Supreme Session 2000

Session Results

Here are the Missouri Girls who placed in the Performing Arts and Ritual Competitions.

A special note about the Messenger Team.  Although they didn't place, they still got 91 out of a possible 100 points.  Great work, girls.

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Session Diary

The following is Dad Ashley Underwood's Supreme Session Diary.  Anyone else who wants to add their thoughts on Supreme Session may do so by e-mailing them to Dad Ashley.

Sunday, July 23

Okay folks, here is the first entry in this year's Supreme Session Diary.  Kim and I  woke up this morning about 4:30 a.m. in order to get to the airport on time for our 6:15 a.m. flight.  Actually, Mom Toni woke us, or we might still be sleeping.  We had gone to the wedding reception of Jason Boehme (son of Bethel #12's Phyllis Boehme) the evening before and did not get to bed until around 12:30 or so.  Anyway, everything was running along fairly smoothly, but of course for those of you who know me, the curse of Supreme Session Travel can strike at any time.  Well, it struck about 10 minutes into the trip to the airport.  We had forgotten some articles and had to turn around an go back home to get them.  This of course set us back time-wise, but we still managed to get to the airport and get checked in seconds before they closed the door of the airplane behind us.  Kim slipped into her seat and I wedged myself into mine.  I felt a little like one of the old Mercury astronauts getting into their "very snug" space capsules.  Of course, they didn't have to contend with the person in front of them deciding to lean their seat back.  The person was so close that I could count the freckles on his head.  I did play connect the dots.  It's amazing what strange creatures one can create with the freckles on the top of somebody's head.

We were served a continental breakfast (Translation: a roll and juice) that I was able to enjoy, although I had to be careful not to get crumbs on the head of the guy leaning in front of me.  Maybe he wanted me to give him a shave.  Anyway, we zipped along and landed at our transfer point, Denver, Colorado.  As we were leaving the plane, this cute little girl who was walking in front of us suddenly got airsick (now that we were on the ground) and lost that magnificent continental breakfast, along with whatever else she had eaten since birth.  It was a mess, but twinkle toes Underwood managed to tap dance around it (or actually waddle around it) while the flight crew got the situation under control.  Neither Kim nor I were seriously injured (or splattered) so we proceeded to head to our connecting flight.

We were supposed to have a two hour layover, but that quickly, or actually slowly, changed into three hours.  They made an announcement that they were having mechanical problems with the plane.  That reassured us about the safety of the flight (yeah, right).  Later they said that they would have an announcement about the cause of the delay at the time that the plane was originally scheduled to take off, and they did.  They announced that they did not know why the plane wasn't ready to take off.  I noticed that the Howard, Fine, and Howard maintenance service was working on the plane, so I figured we were in good hands.  They said that the problem was that the weather radar in the plane wasn't working.  Hmmm, you mean the same weather radar that every two-bit radio station from Maine to Alaska has?  The weather radar that works fine in the middle of tornados and hurricanes?  That very same weather radar just happened to decide it wasn't going to function on the plane I just happened to be waiting to board?  The Supreme Session Travel Curse had struck again.  So we sat, and sat.  Eventually they announced that they got it repaired.  It seems that a small part about the size of a hand had stopped functioning.  That part cost $35,000.00.  What is this, the Army?  Actually I'm not sure they really fixed anything, I think they just tuned in the Weather Channel off of Cable TV.  Whatever really happened, we were soon back in the sky winging for Boise.

This flight was fairly uneventful except for the fact that directly in the row in front of us were two unrelated people, each with dogs.  I figured what the heck, if they paid for a ticket, who says that the person flying has to be . . . a person.  It was interesting watching these dogs try to decide if they wanted to attack each other, or maybe go steady.  The one person decided to give her dog a glass of water.  I figured this would be cool to watch, as I didn't realize that dogs could drink from a glass while in a plane hurtling through the turbulent air at 500 miles per hour.  Guess what . . . they can't.  Instead of a drink, the dog got a bath, and we made the rest of the trip with the smell of wet dog wafting gently through the re-circulated, pressurized air.

