Day 8 - All is Well, Safely Rest, God is Nigh

Glorious sleep.  Everyone got to sleep in this morning because the Hatter Girls weren't going anywhere until noon.  We lingered over coffee and breakfast and easy conversation.  Charla chauffeured us to BWI Airport; and after going through Security and grabbing lunch, we were able to board our Southwest flight back to Dallas by way of Birmingham.  Problem was, we encountered stormy weather during the flight and had to stay in our seats with our seatbelts fastened the entire time.  That means no bathroom breaks.  So while a few folks got off in Birmingham, the rest of us were told to sit still until they could count us, then we could stretch our legs (a euphemism for going to the bathroom) before a crew change and taking on new passengers.  Before you could say "boo", people were moving forward in the plane to get better seats while some of us were swimming upstream (almost literally) to get to the "lavatory".  Then the new crew starts fighting their way on, and they look at us like we're stupid for being in the aisles.  I finally told one of the flight attendants that we weren't able to go to the bathroom during the flight and that's why we're all out of our seats.   By now the new passengers are trying to get up the aisles to find seats.  It was a total mess!  We had more bumpy weather between Birmingham and Dallas and ended up arriving about 30 minutes off schedule.

While I'm thinking about it, we had the worst flight attendants I've ever experienced between Baltimore and Birmingham; they were crabby and rude and wouldn't answer questions.  We were thankful for the great crew that took over and got us safely to Dallas.

After catching a shuttle to Carol's car, we made arrangements to meet up with Brian, Kelli and Amy Wages at Casa Rita's in Frisco; we needed TexMex to bring us back down to earth.  It was nice to relax and tell stories and begin reliving the days of our lives in Washington, D.C.

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This was a wonderfully memorable experience.  It was busy and sometimes hectic; educational and thought provoking; fun and funny.  We've all read about the history of our nation and the people who were a part of it, about the lives that were sacrificed for us to be where we are today.  But it was quite different to see it and experience it.  I have no doubt that we'll think about the Holocaust, the Trail of Tears, the wars and "conflicts" and Civil Rights Movement as we move forward, and it will change who we are because we're just a little bit more knowledgeable.  We might not always respect the people who run our nation, but we must respect their position in government and be grateful for their willingness to serve.
 
Taps
Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hill,
From the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh.

Toes heading home!