That Was Close...

So, that might have been the closest I’ve been to missing a flight thus far....

This is what happened: I HATE PACKING!!! I know, I shouldn’t have any trouble with it at this point and should really be pretty good at it since I pack at least once a month, but I suck at it! I wait until the very last minute and always end up staying up really late to finish. Last night was no exception. I actually did relatively well at leaving work at a reasonable hour (7). I did some last minute shopping, of course, and then headed home to get started... somehow I finally finished at 4:30am (yep - that’s right). I ended up cleaning my room and organizing stuff while I packed so that when I come home it’s not crazy. Then I set my alarm for 6:45 so I could shower and be ready when Joe came at 7:30.

I grabbed my phone to turn off the alarm and it said 7:45... What - that must be wrong, it has to be wrong!!! I looked and apparently had missed a call from Joe at 7:28 - with that proof I knew the time must actually be 7:45. Oh CRAP!!! Even with an extra hour of sleep my brain was still very tired; instead of calling Joe immediately I hopped in the shower, even though I knew I didn’t have time to wash and dry my hair I wasn’t about to spend 14 hours traveling and go straight to the Tour de France without having at least showered. As I got out I called Joe and was relieved he and Steve hadn’t actually left me, at this point I figured I be in my own car chasing them to SLC - I was going to make it to Paris! They were at Steve’s and would come back for me. I brushed my teeth, combed my really gross hair, and got dressed. I figured if we left by 8 we could be there by 8:45 - definitely not the 2 hours they suggest before international travel (10am departure), but still doable. I impressed myself by being totally ready to go at just a minute past 8. We had made it on the road, but would we make it to the flight....

Traffic was light, since it was Saturday morning, and Joe drove like a banshee. We made it to the Park-n-Jet and the van picked us up. He did one more round picking up this really slow couple. Finally we arrived at the terminal. Luckily with medallion status we didn’t have to wait to check in and we got to pass up the 30 minute lines in security too. We were checked in and headed to security when I had been up for barely an hour - way to go us! We actually even had time to get a breakfast wrap before we walked right onto the flight. Ended up being a great morning! I got upgraded to first class and after eating my delicious salad and fruit I literally passed out until the final descent. You know you slept a lot when the stewardess comments on it as you exit the flight.

I need to say something here - I also hate spending too much time at the airport! This sometimes frustrates those I travel with. Although this morning was not what I had planned, and had a little too much margin for error, I still prefer it when I get checked in, have time to grab some food and then get to head right on to the plane. I don’t like to run (although in trying to balance this I’ve had to do that a lot), but I detest sitting in an airport for hours on end. It feels like the biggest waste of time to me. I would rather do anything else then wait in the airport! I guess time can be good.... it can be used for blogging and finalizing rooms in Croatia. That said, I apologize to those that travel with me, but honestly at this point I’m really good at determining pretty accurately how much time will be needed so that the experience is as short and sweet as possible :) - and hopefully no running involved, but I make no guarantees.... take note though - I have never missed a flights so far, knock on wood (I have however been the last one to board a few times). Happy Travels! See you in Paris at the podium :)