We finally arrived in Boise, a little tired, but ready to go.  Of course we first had to go pick up our luggage.  Now remember folks, Supreme Session is a fairly long event, so we decided to bring every article of clothing we own.  It took three average size suitcases, and one large suitcase (or is it a steamer truck, I never can tell), plus our carry on bags to fit everything.  So there we were at the baggage carousel.  One bag appears, two bags appear, three bags appear . . . and . . . and . . . yep, you guessed it.  The steamer trunk did not make the trip to Boise at the same time we did.  We informed the airline, who in their most sympathetic voice possible said, "Well, things like that happen."  They told us that if the luggage turned up, they would gladly bring it to the hotel.  I informed them if it did not show up, I would gladly come over to their house and borrow socks and other items that the suitcase contained.  This seemed to increase their sensitivity quotient considerably, and they assured us that only their own children meant more to them than our suitcase.  This satisfied me for the time being, and Kim and I then took the shuttle to the hotel.

Since we got to the hotel, we have seen several friends, managed to register, and yes, our luggage finally showed up (around 5:00).  It's now 6:30, and I tell ya' folks, that continental breakfast has long since worn off.  Kim and I are heading out to eat dinner.  At least we are once I manage to wake her up.  Take it easy, and bye for now.

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Monday, July 24

Not a whole lot going on today.  We got up and walked around the downtown area for a while.  They have a large Basque population in Boise, and we walked around the Basque center and museum.  (The Basque people are originally from the Northern part of Spain and Southern France in the Pyrenees Mountains).  Later we took the Train Tour of Boise.  It was very interesting, and we saw a lot of the city.  Boise means City of the Trees, but not for the reason one might think.  They don't have a tremendous amount of trees here (especially when you are walking down the street in 90 degree temperature dreaming of a shady tree).  The city is named for a time when some explorers had come across the desert and were looking for someplace cool to rest, and came across a grove of trees.  That place turned out to be the eventual location of Boise.  So they don't have a lot of trees, just the right number at the right time.

After we got through with the tour, we walked over to the Boise History Museum.  They have a lot of exhibits about the people and events that shaped the Boise of today.  It was very interesting.  Kim bought a few things in the gift shop, and then we headed back to the hotel.  We sat around for a while, and then headed over to the Cafe Ole for dinner.  One of their specials was Enchiladas de Molay.  Hmmm, I didn't know old Jacques had a taste for enchiladas, but what the heck, he just might have.  Anyway, the food was really good, and our waiter worked hard to please.  After that we went back to the hotel.  It's about 9:30 here, and it is still light outside.  I'm no scientist, but I guess it's because Boise is at the far western side of the Mountain Time Zone.  Whatever the reason, it makes for a beautiful view out of our hotel window.  That's about it for now.  We have a busy day tomorrow so I'll be signing off for now.  Take it easy.

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Tuesday, July 25

We got up at 7:00 this morning, had breakfast in the room, and then got ready for the competitions.  Kim had her tap competition at 9:40 a.m.  Later she, and the rest of the Missouri contingent as well, did their ritual competitions.  All of them did a great job.  We don't know what the outcome of any of the competitions are yet, but no matter the results, the Missouri girls did their best.

In the early afternoon, I helped judge the signing competition.  Although there weren't a lot of contestants, the ones who entered were all very good.  Hopefully in the future, more will enter.  Also in the afternoon, Kim and Andrea Flanery attended the HIKE meeting.  It went really well, and at the meeting, Mom Pam Wikete from Bethel #44 was announced as a HIKE Volunteer award winner.  Congratulations to her.  After that meeting, the Messenger Team had their competition.  Our team consisted of Diane Lynch, First Messenger, Megan Hughes, Second Messenger, Cabrina Smith, Third Messenger, Kim Underwood, Fourth Messenger, and Beth Lynch, Fifth Messenger.  They did a fantastic job, and we congratulate them for their fine effort.

In the evening, I attended the Masonic Meeting at Boise Temple.  I walked over to the meeting together with Dad Don Miller, Associate Supreme Bethel Guardian, and Dad Randy Sinley, Missouri's Grand Outer Guard.  This was not the smartest thing I've ever done.  Oh, not for the company, that was great, but because of my bum knees.  After having done a lot of walking so far during the session, my knees, which are bad to begin with, were a little tender.  After the walk to the Temple, they were a lot tender.  Oh well, I never pretended to be the smartest person in the world.  Still, the walk was worth it, as the meeting was very interesting.  It is fascinating to see how different states do Masonic Ritual in different ways.  This comes as a surprise to many people that there is no standard ritual among the various jurisdictions.  In Masonry, especially in earlier times, ritual was taught mouth to ear.  In other words, there was no written ritual.  Over time, and as Masonry spread across the country, differences in the ritual would creep in.  Since each jurisdiction is totally independent from every other jurisdiction, these differences became virtually set in stone.  There was an attempt to standardize the ritual at a convention in Baltimore around 1840.  While some states, Missouri included, adopted the Baltimore ritual, still differences existed.  It is just a Masonic fact of life that these differences exist today, and actually it makes for some interesting visits to see the differences.  Still, the grips and words are virtually the same the world over, so it is possible for a Mason to make himself known to other Masons no matter where he travels.

