“How are you planning to leave Texarkana?” asked the staff member. She continued, “By bus, car, or plane?” While I suspected a plane would be my best option, I replied that I really didn’t know what mode of transportation I would be using. The staff member offered to look up the various options. If I chose the 30+ hour bus option, the Bureau of Prisons would cover the expenses of the ticket and meals. The car option would require an approved family member picking me up and dropping me off at the halfway house, but all expenses would have to be covered by the family member. The final option of leaving by plane would require a family member purchasing the approved plane ticket and snail mailing a copy of the confirmation receipt. The staff member gave me a few days to make the decision. Many inmates chose to take the bus, but many inmates are regional to their prison of incarceration. For me, the bus would be the last option.
I figured that an airplane would probably be the best option, but from which airport? Texarkana’s airport is a small regional one with very few flight options and about 15 minutes from the prison. Shreveport’s (Louisiana) airport is much larger with more flights but over an hour from the prison. The final option would be commuting to Dallas/Fort Worth airport, which is a hub and nearly endless options for flight – yikes, about 3 hours from the prison. After surveying all these options, the staff member indicated that the best flight option would be on American Airlines from Texarkana to Dallas/Fort Worth to Baltimore/Washington International.
After the meeting dismissed, I sent a few emails to see what options might be viable. Surely, I could not ask for a family member to pick me up. While they offered to make the laborious road trip, I tried to talk them out of it. The roundtrip from DC to Texarkana would take almost 50 hours of straight driving without breaks. Thus, my family chose for me by generously and immediately purchasing the airline ticket (Texarkana/Dallas/Baltimore) and mailing it certified to the prison (THANK YOU, Mom and Tiffany for weeding through these details and generously making the final arrangements possible)! When I received an emailed copy of the flight confirmation, I began to really process the reality that I would finally be leaving federal prison! I hadn’t thought much about how I would physically leave prison, but I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to make a choice and welcome any pangs of coordinating these logistics.
With the government shutdown, I am hoping that air traffic control will be functioning smoothly in all the airports so that I will be able to report in-person to the halfway house within the allotted time. On Wednesday morning, the prison will designate a driver to drop me off at the Texarkana airport, and by mid-afternoon I’ll be checking into the Baltimore halfway house. As my incarceration time finally dwindles, I will share one last post from prison! I am so very excited, but more importantly, so very grateful to you all for the prayers and support over these nearly three years. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful week…and continue to be mindful of any little miracle in your life 🙂