Recent Travels

February 9th-13th  

Our most recent travels were a result of the passing of my (Elisabeth's) beloved Grandfather. We were blessed to be able to travel to Pennsylvania for his Celebration of Life service and that Chris was able to get the time off from work. Health wise...it was not something I should have done. But, there was no way I was not going to not be there. My doctor said..."do what you have to do." So, I did it. 

Our travels from late Monday night through early Friday morning, took us through five states in one week (and six states for Christopher - he just got back from California Monday afternoon.) 



The late Monday afternoon direct flight to PHL was overbooked - so no go there. We left for the airport at 9pm in hopes to catch the 11:45pm or the 1am flight to New York or Atlanta. We also had a few options on Tuesday, but that was cutting it close to make it in time for the service on Wednesday. Security was a breeze at 9:30 at night and the TSA agents were perky and rather nice. We were given the very last two seats on the 11:45pm flight bound for JFK. Last two seats...in the back...with a bunch of rowdy highschoolers that apparently are wide awake at 1am and like to talk. This was my first domestic overnight flight and I had a difficult time sleeping due to our noisy neighbors. We were given separate seat assignments, but it worked out to sit together due to an already sound asleep teen that was parked in Chris's seat and two very nice young men playing musical seats with us. 

We arrived at JFK as the sun was rising. The terminal was slowly waking up and people were starting to arrive at their gates for the early flights out. This was our first time at JFK and it was fun to pass all the international gates and hear so many foreign accents and languages. Lots of sleepy people bumping into each other as they doctored up their morning coffee at Peet's. 

When the time came, we walked all the way down the concourse to where airports normally hide the regional jet gates. No issues with room on the flight to PHL. We were put up front and together with about 30 seats to spare. Chris and I were excited to catch a glimpse of Manhattan and possibly the Statue of Liberty after take off. While we were sitting on the ground waiting for take off , we tried to identify the buildings to our right. We were guessing it was Manhattan...but it was difficult to tell (Chris has never been and I was only 7 when I was last there). I guess the airport side is the less glamorous side and therefore less photographed. ??? Oh well...we will really get to tell when we are up in the air. 

This was all we got to see. The airport and a bit of the ocean. Within seconds we were in a cold snowy cloud that ruined our chances of seeing The Big Apple....

It's only a 23 minute or so flight to PHL. But, we waited on the ground for awhile and then again in the air, so the flight was closer to an hour. 

I love Pennsylvania. But have a strong dislike of the Philadelphia Airport. It's like a cold, damp, concrete prison. The only good thing about it is that when I arrive there, I am arriving to my old stomping grounds. 

My Uncle Jim rescued us and took us to the safe and loving arms of Elverson, Pennsylvania. On the way there, my uncle pointed out a Bald Eagle. A rare and special sight around there. My Grandfather would have been happy to hear about the sighting. 

After family visits and the service for my grandfather (which I will cover in another post) we had to head home. I was able to sneak a few items from my old room and sewing room into our bags. Little by little I am bringing the rest of my life home with me. 

Thursday, February 12th. There was a open flight out of Harrisburg to Chicago that morning and at that point...the only promising flight to get us home. Flights were filling up like crazy as well as changing (the East Coast seems to be always under a winter weather threat these days.) 

This is were our nightmare started...well mine started and Chris' hinted. I knew the risks of this trip, we both new. We did everything within our power to make this trip safe and low key for me. So far so good (I even survived a full day of standing, talking, and eating only one meal.) 

Harrisburg's airport is small and low key - perfect. TSA felt a need to rummage through my bag again, claiming there was "organic matter" found. It was only my package of the most amazing and safe granola bars that I can only get from Lancaster County. Thank goodness they did not take them away and the TSA agent only chuckled and stated that I was a healthy eater. 

We sat and waited, the plane was late and we were cutting it close to make the next flight. So far so good, no mold or chemical hits at the airport....until I walked into the bathroom. :-/  There was a heavy (HEAVY) cigarette smoke smell in the bathroom. That reeled me and I walked out defeated. Then there was a chemical/exhaust smell at the gate. Lovely. Several hits at once and I had a long day ahead of me. 

The flight to Chicago was smooth and pretty. But the seats (and these were Economy Comfort seats) were terribly uncomfortable. This was flight one of two using a different airline than we normally use...the crews were awesome, but this airline has gone down a few notches in my mind. We were late and we were super tired. I felt horrible, Chris was asleep, and it finally sunk in that I just spoke to over 300 people at my grandfather's service. Mind blown. 

  

Chicago. This picture was taken when I was excited about it. I am sure the city is fun....but the airport is now officially on my most hated places list. In short - all flights to SLC were overbooked. There was no way we were getting on those flights. Same with Denver. We were stuck. Chris decided to wait a little longer, just in case the standby list got shorter and by some miracle we could get on.  This is the reality of flying standby folks - it's not as glamorous as it looks or sounds. There are times where you just get stuck. Stuck for hours or days..... Well...that particular day was pretty bad. 

It did not take long for me to sense a few more "hits" and I was unraveling quickly. We were also hungry. Our sandwiches were gone. We had some veggies and fruit and my granola bars. But we really wanted a hot meal. We walked around for a long time, checking menus and weighing options. So far I have been lucky to find things to eat at airports. Most airports are friendly places. 

For a "Moldy" with a restricted diet, add even more restrictions due to recent histamine reactions , then add an over crowded space, total exhaustion, mold and chemical hits.....the results - TEARS. Lots of them. I tried to hold it together, but it was too much. Chris was a dream and sat me down at a quiet gate (which is almost impossible to find at O'Hare) and had me curl up and close my eyes. We finally found a salad that we split - so much for a hot meal.   

We had  a choice - stay over in Chicago OR make our way closer to SLC. Then we found a refuge...a open flight to Bozeman, Montana. We listed, booked a room at the hotel crews stay at, and waited. All we wanted to was to sleep and maybe find a hot meal. The flight would not get us to Bozeman until 8:30. Oy...what a day! 

We boarded, were given seats together, and then another hit happened! This time chemical and smelly. A combination of Clorox wipes and synthetic fruit. 

This is me - hiding from the smell. We decided to invest in some masks for future trips.

We settled in for the almost 3 hour flight. We ended up with a party crowd heading for the slopes. It was cocktail hour and I now have a good idea how to mix drinks and have a party in the air. We did get some sleep - surprisingly. 

We arrived in Bozeman safely and went straight to the hotel. There were pots of hot soup for guests and one of them was something I could eat (if I avoided the corn). It felt so good to have warm food and a bed. The bed swallowed me up at 10pm and I fought with it to get up at 4am. Sleep is a beautiful thing. Checked out, met a nice couple on their way to Mexico, got on the plane, flight was super smooth, chatted with a really nice lady from Bozeman, and made our way home all before 8am.  

Home sweet home! (California) - Utah - New York - Pennsylvania - Illinois - Montana - Utah. What a week! 

So, now we are settling in and I am dealing with the aftermath. I am in for several days/weeks of recovering and laying low. Thus is life with CIRS. :-)