John arrives in NZ

We got nice updates along the way as John went from Charleston to Philadelphia to San Francisco to Auckland. Thanks Papa, John, and Isabelle. Mom and I were afraid we might oversleep and not be at the Palmerston North airport to pick him up at 7:55 am, so we set lots of alarms. However we didn't have to worry. Mom's phone went off with a txt from John at 5:30 am saying he was in Auckland. We were happy. A few minutes later we got another text saying "Where are you". Mom, who was pretty asleep, txt'd back "At home". John txt'd back, "Should I get a cab?". Rut-roh. Not sure where it got lost in the translation, but John didn't realize he had one more plane flight for which we had purchased a ticket. I called him on Mom's cell and filled in the details. So he left the curb outside the Auckland airport in the dark and headed back in to the domestic counter where they gave him his ticket to Palmy.

He told us later there was one more bit of excitement. When boarding time came he couldn't find the boarding pass. He searched frantically. Then they said last call. Then a red light went on that said CLOSED. Then they overhead page John Selby while he was waiting behind a slow lady trying to take care of a ticket for a later flight. Just as he got to the counter and started to explain, he saw his boarding pass laying on the counter. A quick dash to the gate where they were waiting for him (This is not US Air) and they got him on. Fortunately he didn't txt us any of that so we went out to the airport at 7:45 am happy and relaxed. And there he came. Yes, on our coldest day yet in Palmy, frost on the ground and a low of 0 celsius, a young man stepped off the plan in his sandals. Ah, he must be Maori.

But of course, Mom (and Dad) always wants to see her little chicks or little roosters, I guess, and all is well. Mom and John are playing chess now while I'm working... What... okay, be right there. Sorry, gotta go.