The Adventure Continues...

Day 14 was a built-in travel day...4 hours from Guayaquil to Miami, 3 hours to Chicago, 1.5 hours to Pittsburgh. No problem, right? ...

When we arrived in Miami, we didn't have a long layover, so we casually jogged to get to customs, but we had to wait forever for our luggage. Our suitcases were practically the last ones! We rallied, checked our bags, and hurried through security. Then we RAN to our gate (not a short run). They said we just made it...We were the last ones on!

A brief nap was in order as well as dinner, since I knew that we were not going to have time to eat in Chicago considering we had to change airlines. When we landed in Chicago, we RAN to Ally's gate to drop her off (it was delayed an hour) and then sprinted through 2 terminals at O'Hare to the United wing. It was going to be close. The kids were losing it a little bit...dropping stuff, couldn't find boarding passes, etc. That's to be expected. We were so close to home! However, when we got to the gate...Our flight had been canceled. :( The customer service line kept us standing around for an hour and we were lucky to have been booked on the first flight out the next morning. After making all of the arrangements, it was almost 11 and we finally got to the hotel at 11:30. The kids were so exhausted. I was exhausted. We just wanted to get home. However, there were NO complaints! I showed tears at one point because I felt so bad for them, but they were troopers and just went to bed.

Ally's flight wasn't canceled until 12:30. By the time I went to pick her up it was 1:30 and we got back at 2. Our wake up call was 4:30am!!!

I'm going to "yadda yadda" the rest of the travel woes, but turns out that we are all home safe and sound and can now reflect on the most excellent experience....including the bonus day of adventures! :) Every second was worth it and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to travel with those students. They are amazing!