View from First Class of a new Embraer 175
Hello loyal blog readers… Can you believe it? No post in 4 days? It’s unheard of! Saying I was “busy” in Utah is an understatement, but here is the review of my trip. You be the judge.
Wednesday:
Visit with dad at Aspen Ridge
Drive up to Bountiful to see Cola and the kids
Drive to SLC airport to pick up Taylor
Lunch at Costa Visa (with unlimited Horchata refills)
30 min nap
Dinner at Cheesecake Factory with Uncle Grant
Another visit with dad
Hung out with John and April
Thursday: Quick visit to my favorite Nurse Practitioner (who neglected patients for 30 min to chat)
Went to Bishop’s Storehouse for my family for necessities, and picked up a few extras at Harmons (like root beer, tortilla chips, pop tarts, Grandma Sycamore bread, and ingredients for Taylor’s salsa)
Went to the Sports Mall and a few other parks to look for MHS reunion sites
Shopped for a baby gift for Nathanael and some work clothes
Visited with the whole Bytheway clan
Ate Dinner at Cafe Rio (free meal!) while Mary was working
Visited with mom and dad at Aspen Ridge
Met up with Esther after Viva Voce (and chatted with a few old choirmates in the process)
Friday: Did an hour of homework
Went to Park City with Emily (outlet shopping!)
Had Lunch at Hires Big H
Attended the private concert in my dad’s room by Nathan McEuen
Went to Cedars of Lebanon with Taylor, Rosie, Mary, Jacob, Andi, Lola and Jeanne
Went to the Tavernacle with Jeanne, and for the first time was unimpressed
Attended the Flash Cabbage and Nathan McEuen concert at New Song Church
Arrived home at 12:30 am
Saturday: Woke up at 4:00 am (yes, I only got 3 hours of sleep)
Packed luggage, headed to the airport, and got bumped from the 6:00 am and 8:20 am flights
Got picked up from the airport and visited with Linda and Corinn for a few hours
Tried to get on the 2:10 pm flight, but again was unsuccessful
Looked into my options back to Detroit, and was mentally preparing for the worst
Endured a tired, teary-eyed panic attack in front of a NWA gate agent
Did the happy dance when said NWA gate agent had mercy on me, bent the rules, and confirmed seat assignments for Rosie and I on the 5:55 pm flight…IN FIRST CLASS
Ate mediocre airport food, tried to nap, and played games on the computer with Rosie
Enjoyed our two hour flight to Minneapolis in First Class of a comfy new Embraer 175
Arrived at MSP, ran across the airport, begged with a gate agent, and miraculously got seat assignments on the last flight of the night to Detroit
Was stranded with no ride and no keys, and was forced to stay at a hotel till Taylor got off his high-speed at 8:00 am
Sweet-talked the hotel employee to give us the crew rate for the hotel ($32.95) if Taylor showed his employee badge upon check-out
Crashed into the hotel bed at 2:15 am
The scariest part of my Saturday airport fiasco was finding out that the all the MSP-DTW flights until Tuesday were full, including connections at Chicago, Grand Rapids and Indianapolis. Even with the airline discount, confirmed seats for Rosie and I would be $750 each!!! We had prepared for the worst, including a rental car and a 14 hour drive back to Detroit. Luckily, we got on that last flight and didn’t have to drive. And it’s a good thing, because I’m running a fever again today with swollen tonsils, and I start my new job tomorrow. Never a dull moment!