Happy Trails

I took a car into JFK where I met Dan and we flew out around 11pm on the 4th. We arrived in Doha, Qatar around 7:30pm on the 5th. The flight went by miraculously fast as I look a nice little friend I call mr. sleeping pill. During the 13 hr plane ride I woke up twice to eat and caught a little movie at the end. Not too shabby. Right before we arrived in Doha, our flight attendants announce that the airport is under constriction and we need to follow these directions very carefully. Based on the color of your boarding pass, you will need to get on the bus that will take you to the correct terminal. Dan and I both look at each other…. Boarding pass is white.. no color.. wonderful.

We are standing in line to get off the plane trying to follow the instructions that make no sense to us and there is a woman maybe a few years old than me asking for assistance. She is all alone with a child and a carry on suitcase that is bigger than my whole pack for the next few months. The flight attendants are paying her no attention so I ask what is it that you need? “Can you hold my sons other hand down the stairs”? This little boy, around the age of three, did not have my nice little friend mr sleeping pill and he was extremely groggy. So I held his hand and started pulling his along. He just stood there with no intention of moving. So nanny instincts kick in and I got to pick him up. As quickly as I go to pick him up his mother responds, “Oh he’s too heavy.” Little does she know I’m super nanny. So I carry him down the stairs only to wait in another line where this woman thanks me and explains that she’s traveling alone to Bangalore. I wish her good luck as we pig pile on the bus in separate directions.

Wait a second, weren’t we supposed to get on the bus according to the color of our boarding pass. So Dan and I are a little frantic trying to figure out if we’re on the right bus. We look around at other peoples tickets in hand. Some are blue and some are yellow. We realized we’re in the right spot after talking with this American Family. Our nerves settle as we pull up to a door that says transfers/departures. As we’re about to get off the bus the American Mom turns to me and says “Happy Trails”.

As most of you know I worked with my close girlfriends at a Life is Good store back in Burlington . The store is owned by some dear friends that we’re actually going to go visit in Vietnam next month. The actual name of that store is Happy Trails.

Just two little words made me feel right at home. I shared a glance and Dan and we got off the bus to wait in more lines to continue the journey….