After the meeting was opened, we recessed for a Table Lodge.  This is a dinner meeting, complete with ritual.  The food was excellent, and the comradeship outstanding.  Several toasts were made for several people and organizations, but the most memorable was in memory of Susie Holmes.  This was a very moving moment as we all miss our Supreme Bethel Honored Queen.

After the Table Lodge, we reconvened the regular meeting, and then closed for the evening.  I boarded the bus for the ride back to the hotel (my knees got the better of me) and after visiting with some friends, popped up to the room for this update.

While I was at the Masonic Meeting, the Missouri girls all went to the HIKE Barbecue.  Kim told me that it was a lot of fun, and then promptly fell asleep, so I guess I have to wait until tomorrow to give you a more detailed report.

Well, that's about it for now.  The Business Meetings start tomorrow, so it's down to work.  I'll talk to you later.  Take it easy and bye for now.

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Wednesday, July 26

We got up this morning around 7:00 a.m.  Kim had a rehearsal to go to at 9:00 a.m., and I had the opening Supreme Session Business Meeting.  The meeting was interesting, with some legislation passed and others still to go.  We broke for lunch about 11:30, and I headed for the Men of Job luncheon.  The food was fantastic (garlic roast beef and mashed potatoes).  In addition, the company was fantastic.  Doc Howe and Graham Davey were at my table, together with Charles Terrell, Robert Neff, and several other fine gentlemen.  Following lunch, it was back for the afternoon business meeting.  This lasted until 3:30, when we broke so everyone could get ready for the formal banquet.

Kim Underwood, Jennifer Lynch, Beth Lynch, Diane Lynch, Megan Hughes, Andrea Flanery, and Cabrina Smith all attended the royalty luncheon.  Kim sat with Tracy Apps from Wisconsin, as well as some Michigan Jobies.  She made a napkin puppet that looks like a deranged Barney the Dinosaur.  Tracy taught Kim how to make a chicken out of a hand towel.  See the picture above as she demonstrated this new-found talent to me later in the evening.  Well, at least the money spent for this trip wasn't for naught.  Anyway, the girls had a great time at the luncheon.  When Kim got back to the room and opened the shades, she had quite a surprise.  The window washer was outside our window.  After being startled, she recovered enough to take the picture you see above.

We then headed over for the Formal Banquet.  Again the food was good, and the company great.  We shared a table with Mom Lynch, Jennifer and Diane, as well as Miss Virginia Job's Daughter.  During the dinner, the scholarship awards were announced.  Unfortunately no one from Missouri received one, but there are many applicants, and only so much money to allocate.  Congratulations to those who did receive awards.

After dinner we were off to the Formal Opening.  For those veterans of Supreme Sessions who have endured 4 and 5 hour Formal Openings, you would have been amazed.  It only took two hours.  We started at 7:00 and ended promptly at 9:00.  That might be some sort of record.  Several folks from Missouri were involved in the opening.  Jennifer Lynch served as an escort for Mom Bunning  and Kim Underwood served as Dad Crites' escort.  Mollie Petersen served as Mom Linda Petersen's escort as Supreme First Messenger.  Megan Hughes carried the Missouri Flag, Andrea Flanery carried the Arkansas Flag, Diane Lynch carried the Bethel Flag, and Cabrina Smith was in the Supreme Bethel Choir.  They all carried out their duties in fine form.  The highlight, albeit one I wished we would not have had to see, was the necrology ceremony where they did a special ceremony for our deceased Supreme Bethel Honored Queen, SusanAnn Holmes.  It was very moving, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  After that, they performed the closing ceremony, and we all headed back to our rooms.  It was a busy day, and we have an early start tomorrow with the Missouri Breakfast at 6:30 p.m., so I'd better get to bed.  Bye for now.

