Road Trip with a Twist

I'm all for spontaneous road trips if I'm in the right mood. Lisa can vouch for the fact that I've said no to more than one last minute road trip, but I've also said yes to just as many. So, Thursday night after Bible study I had a voicemail from her that said, "I've got a crazy idea. Call me." So I did. Lisa works for an airline and wanted me to come to Texas for the weekend to surprise Danell for her birthday on Saturday. Part of me wanted to go, but part of me said, "A road trip is one thing, but a flying trip is another." We talked pros and cons and I was ready to go if we could pretty much guarantee that I could get back on Saturday. But, there are no guarantees for standby. As we were talking, I was standing in front of the TV and a commercial for Broadway's Beauty and the Beast came on and I suddenly realized that I am supposed to see that on Sunday. So I told Lisa that I would love to come but I don't think it's going to work out. We were both sad, but I felt like I had made a good decision.

I had already planned to take Friday off of work, so I woke up around 9 and procrastinated doing a bunch of stuff I wanted to do. Around 11:30 I put my sheets in the washing machine and got into the shower. While I was in the shower, I said to myself, "I have no plans for today. There's a good chance that I could come home on the 7:20 flight on Saturday. If I don't make that flight, someone else can go to Beauty and the Beast. I want to go to Texas." So, I got out of the shower, called Lisa, she signed me up for the 2:55 flight, I quickly got ready, packed in the smallest bag I have ever taken on an airplane (don't worry, I took a picture of it :) !), went by the church to tell Kari about possibly missing Beauty and the Beast and asked if she could feed the cats (I'm cat sitting this weekend) if I didn't make it back until Sunday, grabbed some lunch, went and fed the cats, and made it to the airport at 1:45. Lisa was in constant contact to let me know the status of the likelihood I could get on the flight. And I did! :)

Friday night I had Chick-fil-a for dinner (of course) and Lisa and I went to see Valentine's Day at a Studio Grill Theater. You sit at a table and eat while you watch the movie--very fun. We had dessert since we had already eaten dinner. Then we made plans with Diana for the surprise in the morning. Danell was coming to the metroplex for the day because it was her birthday. Diana's husband was going to Aquilla to help Danell's husband with the twins all day. Lisa and I had planned to get to Diana's first but were running late, so Danell was already there when we got there. I rang the doorbell, Diana answered and stepped aside. Danell's mouth dropped and then she started crying as she got up to give me a hug!

I was able to spend until 6:00 with everyone. We went and got pedicures, ate lunch at a sushi restaurant, hung out, played Ticket to Ride Europe, ate strawberry cupcakes (I inherited them as my favorite from Danell), and rode together to the airport. I was able to make it onto the 7:20 flight and was back home in Peoria by 9:30. Talk about a whirlwind trip! But it was so worth it! So, I guess instead of a road trip, I went on an air trip?! And I still get to see Beauty and the Beast tomorrow! :)

Pictures of the weekend to follow, of course.