It was quite the day to get here!
This morning my alarm went off at 4:30am, unfortunately I was already awake and had been most of the night:(. My mom and I were ready to be on the road by 5am, but my diva dad took longer. Who knew he took so long to get ready?!?!
It was out the door for the long drive to the airport. I know now why people would fall asleep driving! At home, I’ve always wondered how that is possible as you’re always having to turn a corner or go up a hill, but in Arizona you just drive straight forever!!!!
The sunrise was gorgeous, but of course, I didn’t manage to get a picture:(. There was one spot that was so beautiful- the entrance into a housing development that had tons of palm trees and their trunks were wrapped in white lights. With the sunrise right behind them, it was spectacular!
I ended up being at the airport about three hours and forty five minutes early. We could have left at 5:45am like my mom and I wanted to, but I guess it was a good thing. I walked in and the place was crazy. Not only did you have all the people returning from holidays, but then I guess there were a lot of flights delayed, cancelled or changed yesterday because of the weather and today was the fallout from that! I was glad that I had no time worries as I was standing in a security line up forever!! I don’t even know why I had to stand there in the first place because I have Nexus!!! That is supposed to bypass me from the lines in both the US and Canada, but so far I have only found it works in Canada:(. In addition, everywhere you look they have signs that they are the friendliest airport in America, but they aren’t!!!! Everyone who worked there that I interacted with was gruff, rude, impatient and just downright unpleasant!! They need to look up in the dictionary what friendly means!!!
I was so early at the gate that I got to talk to a woman who was leaving from that gate going to Des Moins. I don’t know how I attract people talking to me?!?! I was just sitting there reading blogs while I had wifi and suddenly I heard all about her granddaughter’s Christmas wedding on the beach in California and how she then went to San Diego to see her daughter and then back to Monterey. I heard about her delayed flights yesterday and how she had to stay overnight unexpectedly without her luggage. She seemed a very nice lady and definitely made the time go faster.
I finally got into the plane. I have never seen people rush to get into a plane before! We all have assigned seats people, you don’t need to rush!! I had exactly the same seat as when I went down, 18A. The coolest thing was that I was the first in my row and it was so much easier to get myself organized with all that room to move!! I ended up beside a lady from Maryland who was visiting Whistler for the first time (a local ski area), and a young college student who was visiting her best friend at our local university. She’d had quite the experience trying to get there and was three days later than planned! She was from New York but went to school in Maine and was heading out this coming Sunday for a semester in Ireland! Again, I don’t know how I ended up knowing so much about them, I was just sitting there quietly reading my murder mystery!!
The plane ride was fine. I have no complaints about planes. Once I have my bag under the seat so my feet have something to rest on, I am perfectly content:). I made good progress on Glazed Murder and have less than a hundred pages to go!
Getting off the plane went fine and I was doing pretty good until I got to customs. As a Nexus holder I walked up to the Nexus machines and waited for the wheelchair one that has an iris scanner low enough for me ( we won’t talk about my issues when coming back in May😳), and yet again I had trouble:(. After the sixth attempt I nearly cried ( which never happens!) I was just about to give up and stand in the super long regular lineup when it finally worked and I got to walk down, bypass every line up and go through customs where the guy said absolutely nothing to me except that I should invest in some very high heels to wear at the airport. I don’t know if he saw my troubles or was just reacting to the fact I could barely see over his counter on my tip toes!
I walked out and got into the skytrain. I had decided not to make anyone make the over an hour drive to the airport to get me since I was getting in during the afternoon. I figured it would take me about two hours to get home on the skytrain, and I was only two minutes off my estimate! The skytrain trip wasn’t exciting. I had to transfer a bunch of times, but I just sat quietly and kind of mindlessly. By this time I felt like my body was detached from me. Am I getting old that travelling now wears me out??
Lol I got off the skytrain in my city finally to cold, gray, drizzle. I knew it was coming, but it was still kind of a shock! I had to laugh because in Arizona I had a difficult time getting used to the fact everything is brown and flat and that there are no big trees. When I got off the skytrain, I thought wow, my town even smells like Christmas trees as there are big trees everywhere. Then I realized it was just because the firemen were having their annual tree chipping event🤣. No wonder it smelled like Christmas trees! The walk home from the skytrain was fine. Three blocks of cold and wet:(
I found my keys in the first place I looked which was lucky and finally opened my condo door at 3:58pm. Glad to be home, still alive and only down one nail which broke while I was putting the key in the door????
Just in time to be sick:(. I spent the next hour vomiting ( I have no idea why) and slept for the two hours after that. I feel better now and think I will work on my year in temperature scarf and hopefully finish Glazed Murder!
