Sunset Saunter


Sunset Saunter sm


No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.
~Lin Yutang~



Aaaahhhh.......it's so nice to be fully immersed into my o so familiar surroundings that I missed a whole lot more than I thought I would. We had a very tough time making it back home, which in the end, made the reunion that much sweeter. I'll go ahead and get all of the ghastly details out of the way before I begin to chronicle our vacation.

The most adverse obstacle to overcome was the sad fact that I became sick on Monday.......and it's still with me! It started with a sore throat, then proceeded with a stuffy, and runny nose, but worst of all has been the congestion, and coughing (especially when it is non-stop at night). It's been such a long time since I have been sick, all for it to happen when we're on our vacation - I was a trooper though.

Tuesday was one long rest day, I couldn't really cope and just wanted to sleep it off since I was feeling so drained. That was the only "wasted" day; from that day on we didn't let it stop us from seeing and doing the fabulous activities originally planned. However, we didn't get to do everything, but that was to be expected.

We were supposed to get home last night, but good ole' American Airlines dropped the ball on that desire. Our flight from San Jose, CA was running late to begin with, which made for a really tight connection when we landed in Fort Worth, TX. As fast as we could get off the plane, we were ready to run since we only had about 10 minutes to make it to the other terminal.......as soon as we deplaned a lady with a list advised us that our plane was already GONE!! For once a plane actually leaves ON TIME!!

We went up to the desk to determine what options were available, but the snide and unhelpful counter person wasn't very congenial. We were dumbfounded to be told that, "There were no more flights going to Greensboro, NC until tomorrow morning.", TOMORROW MORNING!! But they could get us to Charlotte, NC?!?!? Um, our car is in Greensboro......how the heck is that going to help anybody?! Cody said, "I bet they could also get us to Albuquerque too, but that wouldn't help us out either!" Mr. Comedy Relief at your service - he's too funny.

The only thing she offered us was a voucher for a discounted rate of $45.00 at the La Quinta Inn, or a cot if we wanted to sleep in the terminal.....WOW.....way to go American Airlines lady, thanks a bunch!? After the unpleasant encounter, we trudged on, mad, and unsatisfied to the new terminal in which we would be leaving from the next morning. Once there, Cody, being the exceptionally remarkable partner he is, took it upon himself to do some damage control. Long story short, he came back about 15 minutes later with a smile on his face. What he accomplished was truly extraordinary, in his persistence he found a more compassionate American Airlines employee who actually helped us! And believe it or not, he was toting even better vouchers that the other lady said wasn't possible to get, and wasn't willing to let go of. Cody singlehandedly got us a FREE hotel room, and a $20.00 food voucher!!!! Isn't he AWESOME......thanks babe :o)

Before this gets too long, I'll wrap it up. The flight home was not that great for me, flying when you're sick is the WORST! Oh, and I hate to leave it on a gross note, but I blew chunks on our descent because of the congestion and pressure and whatever else was contributing to my nausea; thankfully it was a really small plane, and there were some really nice people sitting around me. Cody came through yet again with a barf bag, and cool, wet cloth for my forehead - I'm such a lucky girl. I even got to sleep on the car ride home.....

Boy am I glad to be home!!!

10 comments:

  1. Aw, sucks that you were sick. :( I'm glad Cody is so awesome though.

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  2. it does bug you when you get bugs. sorry. hope you get over it soon

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  3. Way to go Cody! A very cool dude. I hope you are feeling better.

    And thank you for your comments of support for my Broad Street Run.

    I'm looking forward to your next postings.

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  4. eeeewww! that is my worst nightmare... to have a passenger close to me vomit on a flight. I swear it's contagious :-o

    *eeek!*

    your sunset photo is gorgeous and i'm happy you're home safe and sound. in one word, how would you describe the California coast?

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  5. Prin: It does suck, I still feel bleh and I've got to go back to work tomorrow :(

    POD: Me too...

    Dan: He is the best :o) Your welcome!

    TD: I was pretty embarrassed....I would probably be gagging if it were someone else next to me! Thank you about the photo :)
    I have one word that immediately came to mind......I'll put it in my next post - thanks for the thought provoking question!!

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  6. Argh, that stinks! I am so glad you are home safely too. And weird, I caught the exact same thing on Monday, but I was out East. Same symptoms though, and I am still hacking up phlegm. And yeah, flying while sick sucks. What you went through to get home is awful! Welcome home!

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  7. Glad to hear you made it back home safely. I can totally relate about being away from home. I went to Ireland last October, and as much as I had planned and looked forward to it, once I was there, I missed home and my family dearly (it was my first trip away from my husband and girls). Don't get me wrong, I had an amazing time on vacation, it's just deep inside, I felt such a deep ache.

    The quote you started out with says it all.

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  8. Great pictures. Isn't it nice to be back home though. :)

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  9. First, love the picture! Yuck on the vomit, I don't get sick on planes I just cry like a baby cause I hate flying. Really cool about the room and voucher, nice work to Cody.

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  10. Rebecca: Now that I'm back, and seeing all the other people who are sick, I'm thinking that maybe I caught the virus BEFORE I left!?!?!

    meridith: That quote was definitely fitting to how I felt. I think I was so ready to come home because I was sick, otherwise I may have been content to stay longer :o) Although I do like being back HOME.

    greg: Thanks, I'm with you there!

    joeprah: Tell me about it, I have not felt sick on a plane before that day, I'm hoping that it was only because I was actually sick?!?! I like flying, but I am a newbie :o) Thanks about the photo! Cody's the man!

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