This is a trip that is done annually or semi-annually, depending on how you look at it. Usually this large a group is done semi annually but we do get together annually on a smaller scale. I believe the largest group was over twenty and that was back in 2010. I couldn't make that one so I was damned sure going to make this one. I am SO glad I went!! Out of the 18 of us I had only met 8 of the women in person before so I was a bit nervous. I know, I know, you wouldn't think that *I* would be nervous about meeting new people and some of you may call bullshit but I get VERY nervous about meeting people. Even though I have been talking to most of these women online for over ten years and I feel like I know them already, it was still nervewracking. It's funny, some of them I talk to every.single.day. More than I talk to the people in my life now. Some of them know me BETTER than my "in real life" friends, isn't that crazy?? But it just goes to show you that you never know who you are going to bond with. I can honestly say that I feel a special bond with some of them and feel like they are there for me MORE than some of my IRL friends are and that might be a bit sad to say, but it's the truth. What can you do?
So, I left for KC on Thursday morning and I got there around 2p or so. Cindy picked me up at the airport. She is a prime example of what I was saying before. She and I talk almost every day via email - definitely more than I talk to some of my IRL friends. She and I had never met before but when I got off the plane she came right up and we hugged and that was that. No nerves or anything with her. Loved it! We had to wait at the airport for a few more people so we went and had a drink while we waited. The others came and we were all hungry so we went to a restaurant and had apps/drinks then headed to the hotel to check in. Cindy had made us the CUTEST shot glass favors as gifts for the gtg so I made up the rule that as each set of girls arrived we all needed to do a shot. Hell, why not! No responsibilities for the weekend? Game on. Although it wasn't really game on - we totally mixed sprite in with the vodka we used for the shots LMAO. We all hung for a bit, got ready for dinner (KC BBQ which I tried really hard to like but just could't do it b/c you know I'm picky as hell) and then we went to the movies. What a difference that was from home. $7.50 for the movie and the seats - full on RECLINERS. Leather flipping recliners. Holy hannah. Loved it. The seats were better than the movie LOL. We saw Ted. It wasn't awful but it was something I could have waited for cable to see lol. We all agreed on that but it was still a great night.
Friday we had breakfast at club level - this was such a great deal. The club level access was something that cost like $20 and it got you access all weekend - free soda/water, snacks and breakfast. Plus a place to hang out whenver you wanted. Big room that held all of us. Computer access so we printed all of our boarding passed. Sweet! Friday was the main travel day for most of the girls so they were trickling in. We had lunch at the hotel (hotel gave us a 20% group discount for staying, very nice!), we hung out some more and then got ready to take on the Power and Light District. One of the girls won a party at Howl at the Moon. We each got two free drinks, free admittance, free apps and a section of the bar roped off for us. We took the place over and it was fantastic. Epic dancing laughing singing and owning the place. Hysterical. A couple of the girls had a LONG day and were back at the hotel at 9p. Most of us stayed out til the end. After that it was back to the hotel. Hit rooms, get changed, back to Club level. We decided we were hungry so we ordered pizza. FYI - KC pizza at 1am - ripoff. $50 will get you two pizza and mozz sticks. Ouch.
Saturday more breakast c.l. Some of the girls walked to Starbucks to get more coffee. Some of the girls headed out right away to get their shop on. There was a huge shopping area right down the street from the hotel. Think outlets but taking up a downtown area of a city. Awesome. The rest of the girls (me included) went out a bit later. I didn't shop but walked around with the other girls. We met up with one group for lunch and then we went back to the hotel and hung out at the pool. Have a couple of drinks. Then it's time to get ready for dinner. We go to Kona Grill. After dinner it's time for the Trolley. For $10 this thing carts you around all night. SCORE. It takes you to four different sections where you can get out and go to bars or restaurants, places to go and have fun. We get out at one area and hit this DIVE bar. It was hysterical. None of us want to use the bathroom. The drinks were so strong we could have lit our breath on fire with a match. It smelled like mold. We were cracking up. Had to be done. We stayed for one drink and it's back on the trolley we go. Back to the Power and Light district and we hit Howl at the Moon again. We stay there for a while but some of the other girls hit another bar that has............wait for it..........mechanical BULL RIDING. Oh hell yeah. The rest of us join. Most of us ride the bull. Oh yeah, I rode a mechanical bull. In a skirt. No I was not drunk. Yes, there may be video of this blessed event. No you will not be watching it. It was hysterical. I may or may not do it again because I do hear there is a place around here that has it. If I do attend such a place I can assure you I will be wearing proper attire! HA!
