Darn Volcano!

Garrett's been out of town since Easter morning and he was supposed to be home this past Friday (the 16th). He was in Europe on business for two weeks--first in Madrid, Spain then London, England, then Zurich, Switzerland, then Milan, Italy and finally in Paris France before he was supposed to come home. But then, Iceland's Volcano, Eyjafjallajokull decides to erupt the day before he's supposed to leave and shuts down all air travel over Europe because of all the ash in the sky.

At first, he thought he'd be coming home on Saturday, but that flight was cancelled. Then he heard that Madrid was flying because they are more in the south and the ash wasn't affecting them. So, he got a ticket flying out of Madrid on Saturday or Sunday--can't remember which, but couldn't get on a train because they were all full. There wasn't even standing room--they were completely full! So, he had to cancel that flight. After that, he went back to his hotel room in Paris and decided to stick it out until Paris started scheduling flights.

Then, after talking to a travel agent, they heard that Milan was flying, so he got a ticket out of Milan for Monday and went early Sunday morning to the train station again to try and get a ticket to Milan. Luckily, he was able to get on and get a seat. It was 3 hours to Zurich, then a 9 minute wait until the next train to Milan. Luckily, he was able to get a seat on this train which was a 4 hour ride to Milan. He did say that the scenery was beautfiul and he really enjoyed the ride. I guess it beats sitting in a hotel room all day!

So in the middle of the night last night (2am) I got a call from American Airlines telling me that his flight was cancelled--again! So I talked to him today and he has a flight booked for tomorrow (Tuesday). Who knows if he will get out or not. He said that all the flights on Wednesday and Thursday are already booked, so if he doesn't fly out tomorrow, then he won't be able to leave until Friday. Yuck! That will be three weeks away from home. He sounds pretty discouraged and pretty homesick. But, there is a bright side. At least he's not stuck at the airport on a cot. He's had hotel rooms and food to eat. We've been able to talk with him on the phone and through email, AND he's over there on the company's dime. At least he's not going broke over there like most people.

The last time this volcano erupted was 200 years ago and it erupted for over a year. Wow!! There's talk now that a sister volcano could erupt as well, causing even more problems. Hopefully, he can get out of there before that happens!!


There are a couple of things that I have gained from this experience:
1) I have a great respect for single parents. I don't know how they do it day after day. They even have to work on top of taking care of the kids and making dinner and grocery shopping and refereeing all of their kids's arguments.
2) Absence DOES make the heart grown fonder. I really do miss him being around all the time. It makes me realize how much I take him for granted. He does SO much to help me out around the house and with the kids--and I miss his fun personality and all his joking and his flirting. :)
3) I am SO thankful for all my friends who have been around to help me out by taking my kids so I can have a few breaks . Everyone at church has been concerned about us and making sure I'm okay and offering help if I need it. Thank you everyone--thanks for all your support!