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Thursday, July 27

Well, we didn't get up at 7:00 a.m. this morning.  We got up at 5:00 a.m.  No fooling, folks, we had to so we could make the Missouri Breakfast at 6:30.  We walked over to the Statehouse Inn for the breakfast, and it was wonderful. We all signed a card for our Miss Missouri, Beth Lynch, wishing her luck for tonight's Miss International Job's Daughter Pageant.  She was also presented with a gift.

After the Breakfast, we walked back to the Convention Center for the Supreme Bethel Meeting.  The Supreme Bethel Senior Princess, Heidi Stadnik, presided due to the passing of our Supreme Bethel Honored Queen, SusanAnn Holmes.  Heidi did a fantastic job.  Supreme Bethel Guardian, Janine Cooley, and Barbara Holmes, Susie's mom, did a really neat presentation about Susie's time as SBHQ.  It was funny, yet told of the love that Susie had for Job's Daughters.

Later, the selection of Supreme Bethel Officers was held. Ariana Priest of California was selected as the new Supreme Bethel Honored Queen.  Actually, Oklahoma was the first jurisdiction selected, but no one from that state had signed up for a Line Officer.  Missouri was honored to have three girls chosen as Supreme Representatives.  Beth Lynch was chosen as the Supreme Representative to Acre (Brazil), Cabrina Smith was chosen as the Supreme Representative to Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), and Andrea Flanery was chosen as the Supreme Representative to San Paolo (Brazil).  So all three of our representatives are to regions in Brazil.  In addition, Cabrina was the Supreme Representative to Rio Grande do Norte last year, so this is her second year in a row with Brazil, she just moved southward.  Congratulation to all of our Supreme Representatives.

Just before the closing ceremony, Barbara Holmes signed the Bible for Susie.  This was a very moving moment for everyone.  After that, the meeting closed, and everybody scattered for various functions.

I went to the Grands and Past Grands Luncheon.  As with the Men of Job Luncheon, the food was very good, and the company fantastic.  I was at a table with good friends from Kansas, Utah, and Illinois.  Following that, we all headed for the afternoon business session.  The session started with a presentation by Illinois and Utah about the 2003 Supreme Session in Chicago.  It was really good, and they were all dressed like people in Chicago from the 1920's.  They got us up to do the Charleston, and that was a blast.  They closed their presentation by singing and dancing to Chicago by Frank Sinatra.  Following that, it was on with the meeting.  We passed a lot of legislation, while a few things failed.  After that, I came back to the room, wrote this report, and posted yesterday's pictures from Supreme.  Then it was off to the Performing Arts Awards Ceremony and the Miss International Job's Daughter Pageant.

At the Performing Arts Ceremony, we were all happy as Kim Underwood received First Place in Tap Dance, and Third Place in Solo Signing.  Congratulations to her.  The Ritual Awards will be announced tomorrow evening.  Following the Awards Ceremony, the Miss International Job's Daughter Pageant was held.

What a great event.  The stage was beautiful, and all the contestants did a fantastic job.  We from Missouri were so excited when Beth Lynch was named as one of the 12 Semi-Finalists, and even more so when she was named as the Second Runner-Up.  What a great job by a fantastic young lady.  Way to go, Beth.  The new Miss International is Carmen Renee Wilson from Queensland, and the new Miss Congeniality is Irene Birbeck from the Carolinas.  Congratulations to all of the contestants, and a special thank you to Tracy Dahl and Alida Bican for a great year as Miss International and Miss Congeniality respectively.  Well, that's about it for tonight, I'll catch you later.  Bye for now.

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Friday, July 28

Good morning, folks.  Well, we got to sleep past 5:00 a.m.  We made it all the way to 6:30 a.m.  Then it was off to meetings.  Once again, several items came to the floor (more detailed reports on the legislation will be available when Mom Bunning makes her Supreme Session Report) and many committee reports were given.  The Supreme Elections started at 9:00 a.m., and all of the new Supreme Line Officers were elected.  Mom Judy Masters of Kansas will be the new Supreme Guardian, Dad Cub Jack of California will be the new Associate Supreme Guardian, Mom Vanessa Fowler of Australia will be the new Vice Grand Guardian, Dad Bill Walker will be the new Vice Associate Supreme Guardian, Mom Susan Mentel of Illinois will be the new Supreme Guide, and Dad David Moffitt will be the new Supreme Inner Guard.  Mom Shirley Bryngelson of Wyoming was elected as the new Supreme Marshal, and I had the honor of being elected as the new Supreme Outer Guard.  Thanks to everyone for their support, and I look forward to working with Mom Bryngleson.

