Trippin'

I got home Friday from my trip to Florida and am tired beyond words.  It is to be expected when you attempt to sleep on the floor of Chicago O'Hare and the floor buffing zamboni keeps you awake, but a week of fun and sun and walking to and fro can do that too.  Still, I don't want to get ahead of the story...

When we left home early last Saturday, our flight was first to Houston and then connected for a smaller flight to Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood.  The connecting flight was in a smaller jet, but the ride was smooth and comfortable until we got to FLH where it was raining and windy.  We were asked to circle for a while and the pilot did a good job.  I think we circled about an hour before we landed, and we were exceited to be able to start our vacation.

But then we were asked to stay on the plane because the fire alarm was tripped in the terminal and it was being evacuated.  We sat there, waiting to see what to do next, and grateful our luggage hadn't moved yet.  We probably sat another 30 minutes before the all clear and the culprit was determined to be burned popcorn.

Still, we were excited to arrive and begin our vacation!  We found out that our rental car was only supposed to be held for two hours and we were at two and a half when we got our baggage, so we had to scramble.  We had some trouble finding someone who could tell us where our rental company was located (off site) and how to get there (shuttle).  The shuttle driver told us it wasn't his fault if we didn't have a car because he couldn't help the plane was late.  Um, we didn't blame him but apparently others have in the past and he was a tad sensitive.  He did call ahead as he drove and handed the phone to us to sort out.  Our car was indeed gone but there was a nice, white minivan we could use for another $5 per day.  We took it.

I'm not a relaxed flyer, but I got through the initial travel day without too much angst.  Getting the car and driving to the condo, opening up the balcony, enjoying the fresh ocean air, all put me in a good vacay spot.  We had a good time exploring (although I think my sister was unprepared for the diversity and the teeming, weekend masses visiting the nearby Broadwalk--she didn't say it, but I got a sense).  We walked quite a bit because we sat so long on the plane, and of course there was shell gathering.

Throughout the week we shopped, ate (tons), walked, walked, walked, found  a Starbucks for wi-fi and another place with the best fried shrimp I've ever, ever, ever had.  We swam in the pool, walked in the ocean (I wasn't as brave without R) and soaked up sun and warmth.  The week before we left our weather was chilly and windy so fresh air and sun was guzzled like an iced tea.

There was a fancy schmancy outlet mall about 30 minutes away and we wandered for miles in there.  It had lots of high end outlets that my discount brain wouldn't recognize and then some of the more conventional ones.  It took some serious map reading to negotiate the place but we got the hang of it and managed to see everything we wanted to see.  It was flooded with people and the tourists all looked like me:  short, pale-ish, and wearing capris.  The natives who probably came from the tonier Ft. Lauderdale and Miami areas were all tall, tan, and dressed in less comfortable shoes.  According to my midwestern sensibility, there was too much walking to be wearing 4-inch platforms.  Hey, do you think that's why they all appeared  so tall?  Never put that together before...

So we had a great week and worked on Thursday to tidy up and close up the condo accordingly.  We were told that more time is required to get through the Ft. Lauderdale airport so we allowed extra time.  When we arrived our flight was pushed back a bit because of bad weather in Dallas/Ft. Worth, our connection before heading to Kansas City. The flight ahead of us hadn't left yet.  We wandered around a pretty dismal terminal with very little to do and even less to eat (but that doesn't mean it didn't cost more) and waited to leave.  The flight ahead of us finally boarded and left the terminal and maybe an hour later we boarded.  We found our seats and settled in for about ten minutes before we had to return to the terminal.  The weather was just too bad in Dallas and the flight was postponed again.  Then the people from the flight ahead of us returned -- they never got off the ground!  I don't remember how much time passed before we found out our flights were cancelled and we had to rebook.  (Turns out there were 70-mph winds and tornadoes in the Dallas area -- a good reason to skip that trip.)

We raced to a queue for the ticket counter, along with the couple of hundred other people who were on the flights.  My sister and I went to gather our checked luggage which took a while.  I had to check all of the tags because I couldn't remember what color my sister-in-law's bag was.  Well, we were in the line for the counter about three hours before it was our turn and then we insisted all four of us approach the counter at the same time because we were flying together.  It took a good 30 to 45 minutes but the agent found us a flight to Chicago that would arrive Thursday night but there was nothing to KC until Friday morning.  We took it and decided it would be silly to get a room where we would only spent a half dozen hours so we made the decision to sleep in the terminal.

I thought I was being so smart by pulling my little overnight bag out of my big suitcase so I had chargers and a toothbrush and a few other necessities, but I was in a rush to check my big bag again and failed to notice the small crockery flower pot I had purchased was still in my overnight bag.  Of course it weighed a ton and I carried that dang thing all around O'Hare.  I also nearly froze so I should have grabbed a pair of sock out of my suitcase.  I'm clearly not a savvy traveler.

My sister-in-law wanted to verify our ticket information but it was late, probably around 1:00 a.m. and there were few people at boarding counters in O'Hare.  We found a couple of people at one, and the man there was helping someone.  His co-worker, a blonde lady, was looking down when we approached.  Before we could say anything, she said through clenched teeth, "We are ABSOLUTEY...NOT....OPEN!"  We were stunned, but my sister-in-law recovered and said, "Can we just ask a question?"  The woman would not look up, and with a face ready to go ten rounds in the ring she just shook her head.  The head shake was not like she was saying no, but more like she was indicating "How can anyone be so stupid?"  Clearly she did not want to be there and had had a long day.  I guess our cancelled flight and redirection to a freezing terminal in the middle of the night was a cakewalk.  Sorry to trouble you.

Anyhoo, a long night of sleeping in five to ten-minute increments in the most uncomfortable positions made me pretty travel ugly.  I think if I summed up my sleep it might have totaled an hour.  We grabbed some breakfast (way more choices in Chicago) and waited for our flight.  It was delayed because the crew had not yet arrived due to a delay in their previous flight.  Sigh.  When we saw their plane land and they walked through the terminal to board our plane and begin their pre-flight checks, I thought they looked a little travel ugly too.

Still, we took off a good hour and a half late but we were all together.  We got home in one piece, with wonderful memories of sun and sand and lots of shells.  I know a lot of this post is about the travel time, but it was so crazy I had to get it written down.  The vacation was great.

And so is home.  No place like it.