Jadon turned 15 one week ago. I didn't post anything about him on the very day of his birthday because he was in Atlanta, Georgia. About a month ago, my brother, Paul, told me that he had some extra tickets to a Braves game that was on July 18th. Paul was going to be in Atlanta for work so he said Jadon could stay with him. I was so excited because Jadon has always talked about going to a major league baseball game. I talked to a friend of ours who works for Delta and arranged to get two buddy passes. I decided I wanted Jaxon to go with him. I REALLY wanted to go too but knew that Jaxon might not get a chance like this again. On the Monday before his birthday, at dinner, we told him that he was going to a Braves game for his birthday and he was leaving that night. He was pretty surprised at first and got more and more excited as he was packing to leave.
Since they had buddy passes, they had to fly standby. They were scheduled to go on the flight that left at 12:50 am. We left for the airport just before 10:00 p.m. When we got to the airport Jadon and Jaxon were excited and acting really silly. When we were checking in, they were weighing themselves on the scale that you weigh your luggage on. The Delta employee was pretty annoyed with him. They didn't care. So, after we were all checked in, we sat and waited. We kept watching the screen that said what # of standby passengers they were. As it got closer to the time to board, Jadon was getting a little nervous about making it on the flight. Finally, we looked up at the screen and their names were moved from the standby list to the passengers to board list. They both got very excited and Jaxon screamed. It was like Christmas morning. So I sent them on a plane, by themselves, and went home.
I sent my camera with Jadon so he could take pictures and tell me all about his trip. This was taken from the window of their hotel. They spent a lot of time in the hotel while Paul was at work. They went swimming and even took their baseball mits in the water to play catch. They walked to Arby's for lunch one day and watched a lot of TV.
It was finally Thursday, the day of the game. When they got there it was pouring and there was a rain delay that lasted over an hour. They were texting me and telling me this. I was getting worried that they wouldn't be able to have a game and the trip would be a waste. I was glad to finally hear that they removed the tarp from the field and the game was going to start.
Jadon would text me throughout the game letting me know what was happening.
It turned out to be a very exciting game. It was tied for several innings and then the Braves were down 3-1. One of the braves players hit a two run homerun to tie the game again. This all happened in the 10th inning. They actually went into an 11th inning but ended up losing. Jadon said it was a very exciting game and loved it. During the game, my friend that got the buddy passes for them, let me know that the flight they were scheduled to come home on, the next morning, was suddenly overbooked and the chances of them coming home weren't very good. So while Jadon was having a blast at the game, I was at home worried about how I was going to get them home. They called me after the game was over, which was after midnight eastern time, and they were all way pumped up and very excited. I let them know that they were probably going to be in Atlanta longer than they thought. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night because I was worried about them coming home. They were suppose to be on an 8:30 am flight. They went to the airport but didn't get on that flight, or the next one. The flight attendants told them there wasn't much chance they would make it on any flights the rest of the day. So Paul took them to the hotel and he went to work. My friend didn't think there was much of a chance that they would get on any flights on Friday either and their best bet was going to be Saturday morning. I just wanted my boys to come home!
Since they knew they weren't coming home, and Paul had finished all his work, they went to a place in GA called stone mountain and went on a sky hike. This was their 3rd attempt to go to this place and they finally made it in. Jadon and Jaxon both said it was a lot of fun. Paul and I decided that they should go to the airport after that and at least try and get on the last flight of the night at 9:40. It didn't look very good and we decided that if they didn't make that flight, they would bag trying it on Friday and wait until Saturday morning. It was 7:40 at home and I hadn't heard anything from them. I assumed they didn't make it on the flight. At 7:45 (5 minutes after the flight was suppose to leave) I texted Paul for an update. He said the people were still boarding and they were still waiting. I had no hope of them getting on that flight. About 5 minutes later, Jadon called to tell me that they made it and were the last 3 people on the plane. I didn't believe him! While I was talking to him, our Delta friend called and told me they made it on the plane. I still couldn't believe it! I was so relieved and happy that my boys were coming home! I found out the next day that two people gave up their seats for my boys. All those prayers must have worked. When Jadon and Jaxon got home, I asked them if all the boredom in the hotel and all the waiting at the airport was worth it. They said for sure! I asked Jadon if he would fly standby again and he said yes. I'm so glad that they had this oppurtunity. Jadon deserved to have such a good birthday. He's such a great kid and I am so thankful to have him. He continually tries to do what's right and is such a huge support to me. He has had such a great summer. He went to Lake Powell, EFY, Georgia and he is now on Pioneer Trek. I really miss seeing him every day and not being able to communicate with him. I hope that he and I always have the close relationship that we do now. He is one of my best friends and I love him so much! Happy Birthday Jadon.
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