The girls all went to the Royalty Luncheon this afternoon.  They had a great time, and said the food was really good.  Kim said that she finally had some Idaho potatoes in Idaho.  After the luncheon, they came back to the room and caught up on some rest.

Following the afternoon business session, most of the Missouri delegation went to the fountain in the courtyard by the hotel and we all dashed through the cold, and I mean cold, water.  It was a lot of fun, and everybody commented on those crazy Missouri folks.  Hey, we're just upholding our rep, right?  While the water was cold, the bricks around the fountain were really hot, and being the foot-sissy that I am, whoa, my dogs were barking.  We high-tailed it back to the hotel and to the room for a quick shower and then over to the awards ceremony.

The awards ceremony was really nice.  I will have a list of the Missouri awardees later in the day.  After that, the Supreme Bethel Installation was held, and we were all so happy when Beth, Cabrina, and Andie were installed as Supreme Bethel Representatives.  Ariana Priest was installed as the new Supreme Bethel Honored Queen.  Good luck to her as she travels around the world this year.  The Installation Ceremony was beautiful.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to show you.  Not because I didn't take any, I took about 60, but when I went to download them from the camera, being as sleep deprived as I am, I accidentally deleted them instead of saving them.  Oh, I was so mad, but what the heck.  I've been involved in worse disasters (Like my first time playing in a band in public.  We were so bad that the hosts of the party gave us extra money to go take some lessons).  Anyway, I will go begging for some pictures from the Installation, and hopefully I will get some to post.

Following the Installation, most of the Missouri delegation went to the Table Rock Restaurant to eat, while I went to a meeting for the new Supreme Officers (After stopping by the room to destroy my pictures, of course).  The meeting was very interesting, and I think we should have a fun year.  Mom Judy Masters and Dad Cub Jack have some great ideas and I look forward to seeing them implemented.

Following the meeting, I headed back to the room and ate my dinner that my daughter Kim had brought back from the restaurant.  What a sweetie to think of me that way.  Of course, I gave her the money to buy it and still haven't seen any change, but what the heck.  No, actually she did it on her own.  She's getting very conscientious in her old age (All of 19).

Well, that's about it for now.  I will try to gets some more pictures posted, and I will add an update a little later on Saturday.  Bye for now.

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Saturday, July 29

Got up about 6:00 this morning to head for the Farewell Breakfast.  Actually I hadn't planned on going, but last night as the Supreme Officers meeting, Mom Frakes came up and asked me if I was going to the breakfast.  I said no, and then she handed me her ticket and said, "You are now, I'm sleeping in!"  Well, I now had my marching orders, so I did go this morning, and I am glad I did.  The breakfast was excellent, and I sat with Mom Peggy Garvin of Idaho, some friends from Utah, and Mom Linda, Bruce and Mollie Petersen.  Peggy told some stories about the Piggs and Frogs.  These are two Idaho groups of Past Grands.  The women are the Piggs (Past Idaho Grand Guardians), and the men are the Frogs (Former Royalty of Grand Session).  They have a lot of fun, and always work hard for the girls.  After that I headed back here to update, and later, Kim and I went over to the Beanery for lunch.

Following lunch, Kim and I went to the Supreme Council Installation Rehearsal.  While this was not my first experience with one of these rehearsals (I was the Installing Musician for Mom Smiley and Dad Dinkmeyer), it was the first time as an officer.  The rehearsal went fairly smooth, although like all rehearsals a few unexpected snags came up.  Still, these were overcome in short order, and then we went back to the hotel to change and get right back to the Convention Center for pictures.

We had about an hour and a half to change and get back, so we were moving right along.  Even with both of us taking showers and getting into our formal duds, we made it back to the convention center for our 5:00 pictures.  The photographer really had his stuff together.  We formed lines, and while one group was posing, another was waiting, and yet a third was signing up for their next shot.  I think we took every combination of officers and escorts imaginable.  Then we sat for a while and waited for the Installation to begin.

We started around 7:30.  The ceremony was very beautiful, and our own Mom Marlene Frakes was the Installing Officer.  She and Jim Patterson, the Associate Installing Officer, did a great job.  In addition, Mom Judy Masters, our new Supreme Guardian, together with Dad Cub Jack, our new Associate Supreme Guardian, did a wonderful job of keeping things moving, and keeping their introductions rolling.  Both gave excellent speeches, and the Installation was over in about an hour and a half.  Following the Installation, we all posed for lots and lots of pictures.  It was quite an experience as Mom Bryngleson and I posed with the Wyoming and Missouri folks for shot after shot.  The Wyoming people are a really fun group, and I look forward to working with them.

