Isn't Love Ironic?

Allow me to turn back time a bit to re-cap for my own sake some trips we've taken. The trip we made in February was quite an ironic one. . .


Kyle had plans to go to Utah on business and just prior to leaving for that one, he would have just gotten back from a business trip to Boise. He realized his trip to Utah would force him to be gone on Valentine's Day. He said without blinking that I should come out and join him and we could leave a day before V-Day so we could enjoy the holiday together. Sweet, isn't he? We don't have any particular traditions, but we've always done something to celebrate whether it be watching Kyle play soccer (very romantic) or eating sushi somewhere (almost as romantic---ewww). After some thought, it made more sense for Kyle to blend the two trips together and have me meet him in Utah the day before Valentine's Day. Ha ha. Kind of like Sleepless in Seattle. And get this--- Gramma and Grampa "Berry" offered to watch Cade in Boise while Daddy-o worked. That's when the amazing Kitchen and Bedroom transformation took place. (see blog "I Have Arrived" for details).


After a relaxing and productive week with little Savvy, I woke up on Feb 13th to snow, snow, and more snow. My flight was cancelled so I rebooked for a later one that day hoping the weather would let up long enough for my plane to leave. My friends Jared and Jodie were conveniently in the same predicament and on the same flight. Thanks to Jared's skillful driving and his robust Land Cruiser, we made it to the Chicago airport as the snow storm continued. Our flight kept getting delayed (key word here) so we stopped at a restaurant to eat, passing time.

After the restaurant we headed to the skycap counter. We were told the airport was closed. We were told by a pilot there was no way any flights would leave that night. But our flight was still just delayed, not cancelled. After making a few loops to the drop off counter to see what other stories the aviation industry could conjure up, I called Kyle and he booked me a hotel online so if my flight ended up being cancelled, I could stay the night by the airport and fly out the next day. En route to the hotel I spoke with a customer service rep for the airline (i bet you're dying to know which one) urging me to wait it out at the airport. So, like good friends would, Jared turns his Cruiser around and drops us off at the airport and finds parking. So far the flight was still delayed and planes were finally taking off at the airport. We checked our luggage and found the gate. After 1,2,3 hours of waiting we were finally told our plane and pilot to get us out of there was arriving and our flight to Utah would take off a little after 1am. Keep in mind the original flight was to leave at 12:20pm.


During this game of musical chairs (we also got sent to 2 more gates) Savannah was a champ and provedto be a great travel companion. Words cannot describe the joy that overcame me when I saw our plane land and pull up to our gate. Passengers de-boarded the plane. We got in line to board. The airline employee came to the front of the gate and announced, "I'm sorry, but your flight has been cancelled."

Yes, after all that, it was decided to cancel the flight. Why? Because the pilot had flown his maximum possible hours and would not be able to fly us to SLC. Why the aviation mathematicians were not able to add up these numbers prior to our lining up eagerly at the gate after a long night of waiting, I will never know.....


So Savvy and I spent the night in the airport (by that point it was to late to go to the hotel that we paid for already to get more than 30 minutes of rest) and got on the earliest flight to SL the next morning. Or, I guess I should say, that same morning. I arrived to Utah on February 14th in a daze. All I could think about was curling up in a dark room and sleeping for 14 hours. Unfortunately I couldn't shut the door and sleep. Kyle had to work and I had the chilluns. Dangit. It is inmoments such as then that I wish I could just turn in my mom keys and take a break. Somehow I managed to keep from falling asleep (crazy glue on the eyelids works great)and I was able to spend the evening with my Valentine in a weary haze. All in the name of spending Valentine's Day together.


The efforts to lift my spirits didn't go unnoticed. At the airport Cade presented me with a little box of chocolates and shouted "Dis is your Balentine!" That was precious. Kyle had a boquet of beautiful roses waiting for me at my parents' home. And Melody planned a great party complete with a pizza making contest and chocolate fountain.

The rest of my time in Utah was kind of a blur as I never really caught up on my sleep. I did get to finish the trip with a fantastic evening at my favorite Provo hot spot--- quite possibly the best way on earth to sooth your nerves....

.....painting pottery amongst great company.