Working for the Man = Orlando

Since Norm starting his new job for DSI in September many great things have happened.  He drives to work, stays there all day, eats breakfast and lunch there with food provided by DSI.  We get a pay check automatically deposited every two weeks, we have insurance and he is home by 5:30 most nights!  There are a few things that have taken some adjustment... such as, I cannot call Norm ten times a day to talk to him whenever I want.  He is working and is super busy.  I can try to text him but sometimes he can't respond for hours.  That has been really hard for me since I was used to picking up the phone and bugging him whenever I had an inkling to.  He works Mondy to Friday 8-5.  We can no longer plan to go to the temple on a Thursday morning.  He cannot come to any school function in the middle of the day.  No more sending him to the doctor to wrestle kids down to get shots.  Luckily we are mostly past that.  Overall, it has been a tremendous blessing for our family and we (mostly I) have adjusted to all the changes we have had to make.  Mostly inconveniences to noone but myself. 

So, how does working for the man = Orlando.... well, one day Norm tells me MUST go to Orlando for a convention the first of November for a few days.  I think how awful for you, then I quickly think, can I come with you?  His airfare, hotel, and food are paid for so if we can get me there we could have a nice little get away.  Norm and I haven't gone anywhere by ourselves for years.  Our kids have become fun to travel with so we don't have the need to leave them so much.  I checked with a Jet Blue friend to see if she had any buddy passes to spare and she totally hooked me up.  So, I left on a Monday night at midnight to fly the red eye to New York and wait for a connecting flight to Orlando.  I was scheduled to get into Orlando by early afternoon.  I was going to go to the hotel, shower, and take a nap so I was all refreshed for Norm's arrival about 8:00.  I made it easily on the NY flight, with a whole row to myself.  However, once arriving in NY the flights were full going to Orlando.  I got there at 5:00 AM (which was 3:00 AM my time).  I waited and missed about three flights.  I wandered, people watched, listened to my iPod, read, wandered, ate gross expensive airport food.  I finally got on the last flight out to Orlando!  I was getting a little nervous but I made it there. After landing, I headed outside to catch the pre-arranged shuttle I had a reservation on.  After standing in the misty humidity for over an hour for my reserved shuttle we headed to the hotel.  Finally, making it up to my room about 7:00, I looked in the mirror.  Holy cow, that humidity had done a number on my once straight hair.  Yikes.  I ordered some room service, this time expensive good food, showered and waited for Norm come in.  I crashed about 9:00 from pure exhaustion.  On Wednesday, we went to Disneyworld.  Norm and I had two days left from some passes from 1994.  They let us trade them in for an updated card with to un-expirable days.  We did Magic Kingdom in the morning and early afternoon.  We headed back to the hotel for Norm to set his booth up.  We decided not to rent a car since there was convenient shuttles from the hotel going wherever we needed to go.  Convenient apparently is subjective.  I thought it meant that it was there when you needed it.  Well, there was a schedule but we couldn't figure out why it was never there when they said and why we had to wait for an hour when it was supposed to be there every 30 minutes.  Needless to say we did a lot of waiting for the shuttle.  But without kids, and just the two of us it was pleasantly enjoyable.  Later that night we headed back to Epcot and walked around the countries.  As we were decided a country to eat in it started pouring rain so we ran in the Tomorrow land pavillion. We ended up eating there, riding the fantastically informational boat ride through their futuristic garden center.  It was late and we were tired from our day of traveling before and walking around Disneyland all day, setting up Norm's booth, waiting for shuttles so we went back to the hotel.  The next day Norm had his convention so I slept in and was going to lay out by the pool and read.  Well, it was drizzly and slightly chilly.  Warmer than Salt Lake but too cool to sit out and read.  I ended up walking to some shopping centers and buying our souvenirs at knock-off store.  That night we went to DownTown Disney and ate at the Fulton Seafood House.  We took one look at the menu, after we had been seated, and hoped no one saw our eyes pop out of their sockets.  We knew we were on vacation but spending over a $100 on dinner for two was over the top for us.  They brought us a delicious crab spread and crackers, for free.  I ordered a Salad and Norm went for Clam Chowder.  It was delicious and didn't cause us to have buyers remorse.  We wandered around in the shops in the rain while we were waiting for our movie time to come around.  