Following the evening's activities, Kim and I went back to the hotel, had some pizza, and then packed.  Actually Kim did the packing while I hovered at that stage where you're really not awake, but really not asleep either, so I wasn't much help.  I finally gave up even pretending I was awake, and went to bed, while Kim finished up.  Thanks to her, or I would be packing now instead of writing this (it's early Sunday morning right now).  That's about it for now, and I'm going to pretend this was finished last night and say take it easy and bye for now.

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Sunday, July 30

Gee, it seems like I just finished updating yesterday's events and now I'm doing today's.  Isn't it funny how time flies when you are having fun.  Anyway, we are up and getting ready to roll.  I don't really have any pictures from today (we haven't done anything) so I've put up a couple of pictures from yesterday in this section.  In addition, when I get home, I have a lot of pictures to post, plus updates to the Supreme Bethel page as well as fixing my programming goofs on some of the pages I've added this week (late night updating can be a danger to your website), so be looking for them.

Okay, the bags are packed (thanks to Kim) and we are getting ready to head out the door.  This has been a fantastic Supreme Session (and would have been regardless of how my own electoral experience would have turned out).  The Idaho and Virginia people have worked really hard and put in some long hours in order to make this such a special session.  Our thanks and congratulations go to them for all of their efforts.  Congratulations to Mom Valerie Cooper and Dad John Smith for doing an outstanding job as Supreme Guardian and Associate Supreme Guardian respectively.  They have left some might big footprints for the rest of us in line to follow.

I would like to thank all of those who supported me in my try for Supreme Line.  There are too many to mention by name, and in doing so, I would undoubtedly leave someone out.  Let's just say that all of Missouri gave me so much love and support that it was overwhelming.  Thank you all so much, and I hope we all have some fun as we go up the line together.

There are three people who I must mention by name.  My wife Toni, whom I love so much, gave me her blessing, her love, and yes, a kick in the pants on a few occasions.  Even after being elected as Grand Marshal of Missouri, she still encouraged me to go for it.  It's gonna be wild for a few years, but what the heck, if you can't get wild over our fantastic Job's Daughters, who can you go wild over?  Also, my daughters Kim and Katie gave me their unconditional support.  Even after going though my Associate Grand Guardian experience where I was gone from home so much, they gave me their blessing to go for something that will have me away even more.  Thank you all so much.  Of course, maybe this is their way of saying, "Dad, go ahead and get out of the house and leave us alone."  Of course I'm joking, but hey, one never knows.

All joking aside, I would also like to thank all who have sent notes and congratulations.  Your kind words and support really mean a lot and I hope that I will be able to justify that support and do a good job for everyone.  I've enjoyed doing these updates, and I hope that it has given a little bit of the Supreme Session experience to those who were not able to attend.  Well, it's time to close this puppy up and head for the airport.  Take it easy and bye for now.

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Sunday and Monday Travel

Well folks, my Supreme Session Travel Curse struck big time.  After Kim and I went to the airport we were greeted with a line at the United Airlines desk that ran the entire length of that section of the terminal.  This was around 11:00 a.m.  It took us until 12:30 to get to the desk only to find out that we were not going to be able to get onto our original flight to St. Louis via Denver.  While they didn't tell us at the time, that flight was cancelled.  They transferred us to a United flight going to Chicago, and then a connecting TWA flight to St. Louis.  Okay, I could deal with that.  Of course when I looked at my ticket, the flight out of Boise was scheduled for 11:30 a.m.  I asked how could I make a flight that had already taken off.  I was informed that that flight was delayed, and would get off the ground at 2:30 p.m.  Alright, that's not too bad.  Of course it was a three hour plus flight to Chicago where our connecting flight would leave at 7:30.  Remember, we would be going East, so we would have to move our watches forward an hour, which would actually put us into Chicago somewhere around 6:30-6:45.  This would not leave a lot of time to traverse Chicago O'Hare airport (a huge airport as those who have been there can testify).  Still, we figured we could do it.  They took our bags, tagged them, and sent them down the conveyer belt.  We camped out at the gate from which the plane was to depart and visited with several other folks from Job's Daughters whose flights were delayed or cancelled.  It turns out that we would be on the same plane as some good friends from Michigan, including Rebekah VanDuinen, Michigan's Grand Bethel Senior Princess.  So we all sat together and waited.  As 2:30 approached and no announcement had been made about boarding the plane, I started to get that sinking feeling.  Yep, you guessed it, about 2:40 they announced that not only would the plane be delayed until 3:30, but that it would be leaving from a gate at the other end of the terminal.  Okay, we traipsed down to that gate, as I quickly figured that now we would be unable to make our connecting flight in Chicago.  I then got in line at the United desk at the gate, and finally got up to talk to the representative.  I told him about my re-routing, and asked him how would this delay affect my flight status.  He just shook his head and said, "Nope, you're not gonna make that flight."  I waited for what seemed to be several minutes waiting for his next words such as, "Let me help you make other arrangements" or words to that effect.  They were never forthcoming, so I very politely (or maybe not so politely) said, "Do something."  This aroused him from his lethargy, and he tapped on his computer for awhile and then said that there was a 10:30 flight to St. Louis from Chicago that he could transfer us to.  I agreed to that, and then we sat and waited again for the flight.  They started boarding around 3:45, and we finally got off the ground and were winging our way to Chicago.

