Heel!

Well, the time at the beach is ticking away... Only about 15 hours left before making the journey back to Atlanta. While I am sad to be heading back, there is some mild comfort in the thought of returning to regular life. I've gotten entirely too spoiled in these last few weeks.

I got a splinter the other day and finally got it extracted today. It was actually a sliver of a shell in my heel. Several family members worked on it today, and my uncle finally removed it with a needle and magnifying glass. Is that gross? My heel was bleeding, but now I think I'm back to normal. There's still a little wound, but it appears that the shell is gone.

I got a little pouch to hold my Nike sportband sensor. I found it at the outlet mall and it only cost $2.97. I can't wait to try it when I get home, although I'm hoping my SC joint will be feeling a bit better by then. It has been such a mess on this entire trip, especially on the airplane. I literally thought it was going to explode on the flight to Jacksonville.

The beach house numbers are dwindling. We have had 15 different people here and are now down to a mere seven. It's nice that it's getting quiet (and that I'll get to sleep in a bed!), but I did enjoy visiting with everyone. And playing Apples to Apples!

Tomorrow I'm riding back with my grandmother, uncle and mom. We plan to leave at around 11:00 a.m., and I can't remember how long the ride takes. I'm going to be relieved to have some alone time. It's been so long!

A story

I woke up Saturday morning feeling sad about leaving, but satisfied with the trip. We ate some breakfast and headed to the airport to fly back to Atlanta. As we headed to the Spirit counter, we noticed that every screen said FLIGHT CANCELLED. I was praying this wasn't accurate until I heard the people in front of us using expletives. At that point, we were terrified.

We walked up to the counter and asked why our flight was canceled (I prefer one L). The representative said that they couldn't get an aircraft there. We asked when they'd be able to get an aircraft there, and they said they didn't know. At that point, the workers told us we would get a FULL reimbursement for our round trip and would just have to book a flight home on another airline.

I started getting feisty with the guy asking him if he would just book my flight himself. Believe it or not, he offered for me to stay at his house. He told me we could call his wife to see if I could stay there. NO THANK YOU. So, we headed over to the Delta counter to figure out another flight home. At this point, I was trying to decide if I should head to Atlanta or to Jacksonville, Florida since I'd be heading there first thing on Sunday morning. The flight to Jacksonville wasn't much more than the flight to Atlanta, so I went ahead and opted for the Jacksonville route, even though I'd stop in Atlanta. Mind you that I've now spent another $800 to get home, when my original round trip was only $640.

Spirit neglected to mention that its pilots were on strike, but one of the workers secretly informed my friend. When we landed in Atlanta, though, and used Google, the top result for Spirit was informing us of the pilot strike - the first one in at least five years or something. Now that's some good luck. If anyone I know ever books on Spirit, we will no longer be friends.

The Delta flight to Atlanta took off almost an hour later than expected. Then, when we landed in Atlanta, I knew I was starting to cut it close with my Jacksonville flight. When I finally got off the plane, I had to go get my bag to go through Customs in Atlanta before heading to Florida. However, my bag was nowhere to be found and my plane was boarding. A worker suggested that I just leave without it and figure it out when I land in Florida. I then busted into a movie-like expedition through the airport, literally sprinting and knocking people out of the way.

When I got to security, I just ran up to the first worker I saw and asked if I could go to the front of the line. The guy guided me through the line, unhooking chains to let me through to the very front. No questions asked. I've never felt faster than I did running on the moving walkway. When I ran off the moving walkway I almost slammed into the wall in front of me because I still had such momentum. I can't think of a time that I worked out so hard. Maybe I should start carrying a 15-pound bag when I do sprints on the treadmill.

I got to my gate 30 minutes after boarding started (8 minutes before takeoff), and there was not a soul in sight. I ran up to the counter and handed the two ladies my boarding pass, at which point they said that they thought I was an unaccompanied minor. Then they started talking about how 'tiny' I am and, after simply staring at them through all of this, I just asked if I could get on the airplane. They said yes. I got on the plane looking so frazzled and made my anti-Spirit announcement for the plane to hear.

