Flying is always a challenge. And if you are Lauren Nelson, Miss America 2007, and you travel 20,000 miles a month, getting delayed or missing a connection just goes with the territory. So when we arrived late last night into Tallahassee, we discovered Lauren's suitcases didn't make the trip with us. The airline (who will go nameless and blameless right now) had no idea where the bags were. Dejected, we went over to our hotel where emergency supplies were rounded up, so that at least Lauren could have a reasonably good night's rest before today's flurry of media events in honor of Tallahassee's Mayor declaring today as Cyber Security Awareness Day.
In the morning, with no bags still in sight, Lauren went to a local radio station for her first interview of the day. She mentioned (off the air) that her bags hadn't arrived yet, and the radio host made it into an on-air discussion. And they in turn called the Mayor's office to ask for his help! It all sounds kind of silly, typical of a morning "zoo" style radio station but not likely to get any action on finding those missing suitcases. But you don't know Mayor John Marks of Tallahassee! He and his team dove into SWAT style action determined to find those missing bags!
I don't know what magic spell he conjured or political promises he had to make, but lo and behold, Mayor Marks arrived at today's Cyber Security Awareness Day events pulling Lauren's purple suitcase behind him!! He and his team of mayoral detectives managed to locate and obtain all four missing bags. He certainly saved the day for Lauren! And we had a nice laugh thanking him for doing his part, not only to educate the public about the importance of protecting our computers and personal information, but also in restoring Lauren and her belongings.