My first glance at sun over Ireland was breath taking. I was listening to some Irish music as the plane started making its decent into Dublin. Not only was the sight breath taking, but I felt I could be relaxed. I finally made it after a stressful takeoff.
As you know, I flew out of Laguardia Airport to reach my international flight to Dublin that was to take off from Charlotte, North Carolina. Things were going great in the morning of my departure. I woke up, got a pedicure, grabbed some breakfast, and then made sure my things were all together in my bag. A car came and picked me up at 11 am on the dot, so I could make it to the airport in plenty of time for my 2:45 departure. I didn't want to worry about traffic, and what else was I going to do besides hang out at the airport. (By the way, if you ever get the chance to sit in an airport and people watch, DO IT!) I got to the airport, and I was able to check-in for my flight, drop off my bags, and get through security in record time... drum roll please... 23 minutes! Next thing I knew I was grabbing lunch and drinking a beer at the bar near my departure gate. I had plenty of time to relax before my flight at 2:45 pm, but before I knew it tragedy struck.
The weather was looking grim in the New York area, so my flight was delayed. It was delayed 30 minutes... then 45 minutes. I was on the plane at 3:40 pm. As I was getting on the plane, I started to get nervous about my connecting flight because it was supposed to depart from Charlotte at 6:20 pm. I asked the personnel at the gate about how long was the wait on the tarmac and what were the chances of me missing my connecting flight. Their response was, "There could always be a wait on the tarmac, and there is always a chance you can miss your connecting flight." That was when I started to freak out! We were on the plane and started to taxi out to the runway. Next thing I know, the pilot comes on and says, "Hey folks, it's a little cloudy out today, but we should make it to Charlotte in about an hour and half time." I was like awesome it's 4pm, so we should make it to Charlotte by 5:30. However, the pilot wasn't done talking. He then began saying, "There is about 19 or so planes in front of us on the runway, so we will be waiting for about another 25-20 minutes." That was when I started freaking out. I never freak out, so the next thing I knew I was twirling my hair, taking deep breaths, and for some reason being very fidgety. We finally got off the ground around 4:25pm. I immediately used the wi-fi service, so I could check flight status. We weren't to arrive to Charlotte until 6:06, which was kind of cutting it close. I checked when other flights were leaving to Dublin through US Airways and with my luck it wasn't until the following day. I asked the stewardess for her thoughts, and she was so nice and friendly that almost all of my fears went away. She said that there was a good chance that the flights would be held since they were aware of where their passengers were coming from. I felt good about it, and I was optimistic that I was going to make my flight.
My next fear came when I read a facebook post from Kelsey. So, Kelsey here's a little shout out to you! I wrote on my facebook wall that I should most likely make it to my flight with no problems. Her response was, "I hope your luggage makes it too!" Then I was like OMG!! That didn't even cross my mind. Anyways, I made it to my flight with 5 minutes to takeoff. I got to my seat and we immediately started off to the runway until the pilot came onto say that we had to return to the terminal for some paperwork. I joked with the lovely people sitting next to me that they were returning for my luggage.
We finally made it to takeoff, and the flight went perfectly. The people sitting next to me were so kind and generous, which made the flight so much better and actually faster. Before I knew it, I was seeing the sunrise of Ireland, and Ireland's green fields.
After a successful landing and making it through customs. I walked myself over to the area where we could pick up our luggage. In the back of my mind, I was thinking how in the world could my luggage make it, but the next thing I knew I saw two red bags that had me written all over them. YAY! My luggage made it! Afterwards, I was driven by a fantastic taxi driver. I must say, Irish taxi drivers are so kind and thoughtful. He got me to the place with wonderful conversation, and he made sure that I made it to the right residence by letting me use his cell phone to call my cousin. Everything worked out perfectly!
I made it safely to the Byrne Residence in Adamstown, which is right outside Dublin. My cousin Jessica made me a wonderful Irish breakfast while I got acquainted with my baby cousin Kian, who is absolutely adorable. After some catching up, I was able to take a much needed 5 hour nap since there was no sleeping for me on the plane. Jessica then made a great steak and potato dinner, which was followed by drinks at the local pub. Today, was an absolutely perfect first day in Ireland!
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