I’m fairly sure it was after 9:00 by the time our plane limped towards the runway and left the city lights of Saskatoon in its rear view mirror. Once the plane was in the air, we knew we were finally headed home…hopefully! 
Kent sat next to a beekeeper heading to Michigan. She would fit right in with our group. Yes, that was her making the bunny ears for Jim. 🙂 We made it to Minneapolis shortly after 11:00 (I think). All I know for certain is we had missed our connecting flight – all of us. We were met at the gate with the next day’s tickets and told which hotel we’d be staying at. Kent was left out of our little party. He was routed to Days Inn and the rest of us headed to Comfort Inn. The goodbyes were short and sweet and all at once our time together was done. Patience was on the verge of being next to none and the level of frustration was on the rise! Tomorrow’s flight would begin at 1:30 and would not be finished until 9:30 via Detroit (8 hours that should have only taken 45 minutes). It was midnight by the time our heads hit the pillow. It had been an exhausting day! We met Jon and Missy for breakfast at 8:00. They were going to have to leave at 9:00. I took a few pictures of the record snowfall in Minneapolis as we walked back to our room. 
Jim laid back on the bed for a nap (we had several hours to kill). I dug out the computer to check the flight status. While doing that, a notice popped up announcing there were optional flights available. So I clicked. I see a direct flight to Omaha which leaves at 11:40. It was 9:45. “Jim (I had to wake him up), it looks like we can get on a direct flight home and we’d get there at 12:52. Should I make the change” “Well YES!”, he says. It was at this time I realized that what I thought was “viewing my options” was instead “changes being made”. “I think we’re already checked in with the new flight!”, I say in a panic. We had less than five minutes to gather our stuff and get to the shuttle in time. No stress!! We made it. We made it to the airport on time AND through the exceptionally long line at security. We were going to get home BEFORE midnight and that was all that mattered to me. When we arrived in Omaha, the 25 degree temps felt like summer! Callie had a basketball game and we were even going to make that! The sunset was AMAZING! I tried to take a picture of it but it may be a little blurry. 
Our long awaited trip to see our Northern friends was over. We had a great time and the end of the story has provided new memories – some that won’t happen again for a while (hopefully). Gosh…I really hope we run into a few of them along our route this summer! Before we left, I turned my 2011 blog into a book. I can now tell anyone and everyone “I’m published!” It’s fun reading the posts and reliving the memories all over again! 
Congrats on your first blog book! It’s only the beginning! Wow, what a time getting home! As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz “there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home”…and if you’ve ever been stuck in an airport that really rings true!
My husband Ron and son Chris are in Omaha! They left here (Boise, ID) this morning and lucky for them all flights were on time. They were picked up at the airport, treated to lunch and then headed to the Claas factory to spend the afternoon going over the combine with a fine tooth comb…and believe me, they really will be checking it out…and asking LOTS of questions. I asked Ron if he saw Jenna and he said not yet…they were outside all afternoon…but tomorrow they get the factory tour and if he sees her he will say “hi”…and that it’s his wife that is following along on the adventurers of her family! They will fly out of Omaha about 5:30 tomorrow to Salt Lake City and then back to Boise around 9:30. Hopefully, their trip isn’t as “eventful” as yours was.
Glad you’re home safe and sound! Have a Merry Christmas with your family! 🙂
Margaret Smith
Stateline Farms
Parma, ID
Thanks for the encouraging words, Margaret!! It was fun seeing my words in a book. Not sure others would ever want one but it’ll be a good keepsake for my kids to one day look back at!
I had forgotten today was the day for your husband and son to be in Omaha. I’ll be anxious to hear what he thought of his visit. If I weren’t substituting at our school tomorrow, I would even go up and meet them. I’m sure they’re going to LOVE their tour. It sounds like the weather may even cooperate for them.
Thanks for leaving your note! Always good to hear from someone who takes the time to visit Nebraska Wheatie!
Tracy
It’s a wonderful keepsake for your kids and grandkids!
Ron and Chris have already been so impressed by the people they have met…all very nice. And I don’t think they are being nice just because we are buying a combine. They are genuinely nice people. I too know they will love the tour. This is the first ag related trip they’ve gotten to take together outside of Idaho…or maybe I should say outside our county! So this is a big adventure for both of them. I’m glad they are enjoying your part of the country and the people that live there. 🙂
The Midwest is full of good people. But, it’s the people who are involved with Ag that really stand out! Maybe one day, you’ll make it here too – and hopefully I would be able to meet you. Temps today are supposed to be in the low 50’s. Outstanding!
PS…I wish them good luck in getting back home with no quirks!
All flights going to and coming back were on time and no delays. 🙂 Chris and Ron enjoyed their Nebraska visit…highlighted by meeting Jenna at Claas…they said she’s a lovely young lady. 🙂
I say she’s a lovely young lady too – is that being too biased? Or just being a proud mom? 🙂 So glad it all worked out for them. I saw Jenna last night. She said she met them. And then Jim overheard her and I talking and he says, “who is it?” “Oh just someone who reads mom’s blog” – Jenna 🙂 Thanks for reading! It makes the world all that more smaller to me!
No bias at all…mom’s are never bias. 🙂 Jim’s finding out you’re an “author” that is read across the nation! 🙂
And that’s just crazy to me – read across the nation…and world. When I began telling my story, I never dreamed there would have been such an interest. I figured I might get 25 readers. 🙂