The flight was fairly uneventful.  We landed around 9:45, said goodbye to our Michigan friends, and wonder of wonders discovered that the gate from which we were  to leave from was right next to the gate.  As it turns out, that was to be the highlight of our trip.  In addition, we had been rerouted back onto another United flight.  We noticed that there was nothing up regarding the flight at the gate.  This seemed unusual since it was to leave in about 45 minutes.  There was a representative there, and we quizzed her about the flight.  She said that it was delayed until 11:30 p.m.  That figured.  Okay, we went and once again camped out.  Pretty soon they announced that the flight would be further delayed until Midnight because they didn't have a pilot.  They were getting one in from Florida (I guess Florida is the location of the pilot store), but he was not there yet.  Well, now that we finally had some time on our hands (If that's not factious, I don't know what is), I went scouting in search of something to eat for Kim and I.  There were several restaurants in the concourse, but all were closed (I was starting to wonder if this was Chicago or Bugtussle).  Finally, about a mile down the terminal (I told you that O'Hare was a big airport) I found a McDonalds that was open.  I waited in line (a recurring theme throughout the day), and finally got our food.  I make the mile long trek back to our gate, and Kim and I hungrily devoured the food. We then settled back and awaited the next announcement about our flight.  It wasn't long in coming, but it wasn't the one we wanted.  Since the pilot store still had not delivered, the flight would be pushed back until 12:30 a.m.  Well, finally, the pilot arrived, and then they announced they were waiting for a flight attendant.  They didn't tell us where the flight attendant store was located, but it must have been closer than the pilot store, because not too long after that they started to board the plane.  We got on, settled in out seats, and then waited until about 1:30 to take off.  They didn't say what this delay was for, but by now we were used to waiting.

We landed in St. Louis about 2:30 a.m.  We went to the baggage carousel, and waited for our luggage.  Happy ending, right?  Not so fast.  Think back to the early part of this extremely long narrative.  Our original flight plan was to go from Boise to Denver to St. Louis, all on United.  Our next flight plan was from St. Louis to Chicago on United, then from Chicago to St. Louis on TWA.  Our final rerouting was from Boise to Chicago to St. Louis all on United.  Unfortunately, no one ever bothered to tell our luggage about all of the rerouting, so it didn't show up in St. Louis.  We checked both the United and TWA baggage claims, and no one seemed to have any knowledge of our luggage's whereabouts, so we made a claim with United, and then headed for home.  We got home about 4:30 a.m., and staggered to bed, only to have to be up at 7:00 for the days activities.  I had an appointment in the morning, and then a trip to Canton, Missouri to visit Culver Stockton College with my daughter Katie and my wife, Toni that afternoon and evening.  Since I had every stitch of clothing I owned in that luggage, my sartorial splendor was seriously hampered.  I was still wearing my traveling clothes when we went to Canton, and I seemed to notice that no one ever stood too close to me.  Oh well, we got home about 11:00 p.m., and wonder of wonders, the luggage had finally shown up.  I thank the baggage people for tracking it down and getting it to me, although I would rather have had to lug it home myself.  Oh well, It's all part of my Supreme Session Travel Curse.  That really about it for the trip.  Bye for now 

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