Well, I hope you all had a quieter day than me! Oh but thank you to everyone who posted today and kept me entertained and to Julie who was messaging with me while I was on the skytrain which really helped!!
Have fun!
AJ
Oh no! Why were you sick??? Did you eat on the plane? That would suck!
I’m glad we got to chat. Skytrain takes a while to go from YVR to your town I guess? I stayed at a condo in downtown Vancouver and watched some students protest something at the library in 2013. That was fun! Whistler was great too. I’m sure you could tell them a lot.
We don’t have Nexus as far as I know. We do have a fast track system called Global Entry. Is that the same thing? And no, all airports SUCK! No matter how friendly people are outside those walls, the airport turns them into cranky, irritated people!
I have no idea why I was sick since all I had were nuts and water water today:(
Yes the skytrain ride seemed interminable!! Protests in Vancouver seem to be occurring every time I go down there!!
Yes Global Entry is what I have:)
I wonder why it didn’t work.
I don’t know but I’ll be doing some research!
I hope you feel better! Traveling is always a bit stressful no matter how prepared we are. To be back home is always comforting. Take care 🌞
Thank you:) It is nice to be in my own space again:)
I hope you are ok now x
Yup feeling fine so it must have been something I ate!
Staff at airports are extremely rude, any airport Ive been! The either take someone’s excitement away or make their stress worse. They know nobody likes them, so they stay simply unfriendly.
Maybe they are selected for it 😉
I’m sure youre happy to be home after all the hassle!🙂
Definitely happy to be home though it seems so cold!
I’m just not used to rude airports as I haven’t experienced that anywhere else!
wow! what a journey! bet you were glad to be home, despite the being sick!
Yes i was never so happy as to turn the key in my lock!!
Sounds like a journey and a half. I find when on my own to have a pair of earphones on, even if not listening to anything, people tend to leave you alone, or is it because I have an angry face? The only Airport I have ever been in where they are really friendly is Ciampino in Rome, they cannot do enough to help you. The worst one was Schiphol in Amsterdam, who were hostile to M as he could not do the body scanning machine due to being disabled and unable to stand in it with his arms above his head. I wonder if your sickness was due to stress getting home?
Hmm I might try the headphone thing if I get tired of talking to people. Truthfully that type of thing has happened to me my whole life.
Wow that’s horrible! I was amazed at seeing them making people get out of wheelchairs yesterday to go through the scanner!
I’m thinking maybe over tiredness??
Hihi, you sounds exactly like me! I always end up having people telling me their lives in planes. It’s a bit strange but I do enjoy chatting 😊 Maybe we’re just looking too friendly? 😅 I hope you feel better soon, being home hopefully helps
I know! My mom says this has been happening to me my whole life. I just attract people- probably a good thing as I’m shy so if it was left to me I’d never get to talk to anyone!
I’m already feeling better:) Maybe I was just overly tired?
Yes that’s totally possible you were tired, it sounds like your trip back home was a bit of an adventure!
It was a little long and tiring for sure!
I’m glad you got home safely. Your sickness was kind — waiting until you got home.
Thank you! I am glad to, but I already feel better so maybe I was just overly tired or else the nuts weren’t a good idea!
Glad you’re good to go.
Wow what a trip you had! Welcome back! Airport staff sucks! It’s like they all hate their jobs or something…….anyway sorry you got sick. Happy Sunday!
Happy Sunday to you too! I’m glad to be home though I’m finding it tough to get warm after my run! I’m already feeling better so maybe it was being overly tired or the nuts I ate. Have a great day!
Long travel days are exhausting! I bet a lot of the people at the airport where people who got stuck due to the snowstorm that hit the East Coast the other day. Getting sick after traveling is the worst! At least you weren’t sick on the flight 🙂 maybe you just ate something bad so your body needed to purge it.
That’s what I’m thinking because I feel fine now so it wasn’t dairy or gluten. I’m thinking it was either the nuts or I was overly tired- either is possible!
Weird. Sometimes your body just rejects stuff. Glad to hear you’re feeling better!
That was an eventful flight and time you had while getting back home, AJ. I hope you are feeling better now and have had time to pamper yourself a bit.
I think high heels would have been a good idea. To thwack the fellow with. xx
I am feeling myself again, thank you! I always seem to have someone make a comment like that to me- I just have to laugh.
Oh no!! I hope you feel better. Airplanes are Petri dishes! Every possible germ is just waiting to hitch a ride:(
I’m glad you’re home safe and sound:)
Thank you! I’m feeling myself again so o think either the nuts didn’t agree with me or I was overly tired. I am taking it easy today though!
Glad you are home safe with no monster delays! That is a long haul from AZ, and it seems that north/south travel can get dicey when there’s been weather. It’s always good to be home isn’t it?
I’m just glad I wasn’t one of the poor people coming from back east that got weather delayed!! I am glad to be home:)
Aw AJ. You had a good family visit and I’m glad. I attract talkers and then I chat along. Always! Sorry you got sick. Travel is hard on the body I think. Lots of flu going around our area. Best to vomit in your own home I guess! Yup Im pollyanna!
I’m Pollyanna too so that was my first thought too! I feel fine now so it was either the nuts or I was overly tired. Glad to be home, though I already miss my mom🤣
“diva dad,” ROFL! “Friendliest airport,” my tush, I can’t imagine that even exists, as those workers usually seem rather miserable, (though to be fair some can be very nice, just less common than the stink faced ones).
Hope you feel better soon, I always get a little something when traveling, it’s probably a combo of the stale recycled air in the plane, and jet lag.
Lot’s of green tea, with a little local raw honey mixed in always seems to expedite whatever’s ailing, highly recommend : )
Glad I could provide a chuckle! It seems to be a guy thing in my family!
I had never experienced such miserable people in an airport before!! I’m hoping I don’t again, though that’s probably a futile wish!
I’m thankfully already feeling better so it was either something I ate or being overly tired.
Nice, great to hear you’re feeling better : ) Your airport experience has inspired something for the next time I travel; to wear an Inspector Closeau fake mustache and glasses, and say I’ve heard there have been reports of missing smiles from airport employees. It will probably earn a free trip to a body search, but might be worth it (or not).
Lol that would be so cool to see!!
Welcome home 🏡
I hope you sleep well/are sleeping well. I don’t know the time difference.
Xxxx Tracey
I slept like a log last night and am considering a nap right now. I think you’re about eight hours ahead of me. It’s just after 3pm here.
Yes, you’re right about the time 🙂 I’d say take a nap if you need one 😆
I’m sorry you were sick! That happens sometimes after plane traveling and being in airports. Your account of the sunset sounds amazing with the palm trees! Lovely post.😉
Thank you! I was fine when I got up this morning so it was either something I ate or being overly tired!
It was a lovely sunrise- just sorry I didn’t get a picture:)
Thanks for reading!:)
😉🌈
Hi AJ, I hope you feel better now.
My sister’s family lived in Vancouver BC for years. I visited them when they were there. My husband and I went to Whistler briefly, when it started snowing, we left because our car was not prepared to drive on snow.
You must have a friendly and inviting look that attracts people to talk to you. Yes, it’s interesting that people have so much to tell a stranger.
Thank you, I am feeling better:)
Yes Whistler can be treacherous in snow and there is now a law that you can’t drive from October 15th to March 31st without snowtires or chains.
I think it’s my height that attracts people:)
Wow, it’s like Denali in Alaska. We went to Anchorage but no train going to Denali one week before we got there. I’m curious, what is your height?
Oh it’s too bad you missed that. I’ve had that happen too!
I am 4’7″
I’m 5′ 1/2″, shrank a little as my spine compresses.
Oh I always wanted to just be 5′!!!
No worry! I’m sure you’re attractive. My husband is 6’4″, people always say, why do the short women are attractive to tall guys? I don’t know!!
Oh thanks, but my height just seems to scare guys away or they don’t realize I’m an adult.
It worked for me to stay in a group to get to know people and for people to get to know me. People may change their first impression.
Were you just with friends or did you join a specific group?
It’s a church group. I met my husband in a singles group at church. We had small groups from the large group that meet at homes.
Oh that’s cool!
Hope you find your connection!
Oh no! Hope you are feeling better.
I am:)
Happy you made it back safe and mostly sound. Hope you feel much better!
Thank you and I woke up feeling much better today:)
Great news! Do you have to work tomorrow or do you have a chance to catch yourself?
Nope it’s back to work with 21 crazy little people😳
Ouch. Hope your day is going well!
Thank you!
Glad to hear you made it back and only minus a nail!!😉 sounds like a madhouse at the airport….they make me nervous haha so much can go wrong.
I love that you said the city smelled like Christmas trees and then to find out….they were chipping trees🎄😂
Happy knitting!! I’m going to join in on the scarf! I just wrote out my temps and color codes!
Awesome!!!!
Oh man, girl. All that travel and you got sick in the end. I guess better to yak at home than in the plane. Take care of yourself.
Thank you! I was glad I was at home. I’m thinking it was either the nits or being overly tired as I was fine the next morning.
It was so exciting to read it… until the end! I hope you are better now!
Thanks:). I was better the next morning so I think I was either overly tired or ate something wrong.
I would be exhausted!
I was!
So, never again 🙂 or next year for sure! 🙂
We’ll see what the future brings:) I wouldn’t rule it out though!