Back to the Mountains

Jackie, Chillin in the Airport, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

So, I embarked with my pal Jackie on a trip back to Salt Lake City. I am headed there for work because I am training a new team we have there. I will probably be gone for 6 weeks.

Jackie and I had a pretty rough start to the trip. I brought my two dogs with me and she was helping me get one on the plane (have to have one passenger per animal). We were supposed to leave on Sunday night. Friday, when I called to make the reservations, the lady couldnt add the dogs to the flight. I would have to call the airline directly to do that. There happened to be a big snowstorm that day and I tried several times to get them on the phone on Friday and Saturday with no luck. I was starting to worry by Sunday morning, thinking I might not be able to get my dogs on the flight - they only allow 2 dogs on each flight in the cabin. I called reservations and explained, but they could do nothing for me. Their only suggestion was for me to actually go to the airport and stand in line.

So, I rented a car, went to the airport and stood in a REALLY long line. The lines were so long because all of the flights from the past two days had been cancelled and passengers were stranded and trying to get on different flights. When I finally got to the desk, they said they didn't have access to add animals in the line I had stood in. I refused to leave.

Finally, I got the dogs on the flight.. As the man was handing me my confirmation, he said... "Oh, by the way, your 7pm flight has been delayed until 1am." Great.

I called Jackie to tell her, she cancelled her car service and went to the Mall. I went home and packed, then was going to take a nap. I decided to set up my car service so that I could be prepared. I went online to double check the time for the flight.... and it said ON TIME!!!! Here it was 4pm already... for a 7pm flight. I called Jackie. She ran home from the mall and got a car (she was in Long Island but flight was out of Newark). I run out the door, return the rental car, make it back just in time to get my car service pick up. I walk up to the car and the guy LOCKS the door. He won't let me in and says he doesn't take dogs in his car. I try explaining to him that my dogs are in bags and they won't hurt him. He says no, and I yell explicatives (are you f*&cking kidding me????) because I am really pissed.

I call my friend Dan. He comes and picks me up and takes me to the airport. I leave my purse in his car. He comes back and gives me the purse and Jackie and I get in the line that the agent directs us to...... which is the WRONG line. We get to the front of the line and they inform us that they cant check our bags there, that we are in the wrong line. They direct us inside to an even longer line. There is no way in hell we were making that plane. We can hear them paging our names over the intercomm.... Last Call for Jackie and Rebecca, flight to Salt Lake City.

We didn't make the flight. Jackie, Me, lots of luggage, and two dogs headed home to my place. Had to explain to the boss the next morning how I missed the flight for my business trip. It was super fun.

The next day was smoother. We got on a plane. Yay.

Damn, this was a long post.