Sunday, October 9, 2016

Oklahoma Travel - Part 1


Well hello there!    

How’s everybody doing on this lovely autumn day? Here, in Waukesha, Wis., we’ve got temperatures in the 60’s and partly cloudy skies – an excellent weekend so far, if I must say so myself. 

I’ve realized that there’s been a lot going on over here at “Katie’s View,” (the name of my blog, in case you’re new here and didn’t know) and I decided to take this opportunity to write a bit - fill everyone in on what’s been a-happenin’ ‘round these parts. It’s all good, so this should be fun!  

As many of you know, my daughter’s family (Megan, Joe, and now Jakey too) have lived in Connecticut for the past five years or so. Last spring, they began entertaining the idea of moving elsewhere for the purpose of Joe’s work. There are a handful of states in which his company does business, but the one the kids decided to move to is… (Drum roll please)… Oklahoma!!!  


Their summer became insanely busy as they flew back and forth a couple of times to Tulsa. The first trip was to make sure the area was a good fit for their family, and the second was to house hunt – yes, with a year-old baby in tow. After scouting neighborhoods and looking at quite a few homes (probably 20-ish?) they put in an offer on a lovely place, and the rest, as they say, is now history. Factor in that they also needed to ready and sell their present home, which as anyone who’s ever sold a home knows, is no small feat.  

Their home sold quickly and everything fell into place, so the three made their cross-country journey at the end of August. Movers came and packed up their house and (get this!) over the course of a couple of days, Joe, Megan, one-year-old Jakey, their dog (Macie, who gets carsick), and two active cats, drove from New Milford, CT to Tulsa Oklahoma. Haha – can you say, “Scheinkoenig Zoo?” Whew! But Megan (27) and Joe (29) really do have youth in their favor, along with wide-eyed wanderlust for adventure. Very long story short, they arrived unscathed, closed on their new house September 1, and took occupancy that same day. 

Joe had committed to a business trip prior to their move, so he was scheduled to work in Canada for two weeks, starting September 19. Megan asked if Todd and I might like to come down during that time, and keep her and Jakey company. Todd’s own work schedule was going to be quite hectic at that time, so… the idea was formed that I would go to Tulsa by myself, and visit the kids and see the new house/neighborhood/state.  

Okay now, for some of you, those who travel a lot and are used to airports, bus stations, etc. this does not seem like a big deal. But it was for me! I do not come from a family where my mom flew around by herself. The first time she ever flew was for her and my dad’s 25th wedding anniversary (1974). My dad had been in the military, so he’d traveled more than that, but certainly not on a whim. Why, Todd and I were both in our 20’s the first time we ever flew in a plane, so I guess that for me, it still feels like a big deal. Also, I can probably count on one hand the amount of times Todd and I have been apart due to overnight travel. Come to think of it, we may be up to six or seven times, but when you take into consideration we’ve been married for 35 years, well… it’s just strange, you know?  

Once Todd realized he couldn’t go, he was quite encouraging to me that I should. I wanted to be a good sport because I knew what a great opportunity this was, and knew that Megan, Jake and I would have a great time together once I arrived. I knew that I somehow needed to put away whatever silly fear thing I was facing, and focus on the positive – keep my eye on the prize!  

I’ve been using a daily devotional called, “Jesus Calling.” In it, the author writes as if God is talking directly to the reader. I really love each day’s short message, and have been putting much of what it suggests into practice – sort of a “If God is for us, who can be against us…?” type of message. I knew that being afraid of traveling alone was sort of irrational since it was unlikely that I’d have a weather delay at this time of the year, or that I’d encounter anything insurmountable. I’m intelligent! I can do this! I am woman, hear me roar…! 

I’ve flown enough times to understand the procedures and everything, but even with “Jesus Calling,” and even with understanding the procedures, I still felt so apprehensive. I always do feel that way before flying, but this time (going it alone) everything felt magnified. (I know, I know, some of you are shaking your heads right now at how silly this sounds, but keep reading!)   

I’m proud to say that I did everything myself. I made my flight reservations by considering lighter travel days. Since we’ve had a bad experience in the past with connecting flights from Milwaukee to Chicago, I decided to take a bus to O’Hare to minimize any sort of last-minute scramble scenario. From there I’d have a direct flight to Tulsa, which would be less than two hours in length. I booked my bus reservation, and after that, all I had to do was pack and wait.

