Our end of project banquet was a "tacky prom" so this meant we were all supposed to have gone out to a thrift store and purchased a tacky outfit. I did not have the resources to go out and get something, so I just ended up in a dress I'd brought with me. It was a lot of fun, and our emcees were absolutely hilarious! Everyone was dancing to crazy music and waiting for their turns to jump in line for dinner...which was an adventure in itself. I was definitely not expecting for the goodbyes at the end to be as tearful as they were. I was glad to be on my way home, but not glad to be leaving some of the people from project.
We spent Thursday night at Mia's house in Littleton, and it was so nice to sleep in a bed that was not in a dorm. It was wonderful to have breakfast (which I'd pretty much given up on by about the third week of project) and to spend a morning not having to feel rushed about getting to work on time. Brooke and Joe left for Colorado Springs and Salt Lake City shortly after breakfast, and I spent the morning with Mia packing and repacking my bags to make sure everything was going to fit.
The board showing my delayed flight to PDX
When I got to the airport in Denver, I was 5 hours early for my flight. And, I didn't know this, but you can't check bags prior to 4 hours before leaving...so...I was sitting in the airport reading for just over an hour, waiting for my turn to check baggage for the flight home. When I was finally able to check my luggage, I was informed that my flight from DIA to Las Vegas had been delayed enough that I wouldn't be able to make the connection flight (the last one of the day) to Portland. I was placed on standby for an earlier flight, in hopes that I would not have to spend the night in Vegas.
I didn't think I'd be able to get on the earlier flight because it was completely sold out, but Lo and Behold, about 5 minutes prior to departure, my name was called and I got one of the very last open seats on the plane. Thankfully we landed in Vegas without a problem, and I was able to get to the right gate for the flight to Portland, which was supposed to depart at 9:40pm.
It didn't.
I found out when I got there that the flight had been delayed 15 minutes. Not a big deal, right? Right. Then, as I was waiting for the call to board, an announcement came on stating that we would not be leaving until 10:30pm, putting us in to Portland at 12:30am. This was not part of the original plan. I was supposed to be home 10 minutes before my sister's 16th birthday, but unfortunately, it was much later. The flight did leave around 10:30 from Vegas without any further delays, thank goodness.
I know it may not sound as bad as some other airport stories you may have heard (or experienced), but after 7 weeks in another state and only two weeks in between a 7 month absence and a 7 week absence, I was ready to be home, and exhausted from travel, so this experience was definitely unexpected, but a lesson in patience and flexibility.
Carissa's birthday was great, we spent the day in Lincoln City at the beach and outlet stores, which was really fun. I'm so glad that she got to have a great day, and we've continued to celebrate through today and possibly even tomorrow. It's been great being home, though not very relaxing...yet. We'll see how things continue. :-)
I didn't think I'd be able to get on the earlier flight because it was completely sold out, but Lo and Behold, about 5 minutes prior to departure, my name was called and I got one of the very last open seats on the plane. Thankfully we landed in Vegas without a problem, and I was able to get to the right gate for the flight to Portland, which was supposed to depart at 9:40pm.
It didn't.
I found out when I got there that the flight had been delayed 15 minutes. Not a big deal, right? Right. Then, as I was waiting for the call to board, an announcement came on stating that we would not be leaving until 10:30pm, putting us in to Portland at 12:30am. This was not part of the original plan. I was supposed to be home 10 minutes before my sister's 16th birthday, but unfortunately, it was much later. The flight did leave around 10:30 from Vegas without any further delays, thank goodness.
I know it may not sound as bad as some other airport stories you may have heard (or experienced), but after 7 weeks in another state and only two weeks in between a 7 month absence and a 7 week absence, I was ready to be home, and exhausted from travel, so this experience was definitely unexpected, but a lesson in patience and flexibility.
Carissa's birthday was great, we spent the day in Lincoln City at the beach and outlet stores, which was really fun. I'm so glad that she got to have a great day, and we've continued to celebrate through today and possibly even tomorrow. It's been great being home, though not very relaxing...yet. We'll see how things continue. :-)
