It was an EPIC journey, and not in a good way!

Merry Christmas, Everyone! I hope that you all had a wonderful day full of family, food, gifts and wine! I arrived at home in America last night after exactly 24 hours of traveling, and I am so glad to be here. The journey ran smoothly until I landed in Detroit. The good thing is, we arrived an hour early and the in-flight entertainment on Delta flights is AWESOME (I got to watch movies that I've been dying to see, all in the comfort of my very own 1.5 x 1.5 foot seat, next to a passenger that slept The Entire Time we were on the plane!). Not so awesome? Being trapped on the plane for 3 hours, missing my connecting flight, and arriving in Madison hours later only to drive home in the middle of a snowstorm.

You've probably heard that there was a terrorist attack attempt on a flight from the Amsterdam, Netherlands to Detroit, and the brave passengers thwarted it. Click here for NYT's article. When we arrived at our gate in Detroit, everyone jumped up and grabbed bags and was ready to deplane. But not so fast! The captain announced that we were being held on board for awhile due to instructions from Customs and Border Patrol. I didn't think much of it because I had plenty of time to spare in order to make my next flight. Alas, it was not to be. We waited for hours on the plane at the gate, and the only thing we knew was there was an "incident" and all international flights in Detroit and Atlanta were being held.

When we were finally allowed to exit, things moved quickly and there was no problem clearing customs, getting a Starbucks, having dinner at the Military Lounge, and making the later flight into Madison. In fact, I was re-booked in FIRST CLASS, an first for me. I wish I had gotten bumped up to the good seats for a longer flight, but it was nice to be able to stretch out for the trip to Madison. Did you know they save all the good snacks for first class passengers? I must have been offered Twix and wine and potato chips four times in the hour I was onboard. Awesome.

Part of my family greeted me at baggage claim, and after a long, slow 2 hour drive back home, I was reunited with the rest of the family (including adorable Flynn, our dog). My watch alarm rang from the previous day (set for 5am) just as we pulled in to the driveway. I made it 24 hours, mostly awake and mostly still functioning! Today I'm relatively well-rested and ready to see my grandparents. I am so thankful to be back with my family this year, especially since Hubs is far away.

Here's to a great vacation!