The honeymoon is over... time for some hell.

We woke up early the next morning.  We had to catch our shuttle bus to the airport at 7:00.  We were assured that we didn't need cash.  We walked the few blocks to the bus stop (while dragging 5 pieces of luggage -- 2 large pieces, 2 carry-ons, and 1 new duffle since we'd bought so much stuff!).  When we arrived, the driver was the only person to be paid and he only took cash.  There wasn't an ATM nearby, so we had to wait for the next bus.  I waited with our luggage while Philip went to find an ATM.  

The next bus was scheduled to arrive at 8am.  It didn't arrive until 8:35am.  Then there was traffic and we arrived at the airport about 45 minutes later than we were supposed to.  Not only that, but we were dropped off at arrivals instead of departures.  So, we then had to figure out where to go.  Then we had to take another shuttle to a different terminal.

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When we arrived at that terminal, we had to wait over half an hour in line so that we could have our passports checked.  Then we had to wait in line to get our tickets and check our luggage.  Then we had to go through security.  Then we had to take another shuttle to another terminal.  Then we had to go up two flights of stairs.  Finally, we were at our gate.  It was only about 15 minutes until we were supposed to take off.  We waited in line to have our tickets scanned.  Then we walked another 10 feet and someone else checked our passports and tickets.  Then we walked down two flights of stairs and got on another shuttle.  It took us to our airplane.  Then we boarded the plane.  All of that happened in just over an hour and a half!  It was exhausting!

You'd think that would be the end of the adventure, but not so much.  When everyone was finally seated, we were running behind (obviously!  How that airport functions on a daily basis, I have no idea!).  We got in line at the runway and waited our turn.  Well, when our turn came, the brakes on the plane were too hot for us to take off so then we had to wait another half an hour for them to cool before we could take off!  Phew!  It's a long day already!

Finally, we began our 10 hour flight.  We didn't allow ourselves to sleep because we wanted to be on the right schedule when we arrived in the U.S.  We watched some movies and I read a book.  

When we landed, we had just over an hour to get through customs, go back through security, and board our plane.  Customs in Charlotte is just awful.  They had 3 tellers open for an enormous amount of people.  It took far longer than it should have.  But, we made it through.  We found our luggage and re-checked it for our flight to Indianapolis.  Then, we went back through security.  Again, it took way longer than it should have.  We arrived at our gate with about 10 minutes to spare.  Unfortunately, they still weren't even boarding.  

Let me tell you something about me and flying.  I cannot remember the last time I was on a plane that took off and landed at the time it was supposed to.  It just doesn't happen for me. 

Anyway, we took off I think about half an hour late.  When we finally arrived in Indianapolis, I was exhausted.  It must've been around 8pm.  So, at that point, we had been up for over 20 hours.  We met my parents at the baggage claim and then started our two hour drive to their house.  We spent the time talking about our trip and the drive actually went quickly.  

When we arrived, I was so excited to see our pups.  It had been a long time since I'd seen them last!  We said our goodnights and then Philip and I went to bed with all four of our pups on the bed with us.  I enjoyed our honeymoon, but boy was I glad to be back in the U.S.!