I needed to be at my bus at 5:00 a.m. You know how that is when you have an early-morning departure, right? You barely sleep the night before because there are last-minute arrangements to consider, and you hope you don’t sleep through the alarm. All went well. We left the house with five minutes to spare. But wouldn’t you know that that bus was late!!?? Right out of the gate I wondered if I’d done something wrong or read something incorrectly. But Todd waited with me, and after about 15 minutes, the bus came over the hill. We shared a quick hug and kiss, and I was on my way to Chicago. Piece of cake!

The bus stopped at five pick-up points before heading directly to the airport. I noticed that as each new passenger boarded, they seemed so calm and collected. Some paid for their trip right there on the bus. I did not know that was an option – good to know! Many of them closed their eyes and caught those few extra missed ZZZZ’s, but not me! Instead I thought of my son’s wise words of travel wisdom when he was assisting me in feeling better about solo travel. “Mom, take pictures of everything, and keep a journal so that you can blog about your experiences later.” Hmmm… that advice sounds oddly familiar, probably because I tell him those things all of the time. Funny how I didn’t think to take my own advice until the words came bounding back at me. Nonetheless, in true Tony/Katie Memmel style, I watched from the bus window as the sun rose in the east, and even snapped a selfie for you, just to prove it’s all true.  

 

We arrived at O’Hare with plenty of time to spare, which is exactly the way I like to do things. When I travel with Todd, he’s much more loosey-goosey with time, and we often find ourselves much more hurried than relaxed. I navigated through Security without any trouble. I also had kind of a weird thought about airports. The hub and shared areas are much like the palm of a hand, and the concourses jut out like fingers. Some airports are obviously much larger than others, but it kind of shrunk the idea of what I was doing that day, down to a more manageable vision. I don’t know - the thought felt good to me. Is that silly?   

I found my gate, but they did change the gate location twice while I waited. Though I love to read books, and love to look at Facebook, that day as my activity I opted for people-watching. Oh, it is so interesting, isn’t it!!??  This wouldn't be complete without mentioning the delicious coffee and cranberry scone I scored for myself as I waited. A-may-zing!!! The time arrived and we boarded without incident. My plane had two-seat rows on the left, with single seats on the right. I had decided to book a single seat because I was single that day, and I like for friends and couples to be able to sit together. It worked well for me, plus I had my very own window! I’ve sat by the window once or twice, but usually Todd sits there and I sit on the aisle. He’s not like “Glen” in the “Wedding Singer” though – I usually sit on the aisle because I (almost always) have to get up to use the bathroom - not this time, but usually!

It was a perfect day for flight! The sky was bright blue and as we headed southwest, I could see the ground so clearly. It surprised me just how much I loved looking out of the plane’s window. I’ve flown over water, sand, cities, and mountains, but that day I was overcome with the beauty of the vast Midwest farming lands. It was funny because as I looked down from my 30,000-foot perch, America’s Heartland resembled the bricks on our patio – beige, deep red, gray, and brown. Every so often, clusters of trees or shrubs would wind around the “bricks” and resembled the moss that often grows in between. I told Megan about my patio thoughts and she said, "Very artistic, Mom" It really was so cool!  
Since I wasn’t sleeping, and in fact, wasn’t even tired, I took out my brand new notebook and made a few notes about my thoughts. I felt excited on a number of levels – to see my daughter and grandson, who since we saw him last, is now walking up a storm! I’m excited to witness the many changes that have happened in their lives over the past several months, to see their new home (which we’ve seen only in pictures) and which seems to be making them very happy. As grateful as I am for Face Time and its video technology, nothing would trump the live show I knew I'd witness once I landed.  

Well dear friends, I’m pleasantly pleased and even proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone long enough to not only endure, but to actually enjoy my new solo travel experience. I asked a few friends to pray for me, and trusted God by putting both my petty fears, as well as my overwhelming emotions, into His hands. Not only was the morning tolerable, it was actually quite enjoyable! Wait until I tell Todd that he has a competitor for the coveted airplane window seat from now on. 

I’m going to stop here, and write another entry very soon about how wonderful my visit with Megan and Jake turned out. Stay tuned!!! Until then... 

Your Friend in Travel,

Katie
 

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference,” and “Silly Stories and Sentimental Stuff.” Both books are available as either electronic or paperback versions. For more information, visit her website: www.katiekolbergmemmel.com  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment