The airport, traveling, and all that jazz

Okay so this will be all about our travel to Antigua and Day one...Hope you've set aside some time to read read read.... :)

So we check in at PDX for the first leg of our flight, we'll have 2 layovers, first from PDX to Phoenix, then from there to Atlanta, and then from there to Antigua...A total of 26 hours of total travel.

On the way to Portland (a lovely 3 hour drive) we are cruising along, probably about 75 mph behind a Subaru when we see some lady passing a semi truck in our lane...I think man, she is REALLY close, when all of a sudden, she's NOT moving over, did I mention there was part of a lane empty on her side. The Subaru skids off into the gravel, fine but still had to run off the road, and then we followed as she wasn't moving. While we're flying through the gravel trying not to get in a wreck, the semi kicks up a huge rock right into my windshield, and CRACK it goes....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...I'm already freaking out that we almost went into the ditch, now those jerk offs cracked my windshield too...you've GOT to be kidding me! I'm pretty upset for the next 30 mins...okay over it. Then we're almost into Portland, and I'm driving along at about 80 and out runs a coyote into the middle of the road, and stops right in front of us to think about if he wants to continue. I slam on the breaks, as there is no where to go with the barricade in the middle and a car to my right....he runs off....my heart is racing again...but alas, we are fine. Thank goodness....

We get on our first flight and we're in the row behind the first row that is behind first class. So the lady from the airport gets on and asks the guy in front of us if he'll move so a family can sit together... he says I'm 6'8, I need the extra leg room, if you can get me into an exit row, I will, otherwise not...they didn't have that and she is like begging him, I tell her we'll move up if the lady next to us will take that other seat available so the family can sit together...now I'm doing this as it SUCKS to not get to sit together, and I thought a good deed would do me some good on a day of traveling.... ohhhhhh boy was I wrong.

On get a mom and her 3 kids, so she'll be holding one on her lap and the other two in the seats behind us. The chair kicking starts immediately. Then the 1 year old on her lap starts hitting Arthur on the top of his head, I turn and look at her and she laughs (the mom...like aren't they soooo cute) uhhhh no they aren't cute. Oh we hadn't even taken off yet, and its a little over 3 hour flight...ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... So the screaming then starts followed by ALOT more kicking of the chairs. She never tells them, ohhh no honey don't do that. Don't get me wrong, I know some kids are just bratty but when you let them do whatever they want, of course they aren't going to stop. Well then about an hour into the flight, some RANDOM passenger comes and sits with them. A very very VERY obnoxious lady who tells them they are such good kids, and starts throwing the baby up in the air, who then kicks my headrest about ohhhh 50 times. And the other kids is standing in front of the lady so I'm getting kicked in two places. LOVELY! They come with the drinks and I buy some baileys...Lord I am going to need some alcohol to get through this flight. It continues and the guy is glaring at us, like why the hell did you have to change seats, I mouth I'm sorry to him about a hundred times. After about another 20 mins I can't take it ( I kept looking back and nothing, no I'm sorry, no please stop it kiddos, nothing) so I go and stand with the flight attendants in the back who agreed that we had the worst seats on the entire plane and proceeded to buy me some wine. So I stood back there with them for probably 30 mins.... until it was time to start our landing process, I groan and beg and beg and tell them I'll help them work...but they make me go back to my seat...ughhh....

The kids keep kicking and screaming and they are just encouraged by both women to do so. The guy we're sitting with is so upset he's been drinking the entire flight, and then starts elbowing the seat every time they kick his...which was about every 5 seconds. Finally we land, we're waiting to get off the plane and the people in the isle over are like ohhhh you're kids were so good on the plane, what good little travelers...I shot all of them the nastiest look I could and a couple of people started laughing when the women said that because we all KNEW it was the worst flight ever..... Wheewwww we are off of that plane.

Then we have a 4 and a half hour layover in Phoenix, we get a cab and go out and see some sights, then go back to check in only to find out of flight has been delayed and hour and a half. So now we don't depart until 1:30 am...yes am.... Did you all know I get incredibly sick with no sleep or no eating at normal times....so imagine my excitement...We finally get on the plane and make it to Atlanta, which is my LEAST favorite airport of any, you'll hear much more about that in about 10 blogs when I finish up the entire week. Then its off to Antigua, before we board we notice we're not sitting together. We hear someone else ask the ticketing agent about it for them, and she says she can't fix it until about 20 mins prior to the flight. About ten mins later I ask Arthur to go stand up there to get our seats together, so he waits for the agent to get back and she gives us seats together. The next people go up ( totally different people that earlier) and she says sorry, no more seats together...hehehehe, we got the first and only ones. We board and find that all the people behind us are on their way to Sandals as well, we chit chat for a while, and meet Chad and Jamie, and Ken and Susan. (I'll be referring to them in upcoming posts, so don't forget...) we finally land, and its hotter than hell out there. Ahhhh the Caribbean. We stand in line for an hour to get through customs and finally get on the shuttle to the resort...Sandals here we come!!!!

Vacation Draws Near....

So its almost time for our BIG vaca. The one we save all year for... OUR SANDALS vacation. Its my very favorite place ever. This year we are going to Antigua. Never been there, but am SOOOO soooo excited to go. I can't believe we are leaving in a week from tomorrow. I'm not at all prepared, and it really doesn't seem like its that time already. I'm very confused.

So anways, about wonderful Sandals. This year we're staying in a Garden Rondoval with private pool. Its a cute little round house. All to ourselves. And the best part is, they are really close to the beach. This will be the first time we've been close to the beach, as usually the nice suites are furthest away, that doesn't seem to make sense does it???? So while we are there, it will also be "reunion week". Which is something Sandals does every year for repeat guests. We've never been and didn't even know it was happening until about a month ago, so hopefully it will be good.

I have soooo much to do, I probably shouldn't be online...but alas, I LOVE the Internet, so here I am. If any of you want the best vacation ever, head to Sandals, its so relaxing and soooo beautiful, oh and did I mention....NO KIDS ALLOWED!!! YAHOOO!!!! No bratty rugrats ruining my vacations there, thank you very much....

Okay well this is just rambling, so I'm going to go do nothing on facebook, or maybe watch some tv. Or maybe I'll go to target and get some SPF 90000000....Cause thats about what you need for the sun there!! I'll post pics and everything when we get back!!!

How my brother is stealing my child away....

Yes funny title. I realize, but I'm ever so saddened that Michael and Christina are taking my dear sweet precious baby Kaylee away from me when they move to Boise in a week and a half. Now for those of you who don't know her. She's my niece, the cutest, funniest and sweetest thing ever. And I just love her to death! She can always brighten my day and make me smile. But now they are moving away, and some nerve, taking their own child with them. Ummm excuse me, don't you know how this will affect me?? :) LOL!!! Its just that they are only cute and little for so long before they're bratty and annoying...so can't you just wait until she's bratty and annoying to move her away and not now?? I tell ya...I move back and they move away...Sure I'll miss them...but my heart is breaking that I won't get to do our I love you, I love you more with my favoritest little girl in the whole world. And NO I am not moving to Boise, and NO I am not going to have my own child to get over it. Why does everyone say that, oh maybe you should have your own...No no no...that's why I love her, when she's fussy, back to your parents you go, and you get to give them sugary sweets and teach them funny faces. Ahhh the joys of being an aunt. I'll miss her soooo sooo very much. So thanks alot to my brother for taking away the one thing in Bend I actually love! ( Well besides my husband)

What a frickin week!

What a horrible last week. I mean seriously, started bad and ended really really bad. I'm not even going to go into detail. Because then I'd just be pissed all over again. So all I'd like to say is that I'm really really HAPPY last week is over!!! And those of you who contributed to my week being so horrible, can go ahead and feel happy. You did it! You made my week crap central!! There were a couple of you, and you know who you are. Soooo glad its over, although i'm feeling its pouring over into this week...ughhh...time to move far far away from here!!!

Why on earth should I be sorry????

So since I usually like to vent via my blog...here's something that really really pisses me off.



You know what everyone, Art and I have worked hard to be able to afford the things we have. We're very frugal and smart with spending. So why in the hell should I be sorry for taking vacations, and buying the things we want. I am soooooooo sick of listening to everyone and their dog complain about how its just not fair that we get to go on so many vacas. Well I've got news, you chose your life, and I chose mine. So deal with it and stop being a hater.



Its coming to the point where I don't even like to talk about what we are doing or any vacations in depth because I'm so frickin sick and tired of people being all jealous and telling us that it just isn't fair. Well think about the money you spend on your kids, its alot right? I'm being serious, its very expensive to raise kids. We don't have them, so naturally we'll have what seems to most as extra.



I can't stand it, its like oh poor me, I never get to do anything...its your life you made your decisions. Don't be mad at me, just because I chose to work a steady job since the day I moved out, and not have kids. Its bull s#@* and I am sick and tired of dealing with it.

Everyone makes their own choices, and I made mine. So shut up if you can't deal with it. Cause I'm tired of feeling like its not okay to talk about my life just because I get to go on vacations. Everyone acts like I must have done something really special or am going into some massive debt to do it. Nope its called, we both work full time jobs and don't go out to eat, don't go out to movies, and save pretty much every penny of our money. So I'm really sorry that you're jealous. And no this frustration isn't recent. This is something that has been going on long LONG before the economy sucked. Everyone always tells us it isn't fair. Life isn't fair, get over it, you bunch of sissy cry babies.


Okay I feel much MUCH better! I love blogging.

How I love priceline

So Art and I used to use Priceline.com all the time ages ago, probably like 6 years ago. Then I kinda forgot about it. Man I love that website. You get to go in, name your own price for a certain "star" rating of a hotel and then someone can accept it. And you can just go CHEAP! We got a room at the Hyatt Regency in Orange County for $52 a night for two nights. And in November we got a room at the Hilton Suites also in OC for $45 a night. Needless to say, both these hotels are normally in the $130-$200 range. And by booking through hotels.com or some other travel site, you wouldn't even be able to get motel 6 for that price. So I'll take dirt cheap for a 4-5 star hotel anytime. Just love it, so if you ever want a deal and don't have a specific hotel in mind, try priceline. It'll save you a TON! WOOHOO! I love staying at really nice hotels for cheap...helps me save for more vaca's. :)

Disney Cruise Finale...the airport

So on our way to the airport from the beach. I'm hungry but starting to feel a little sick too. We turn in our rental car and tell the guy we're flying delta. Away we go in the shuttle, then I look at the documents and tell him ohhh it looks like Alaska is operating this flight so we'll need to go there. He insists that since it says Delta that's where we need to check in. I'm sorry since when did he know everything, I knew he was wrong...but to delta we went. Once we get there, half the computers are broken. And I'm feeling even more sick. We find one that works and put in our conf number. Then it says this flight is operated by Northwest, please input that conf #. So I try going through that way and it doesn't work. I tell the lady I need help and she's like in a minute. So finally she comes over and I tell her whats happening, she says well then I guess you better go to northwest. I tell her we're NOT flying northwest, its operated by Alaska, but ticketed through Delta, she looks at my itinerary and was like no you need to go to nw, I said...we're NOT even flying them...we're flying Alaska. Then shes like well then go to Alaska. I only wish I could get her rude I hate my job tone in here. She was not helpful, and I started to cry a little. I'm not much of a cryer anymore, but somehow the airport always stresses me out, plus I felt sick.

So away we go to find Alaska airlines, which was of course on the other side of the airport. So we get there, and there is no one in line and three people working the counter. We stand there and wait probably a good minute before they're done with their conversation and can help us. I'm on the verge of tears, so I tell art he's going to have to talk to them, he tells them the story and this lady was pretty nice, she's like oh okay no problem. Within 15 seconds we had our boarding passes. We walk down the hall, probably 2 minutes and stop so Art can go to the bathroom, while hes in there, I'm looking at our docs, and realize they only gave us the tickets from MCO to Seattle, but not our Seattle to Redmond tickets. Then I'm annoyed, and then I look at our luggage tags...yep sure enough, they checked them to Seattle. Ughhh, art's out in a few seconds and I tell him to run back and figure it out. I stay there as I don't want to start balling and freaking out.

When he comes back, I ask him how it went. He told me I don't want to know. He went over there and told the lady hey we just checked our luggage and you sent it to Seattle and not Redmond, and shes like WHAT!! Well why didn't you tell us that when you checked it. I can't do anything to help you NOW! He's like we just checked it two minutes ago...her: well sorry can't help you...TOMORROW, that's when you can get your luggage. I can't do anything to help you, you should have told us. I'm sorry, since when was it MY job to re-check what the people at the airlines have done to make sure they did it right? Seriously you are blaming us, for you checking our luggage to the wrong place. So art is like, I just want to know what I can do, and what we can do to make sure our luggage goes to Redmond, her: I can't help you, you'll have to do it in Seattle. OMG! Are you kidding me!!! What is going on!

So I'm pissed....royally pissed now, I'm like oh well at least the gate agent is usually more helpful. So we get to our gate and go up to the guy there. Art explains the luggage thing and how we need our connecting flight tickets and the guy is like I don't get it, why didn't they book it to the right place, we have no idea we tell him. He looks annoyed to be helping us, he's like oh well you can just deal with it in Seattle. I tell him we have a short layover and are afraid we won't make it, he's like well it'll show up eventually. I tell him , Also I'd like the names of the girls working at the ticketing counter, and he looks at me like I just asked him to name the president of the companies home address and phone number. He goes, uhhh right, how do you expect me to know who they are out of all those people working over there, I say well there are only 3 ladies working at the Alaska counter, so I'd like their names, He says, I don't even know how you expect me to find that out, I say well I want you to call the ticketing counter, cause I want to talk to their supervisor. He tells me there is no way he can do that. He then starts looking up our reservations, and tells us, he can't give us our connecting tickets and that we'll have to figure it all out in Seattle. That was enough, I had to walk away. I went into the bathroom and cried a little till I felt better.

I came out and Art is on the phone with Alaska Airlines trying to get everything taken care of. The lady on the phone is nice, and tells Art that she has no clue why no one will help us get our tickets to Seattle. She does a bunch of stuff, and like ten minutes of them talking we get paged up to the stand. The same guy slams down two tickets and goes, Phoenix called, here's your tickets, and NO I can't do ANYTHING about your luggage. I was like ohhhh my goshhh...you did not just do that to us! So eventually we board, and get to Seattle. Seattle people are much nicer, help us figure out our luggage, and we are good to go. We board our tiny little plane to Redmond, did I mention its now 11:00, by the time we board in Seattle. And we are on east coast time, so make that 2 am. Oh and did I also mention we have to work at 11 am. So we get to Redmond finally and I tell art that I will wait for the luggage and for him to go get the car. I wait forever, why on earth it takes so long for luggage at this airport I will never know. There is one terminal and one baggage claim. And the entire airport is like the size of my store. So why it takes so long is beyond me. Baggage finally comes and I take it outside to where I think the car will be waiting. Where is art with the car, I look all around and see art walking up. Wait where's the car. Art walks up and says, yep the cars dead. Seriously, no wait, are you serious. This is just great, its 12:15 am, (3:15 am to my body) and we still have to drive 20 minutes home. Ohhhh great. The police officer inside gives us a jump box after art tells him he can hold me as collateral, the guy found that quite funny. I didn't care, I just wanted to go home. He got it started finally, and home we went, for my like 3 hours of sleep and then off to work. Fun fun day. :(