Here We Go.

Well, it’s time for the first official blog post of this crazy adventure…

A shooting.

A delayed flight.

A missed flight.

A hotel.

A day late.

Those are the things this crazy adventure has brought me so far.

When we first arrived at the Jacksonville airport, they told us all parking garages were closed until further notice. Turns out there was a shooting and an
attempted carjacking in the airport garage just 20 minutes before we arrived. Scary stuff.

After our trek from the parking lot to the airport terminal, I walked up to the desk to check in. Well, my first flight had been delayed 4 hours, which would cause me to miss my two connecting flights in Minneapolis and Amsterdam to finally arrive in Berlin.

Finally, after an hour on the phone, the customer service representative – who happens to live right down the street from me in Middleburg – found me three perfectly connecting flights to Berlin. I would barely have any layover and would be going through Paris! I was completely stoked, thinking my adventure was only getting better.

That short layover time turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing. My flight out of Jacksonville was projected to leave at 6:33 p.m. and ended up taking off nine minute after 7:00 p.m.

I knew I would have to rush to get to my flight, and I did just that. I ran. I ran without shoes. I ran like the crazy airport maniacs you see on family vacations. It was rough, but I at least thought it would pay off and be worth it.

I ran up to the gate, sweating, shoeless and out of breath, at precisely 8:32 p.m. I thought I had made it. I was getting on the flight to Paris, France! And I had run my butt off to get there. Well, turns out the doors to the plane had closed just a short two minutes prior, at exactly 8:30 p.m.

They sent me to the help desk, who gave me a phone number for a representative, who sent me to another gate, who sent me to the customer service desk, who sent me back to the second gate… It went on and on.

I’ve cried, I’ve sweat, I’ve ran, I’ve fought… But you know what else I’ve done? Gotten on a flight to Paris, France. I am currently sitting in seat 37A at an altitude of 33,000 feet and I’m on my way. I will be landing in Paris at 2:00 p.m., boarding a flight to Berlin, Germany at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and officially arriving there at 5:50 p.m. that evening.

Also, big shout out to Katherine H. at Delta for making this happen. You go girl.

Needless to say, the start of this adventure has already taught me something. It has reminded me of one of my favorite quotes: “Life is not a destination, it is a journey.”

This is so very true. What would life be if everything was perfect all the time? It certainly wouldn’t be life, that’s for sure.

You can’t just quote your favorite quotes, you have to live them out. You have to be willing to roll with the punches and appreciate every twist and turn along the way. That’s the only way to enjoy the ride. With all that said, I am excited for this ride; even if it has been, and may continue to be, a little bumpy.

Keep checking the blog for more mishaps and mess ups in the life of Megan. Get excited, y’all, I am.

Xoxo Megan