experiences while she was in Texas. Two days after we returned, Cindy took all but two of her kids and Kathryn, to Houston (along with Shauna, Cassie and Tina Valentine) for 3 days and 2 nights. They toured the Houston Space Center over the first two days. Then on day 3 they went to the beach and swam in the ocean. Kathryn managed to get her first sunburn, for which she was most excited. You wouldn't think someone would be excited to get a sunburn, but she was. The younger girls also came to grandma's house and did some beading. Kathryn made a necklace for herself and for her mom. When it came time for her to return home I took her to the airport and waited for her plane to board. She went as an unaccompanied minor. They gave her a pin to wear and she was able to have the whole row of seats to herself, which allowed her to sit in a window seat. I had bought some beef jerky for her to eat, since I knew that they don't really feed you anymore when you fly. After she boarded the plane, I returned home and waited for the call from Marci and Angie that she had arrived safely. About 45 minutes after I arrived home, we received a call from Bob asking if we had received the call. I told him that they wouldn't be landing for about another hour. He said, "No, they have landed back in Texas." I panicked and asked what happened. He told me that the plane wasn't holding the cabin pressure properly and they had to return to San Antonio Airport to repair it. I, of course panicked again and wondered if I should head back to the airport. We decided that I should monitor the flight on the internet, which I did. Bob had been told that if it still didn't work they would not be leaving again that night. Fortunately, the problem was repaired and the plane took off and finally landed in Denver about 11:45. Before she got off the plane, she was allowed to sit in the Captain's chair in the cockpit, and the Captain wrote a note on the First Time Flyer Certificate asking her teacher to forgive her for being sleepy or late to the first day of school, as they had mechanical problems with the plane and it was late getting in to Denver. She took the note to school and showed it to her teacher. It was a most exciting day and an experience neither she nor I will ever forget.