It's been crazy! I haven't done much travelling for the last few years, but in the last six months, I've been to Wisconsin three times, we went to California for several days and I've made a couple jaunts down to Utah. More excursions to Utah are expected as we transition Kid 1 to living on her own this summer when she moves out to go to college next month. She already has keys for her new apartment.
The best part of her going to Utah is that I don't have to fly to get there. You might recall my Delta Blues back in February when I tried to fly back for my Dad's funeral. Wariness of flying Delta combined with a better price had me flying with United this time.
It didn't help.
The leg to Milwaukee went relatively smoothly, but the snow storm in Denver over the weekend, combined with yet another mechanical delay, caused me to miss my connection back home to Idaho by about 2 minutes --this after running full tilt with my backpack and dragging a carry-on through the terminal from Gate 41 all the way to Gate 91 in hopes of catching my flight. (FYI--it was a long run and included a flight of stairs!) It was so frustrating watching my plane sit at the gate for another 10 minutes while the crew prepared for take off but to not be allowed to get on.
The next available flight wasn't until 3 pm the next day, but the mechanical delay scored me a free night at the Gateway Marriott--a very nice hotel with a quality exercise room and an excellent weekend buffet. I took advantage of the hot tub to relax after my airport sprint. United also presented me with two $7 meal vouchers that were good at both the hotel and any airport food vendor.
The United worker who re-booked me suggested that I arrive early in the morning to try for a stand-by seat on the fully booked 11 am flight. With all the delays and cancellations from the storm, she thought it likely that a seat may become available. That was exactly what happened. That flight got me home five hours earlier and allowed me to spend more of Mother's Day with my family. It was so nice to have something go right on my travels!
My sister sent me the following texts:
I'm never going to fly with you.
Ever.
Sigh.