It must not have been a great movie because I can't even remember what we saw.  The next day, I was going to wait for Norm to be done with his convention in the afternoon and we were going to go back to Epcot that afternoon/evening.  Well, as I was eating my Oatmeal, I thought, why should I sit around here all day.  I am going to go to Epcot by myself and have Norm meet me.  I hoped no one would think I was a weirdo walking around a Disney park as an adult all by myself with no kids.  I went to all the shows in Epcot that Norm had no desire to go to, I walked around all the shops and had my fill of window shopping. I don't think I ever noticed anyone looking at me weird and after an hour or so I didn't even care I was by myself.  I quite enjoyed experiencing whatever I wanted to experience without wondering what anyone else wanted to do.  Let me just say, that as a wife and a Mom we don't get to do that ofte, which I don't mind but it was nice once in 15 years to do that!  Norm texted me about three saying he was on his way. I was making my way to the front of the park to meet him at the gate.  The next text I get is "I left my  ticket at the hotel"  The park closes at six, and with waiting for shuttles back and forth we realized it wouldn't be worth it to go back and get it. So, now I am really glad I went for the day alone.  So, we wait for the shuttle and find a way to go straight to DownTown Disney without going back to the hotel.  We were becoming experts at this shuttle thing.  We ate at the Irish Pub and had Fish & Chips that were amazing.  We did some more shopping around but it was quite chilly and rainy so we didn't last too long.  Back to the hotel we went.  The next day, Friday, I started my journey home.  I left first since I was tentatively booked on a noon flight from Orlando to NYC.  The flights came and went, the flights were full, another day spent at the airport people watching and eating gross expensive food.  Norm was there waiting for his flight but we were in different terminals and because of security we couldn't even be together.  I finally got on the last flight to New York but there were no more flights from New York to SLC.  I got to NY about 11:00 PM, no car, no flight, no idea what to do. I tried to keep my composure, but I will admit I was fighting back the tears.  I finally talked to my Jet Blue buddy and she gave me some "cheap" hotels to get for the night and then start in the morning.  I took the shuttle to a super scary area, good thing I didn't have to go out anywhere.  I had no suitcase, just my carryon.  I had my contact solution, my glasses, a toothbrush and my make up.  No clothes, no flatiron, no hairdryer, nothing..I climbed in bed and wondered what tomorrow would bring.  I headed back to JFK the next morning hopeful to get on a flight to SLC.  Nothing was open, I was starting to panic. Another day in an airport.  It was all I could do to keep my composure everytime I talked to a gate agent and they told me I wasn't on the fliglht.  After talking to my Jet Blue Buddy again we decided to get me to Long Beach from NYC and then try to get to SL from there.  So, I got on the flight to Long Beach and was faced with enormous crowds of what seemed like all Jet Blue Employees and their families who had been at Disneyland.  I was an expert by now of who had priority on getting on these flights.  It was not me.  Luckily, I found a gate agent who was sympathetic to my flight story and she was watching out for me.  After missing two flights and it was now 6:00 at night Sunday I was despereate.  Norm was ready to just have me pay for a one way ticket and buy an open seat.  I didn't want to spend the $200 bucks but it was better than staying in a hotel again and eating airport food another day.  Luckily, I was blessed.  I think I said enough prayers over the past two days to finally make it on the flight to SL.  I got in about 11:00 Sunday night.  Looking back now, it was an adventure.  I have decided I am not an adventurous type.  I have also decided that I wouldn't use a buddy pass again if I had connecting flights I was trying to make and if you have to spend money for a hotel and days of airport food it still has to save you money.  So lots of options to weight out net time this opportunity comes around.

So, the time away with Norm was much needed and so amazing.  The flying experience left much to be desired.

I have to mention that my Mom and Dad made it possible for us to be able to go on this trip.  I called my Mom two weeks before to see if it would work for their schedule to come stay with the kids.  I figured the kids are in school all day so they should be able to work still and just be there to help them at night and get them off in the morning.  They drove back and forth alot from our house to theirs.  Maddy helped TEnley with her hair on the morning it was only Grandpa there to get them off to school.  The kids had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa and we were truly thankful that they are willing to help out so much!