T minus two: the parents

[long overdue, probably boring. Will try to make it short and snappy!]


So, things really started happening two days before the wedding.

That's when my parents arrived.

... silence

Funny thing is - they didn't send me *any* text messages updating me on their progress, despite stopovers in Amsterdam *and* Detroit. Thaaaaaaanx. So I couldn't inform them that I was probably going to pick them up curbside, so please make your way outside once you emerge. Great.

Nvm, I thought, I'd text them as I got close to ORD anyway, so that they wouldn't have to spend time waiting outside.

No reply.

By the time I reached ORD it was well after their arrival time [in my mind I kept adding 30mins for immigration/ customs/ agriculture out of habit, but their international arrival was over in Detroit!], and since I'd not heard back from them, and didn't catch sight of them on the curbside of the terminal, I had to go park the car.

Then had to make my way through a huge maze to get from the parking to the relevant terminal. Dazed from the maze, I got to the correct baggage claim area, but dazedly hopped on an up escalator [which leads to the check-in/departure area], only to hear my name being called out from behind me: I turn around to see a parent yelling my name at the bottom of the escalator, waving at me.

... "lost"

I nod and hold out my hand in a "wait" to indicate I've seen it, continue up [I'm not going to down and up escalator, okay?] and then search for a way back down to the baggage claim area. It seems I didn't notice a down escalator closeby, for I ended up walking the other way for quite a ways, finally finding some elevators to take me back down one floor.

... I walk back to where I'd been spotted.

... aaaaaand find a parent. Just the one.

The other one, who'd spotted me? Nowhere to be found.

Ugh.

Turns out it had spotted the nearby down escalators, and had stood there waiting for me. For like 20mins. Even tho it was so close to the up escalators, so if I were to have spotted them and taken them back down, I'd have been there in 2 mins. I'd like to think that after 5 mins of waiting, if I'd been in its shoes, I would have turned around and joined the other parent and waited. Sheeesh.

Anyways - so Phase One Part One was officially underway.

Oh - and the lack of text message replies? Turns out I'd overlooked the fact that both parents, even though subscribed to international roaming, had PHONES that were not compatible with the U.S. telecommunication system. So, they could text message my brother from Amsterdam [why they didn't text *me* from Amsterdam, who knows], but were totally uncontactable in the U.S. Totally overlooked that little detail! Heh. Good thing we managed to meet up despite that glitch, eh?

Anyways.

So we head to the car, and I drive them to their hotel.

... liquids

Enroute, I am told that my mother had had to lose all her toiletries in Amsterdam before boarding the plane to Detroit. Discarded because they were in her carry-on luggage. Despite my telling her that liquids were NOT ALLOWED on carry-ons!

Okay, to be fair - I'd recommended that she check with the TSA website and/or the airline before doing the final packing, to make sure the most current information is obtained. She decided to go with the airline: it seems that she was told that "Oh no, no worries, all that no liquids on carry-on thing is just for planes to the U.S. from Heathrow/UK". What a load of bull. Which unfortunately my mother swallowed.

All I could say was for her to complain and seek compensation for the toiletries lost as a result of wrong advice dispensed by the airlines personnel. No use questioning her on what she was thinking, eh?? Or not thinking??

Aaaaanyways.

... *rolls eyes*

So, got them to the hotel, checked them in, hung out while they freshened up, joined them for dinner, where they proceeded to amaze me at how oblivious they seem to be over how to address things that are so "sensitive" in Malaysia, which I am bypassing by being in the U.S.... [am keeping this vague on purpose]. Suffice to say they should know better. Should being the key word here. *sigh*

But you know what? Things going as expected. How greatly cynical is that? Haha.

... crawl

Bade them goodnight, and drove back, but I got caught on I-90 due to roadworks: since I wasn't too familiar with the Chicago roads I chose to stick with it rather than risk getting lost in the 'burbs.

Finally got back exhausted.

Good thing my day the next day wouldn't need to start till late!

... zzzzzzZZZZzzzzZZzzzzZZzzzz!