The flight was nice. I talked to a 69-year-old named Mary who said she wished her sons were younger so I could date them. When I arrived in Jacksonville, I stood hopelessly at baggage claim waiting for the bag that I knew was probably nowhere to be found. After the place cleared out (and I was the only one left waiting, again), I went to the baggage claim office to learn that my bag was at JFK airport in New York City. At that point, I really didn't even care.

A nice man named Carl brought my suitcase by yesterday at about 3:30 p.m. I did go to Target to take advantage of Delta's $50-in-the-first-24-hours-of-baglessness policy, so I got a new shirt, a pair of shorts, and some other miscellaneous stuff. Lordy.

All that being said, the trip was wonderful. I can't believe that I still have another week left. This is the way to do it! I literally haven't thought about work the entire trip. I used to like the idea of a bunch of long weekend trips versus using vacation days all at once. The thing about the long weekends, though, is that you're not far enough removed to ever really feel dissociated from work.

Today should be a great day since I have a bathing suit. Although, if I were in the Dominican Republic, having a bathing suit would be irrelevant.

More to come...

Spirit Airlines = BIG Mistake

I really need to go to sleep, but I have a few things to get off my chest...

Spirit Airlines is horrible.
I am on the couch at the beach house in Ponte Vedra.
My bag was in New York City last I heard.
I am wearing a Delta t-shirt, but also want to punch Delta.

Now put those pieces together.

I have so many stories wanting to be told, but I'm a little bummed because, since I didn't go home before I came here, I don't have my laptop and will be using the communal one. I'll make it happen.

BEDTIME.

RA RA RA RA RAAAAAA

WOW! It's late.

Well, tonight was the night - Drewby Doo's Mainstage Debut. (I realize that was annoying, but I couldn't not say it when it just crossed my mind.) I headed down to the theatre with plenty of time given all of Atlanta's festivities. I left 1 hour and 45 minutes before I needed to arrive to allot time to go to the grocery store and fight Friday traffic on top of Braves traffic, Freaknik traffic, festival traffic, etc. Congratulations to me for going to the grocery store AND getting to Midtown with 1 hour and 15 minutes until call time. That's record time for any day. Period.

So, I ended up going to Starbucks instead. Ironically, before all was said and done, half of tonight's cast members and the house manager were sitting at a table chatting. I'm not exactly sure if people were also surprised by how little traffic there was, if this is routine for some folks, etc., but it sure was an unexpected and almost surreal way to start the night. It was nice to sit around and talk instead of re-reading everything I've ever written in my notebook.

Tonight I played: Stereotypes, Repeat Scene Direction (paranoid, claustrophobic, pregnant), Senior Class President Buzzer Debate (a younger Barbara - Barb), and ABC (starting in the middle). All in all, I had a lot of fun. I was headier than I'd liked to have been, but it was hard not to treat it as something special because... IT WAS! I am feeling an entire series of post-show emotions, but my main feeling is 'thankful.' I am really happy that I got the experience. Oh, and a special shout-out to all of my wonderful friends who were there (in many senses of the word) for me tonight. After 'thankful,' I feel very motivated. I want to absorb everything I possibly can. I mean, I'm even excited about having to work my shift tomorrow, despite it being my sixth day there this week. I'm excited to watch and learn more.

I forgot to drop some big news yesterday (Thursday) - We booked flights to the Dominican Republic! I can't believe I'm going on a real, all-out vacation. I have never done this for myself... this splurging-type thing for a vacation. It is now official, and I'm excited to pamper myself!

Speaking of pampering, tomorrow I am getting my hair done - highlights and a cut. It will be a nice start to the day. After my new hair and before my double at the theatre, I bet I'll end up napping! I'm excited to get all freshened up and rejuvenated hair-wise.

I know there's a lot more to say... I have the post-show chatties. However, I realize it's after 2:00 a.m., and I need to rest my little head on a pillow.