Randman's World

Many of you may not know the story of how we met Noemi (pictured above, with her son, Simon), and the wonderful thing she did for our family. When I was going to fly to Russia on my first trip to meet Charlie, the tickets were extremely pricey. I had called for an "adoption rate", and was told (mistakenly) that it could only be booked at the airport counter. So, I went to the airport, and eventually met Noemi, who was a representative at the Delta counter. I told her what I was doing, and she worked for an hour trying to get a less expensive flight, including trying to use my miles, etc., but with no luck. Finally, I bought the expensive ticket.

Later that day, Noemi called and offered a buddy pass for me to fly to Moscow. That's a free ticket, folks. Why? She loves kids, and wanted to help us bring Charlie home, and hated that I had to spend that much money. So, not only did I get a free flight, it was a business class flight to and from Moscow. Even during my problems in Moscow when the flight was cancelled, Noemi was on the phone with Kim, explaining what had happened, and trying to find a way to get me home. Then, while I was in JFK in New York, and the New York ticketing agent wouldn't help me get listed on a 2nd flight, Noemi got me listed for the flight from Kansas City. While talking with a Delta pilot, who was trying to get on the same flight, he said, "It must be nice to have a guardian angel on your side".

Then, on the flight that Kim and I took, Noemi was there again with the buddy pass. So, business class again from KC to Moscow. She tried to work her magic on the flight back, but it just wasn't to be (plus, we were really tired, and didn't want to wait another day), but she tried so hard. There is no way to express how much she meant to us in these flights, the money we saved, and the upgrades to business class.

Noemi has moved on from Delta to another more secure job, but she will always be an important part of our adoption story.