Michaela's Airport Misadventures

Here I am, back in [currently] sunny South Carolina, enjoying the barefoot, porch-sitting weather. I spent a lovely [green] Christmas with Nicholas and am enjoying all this time watching our [my] favorite movies together. Although there was a bit of time where I was stranded in the airport, convinced I would never make it home in time for the holidays. Why's that? Well, let's recap Thursday evening, where I hugged my family tight and said see-you-laters and left my house at 4:15 pm for my flight that was scheduled for 7:10pm. Plenty of time. Right? No.

I have to say, I was totally anticipating holiday chaos, but I checked my bags without waiting and cruised through security. Almost. My dad, who brought me to the airport, stayed on the other side until he knew I made it through safely. And so I kept looking over to see his head, towering above most, laughing at all my blunders. (At least this time, when I went through the magic x-ray machine, it didn't say I was smuggling something in the side of my leg and my skull, resulting in a very disgruntled airport employee smacking the side of my head and me laughing and saying I wasn't even wearing bobby pins so this was further proof I was magnetic. Don't tell them that. They don't like to hear that.)

Michaela: Do you still hand check bags?
TSA Guy: Ummmmmm...
Michaela: I have some film that I'd like to have hand checked, just to be on the safe side.
TSA Guy: Uhhh, yeahhhhh, ummm, let me find someoneeeeeee...
Magic X-ray Machine Guy: Do you know what ISO it is?
Michaela: It's instant film, so it just makes me really nervous. I feel like it might break the ISO rules. And I really can't afford to have it ruined.

After successfully walking thought the magic x-ray machine:

TSA Man: Whose is this?
Michaela: Oh, that's mine! Ohhhh, I forgot to take my laptop out, sorry.
TSA Man: Just a laptop? Is that all ya got in here?
Michaela: Well, I also have a tablet.
TSA Man: A what?
Michaela: A tablet.
TSA Man: Like an iPad?
Michaela: No, like a Wacom tablet, that you use to draw on the computer. And that's a bunch of colored pencils. And that's a seam ripper. I'm an artist. That's a bottle opener, but they told me it was ok to fly with last time. That's an Xacto knife, but I remembered to take the blade out this time. I'll just stand over here.
TSA Woman: Whose is this?
Michaela: Oh, that's my film!
TSA Woman: Stand right there.
Michaela: You can take it out of the bag if you need to. I just figured that'd be easier for you guys.
TSA Woman: Stand right there, ma'am.
Michaela: Oh, I was just going to grab my other suitcase and laptop and tablet.
TSA Woman: Your what?
Michaela's Dad on the Phone: What's going on?
Michaela: I set everything off again.
Michaela's Dad: I guess you really are magnetic.
Michaela: That's why Mom wanted to get me tested. At least my hair didn't go off this time.

(This went on for awhile.)

And this doesn't even get into the massively-delayed-almost-cancelled flight-nightmare that ensued.
In the end, my 7:10 flight left sometime after 10pm, but instead of waiting for a connecting flight in the morning, I was picked up by Nicholas, who drove all the way to Charlotte, North Carolina, even though he had to work the next day. What a great guy!