Sunday was a sad day. Breakfast again. Then time to pack up and go. So sad. This was the most fun I have had in a VERY long time. By the end of this weekend I would never have known I hadn't met any of these women in real life before. Everyone got along so well. We all had such a good time. It was just the right amount to be gone away. Thursday to Sunday and I was ready to come back home to my family. The girls all trickle out in random groups depending on flight times and it's time to go home.
Speaking of home. What a clusterf@#% that was. Get to airport. Waiting for flight. Supposed to board at 1:15p and take off at 1:45p. At 1:30p they tell us flight attendant is sick - taken to hospital with kidney stones. They will need to wait for another F.A. from incoming plane @ 2p and we'll be able to board then. Won't delay us too long, should still be in Boston around 6:15p. Okay, no problem, shit happens. At 2p they tell us flight has landed, shouldn't be too much longer. They will do fast boarding and we'll be on our way. Great! Roughly 2:30p they tell us PILOT is missing. Um, what now? How do you "lose" a pilot? At 2:45p FLIGHT CANCELLED. No explanation, nothing but flight cancelled. Go to customer service and see what they can do. Holy mother of God. Luckily a few of the girls from the GTG were flying to MN so they said GO and we'll watch your bags! "Thanks girls!" Off I RUN to cust svc. While waiting in line some guy hands us a card and says for us to call instead of standing there doing nothing. Um, RUDE much?! WTF? I am NOT an experienced flier and, truth be told, I HATE to fly. It freaks me out, especially flying alone. So I call and I get the rudest person on the effing planet. I explain that my flight has just been cancelled. She says why?! Um, I have no idea, I'm not privvy to that information. I just tell her I'm sorry, I'm not sure, they just told us it was cancelled. So she tells me I can't get home today. What?! Then she says hold on. Maybe this flight. No, they won't give me a ticket. This one. No, can't get this one. Ma'am. Are you walking and talking to me? You need to be WALKING now. I said what? No, I'm standing in customer service like they told us. Ma'am. You have 6 min to catch this flight or you aren't getting home. OMG! So I start running back to security while asking what GATE I need to get to. While this is going on my phone is beeping. It's Anne trying to call me to tell me they've moved (with my bags) to their boarding gate. (when I didn't answer, she texted) Thank GOD it's close to the gate I need to go to. Once I get back through security I run to my bags and have to literally grab them and run. I don't even have time to hug my girls goodbye!!! I have NO idea where I'm going aside from to a gate. The "customer service" rep has just told me to get to the gate. I know I'm going to Boston. I know nothing else. I get to the gate, I explain what has happened. The first ticket agent has MAJAH attitude. He tells me the plane has boarded and that I don't have a ticket. I explain to him again what has happened. I apologize for being frazzled and tell him that I've just been told I need to RUN to get to the gate or I'm not getting on the plane. He tells me he has no ticket for me and there is nothing he can do. He is so rude. The other agent with him must feel bad for me b/c she asks to take my (now cancelled) boarding pass from me and looks me up in the computer. SHE finds my tickets and tells me I'm all set to board. Thank you NICE agent!!! I get on the plane and have *this* much time to text John and tell him my flight is cancelled and I'll text him when I land. IN ATLANTA. OMG, what? I'm going to ATLANTA?! Why yes, yes I am according to the ticket I'm holding. For a 3 hr and 45 min layover. Faaaaantastic. I'll depart Atlanta at 9:45p and I'll arrive in Boston at 12:30a Monday morning. Shoot me now. I call John from the airport in tears. I was just emotionally and physically exhausted at that point. I tell him what's going on and then I feel even worse b/c he is the one that will have to wake the kids up at 12a to get them in the car and drive to Logan to pick me up in the middle of the night. Of course he doesn't care but that's not the point. Bottom line - I land in Boston at 12:30a. Get home at 1:10a. Off to bed I go. Thank God I took Monday off. I spent the day with the kids, doing laundry and grocery shopping.
All in all, aside from that cluster of a flight home, it was a GREAT weekend and I can't wait until next year. Chi-Town baby!!!!!
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