Airlines 2, St. Louis Weddings 0

Ahhhhh, that day-after-a-wedding lull (now that brunch and a BBQ with out of town family are over). The fridge is full of leftovers, the living room is full of gifts, and my sister's married! I fly out tomorrow morning at 6 am, but I've been here over a week already, having arrived last Saturday. And let me tell you, it wasn't easy. 

I was supposed to have a ~2 hour layover in Miami, take off at nine something, and land in St. Louis just after 11 pm, but my flight out of Santiago was delayed. It was only an hour or so when I checked in. My first thought: after the disaster that was getting to my cousin's wedding almost exactly two years ago, heeeeeere we go again. Given the opportunity to rebook then, I declined and decided to make a run for it with Global Entry and zero checked bags. The check-in agent even moved me up in the plane. Her small kindness was rendered moot by what became a FIVE HOUR delay. I seriously considered Ubering to Palmar for Concordia the Reformer Seminary's graduation, but by the time I knew I could make it there and back, the ceremony had already started. 

Judging by the storms at the airport, I'm guessing it was weather related. 

Thank God for my credit card company's complimentary Priority Pass membership. Santiago is NOT a fun airport in which to ride out a delay, but the lounge is comfortable...when the power isn't flickering like it did twice!

I landed in Miami around midnight, walked from Terminal J to Terminal D, waited in a long but fast-moving line at the American counter, and scored a hotel voucher. Forty minutes later, the hotel shuttle picked up a group of us that had watched various other hotel shuttles come and go 2x. It was 3:30 am by the time I got checked in. Had I stuck with the 5:18 am flight American had automatically rebooked me on, I needn't have bothered, but I selected a noon-ish direct one.

I could hear the cicadas above the buzz of the highway on the way from the airport to my parents' house! One visited me while I was reading on the patio later that evening.

My sister's then-fiancée christened their new Blackstone griddle by making Memorial Day smashburgers. I had to sing - er, dip - for my supper, though. We never did figure out why almond bark is so named, even after coating four packages of Double Stuf Oreos in it and bagging them up as wedding favors.   

Wednesday night, I went to the Warrens'...to see the Lehmans (and 3/5 of the Warrens). Chef Abby made spaghetti and meatballs for a crowd while her parents hightailed it to CA for a funeral.

Wedding prep would pick up as the week wore on: stay tuned for what Becoming the Burgesses looked like from the MOH's seat. 

Until next time, blessings in Christ!