A Welcome Delay

Although my work-related travel can become tedious and exhausting at times, there’s no doubt that I enjoy the benefits that are afforded by the frequent travel.  Our Thanksgiving trip to Milwaukee is the perfect example….

I knew I was pushing my luck when I booked a flight leaving PHX around 7:30pm, not arriving in MKE until close to midnight.  While party girl Ani has no trouble staying up late, the routine and structure that’s embedded in Alexa makes this a lot more challenging; 10pm is really an extreme for her…  Much to my dismay, I checked the flight status in the morning, and the flight was already delayed 2.5 hours, not scheduled to arrive in MKE until 2:20am.  Oh dear – this would create a chain-reaction event of poor sleep that would have ramifications for the entire weekend.  

I decided to take a chance and call Southwest to assess my opportunities to rebook, not expecting there would be too many options since the flight was merely delayed instead of cancelled.  Well, thanks for my A-List Preferred status, the agent rebooked us on the first direct flight in the morning – a 7:45am departure, at no charge.  Despite the early wake-up, seemed like a marked improvement versus the middle of the night option.  

This delay gave the girls and I the opportunity to have a fun and relaxed night – no gymnastics and I let Alexa miss ballet as planned.  So instead of hanging out in the airport waiting hours for a delayed flight, the girls and I hit up the library, mall (had to get warm, fleece-lined leggings for Ani) and Nordstrom Café for dinner.  Both girls were sound asleep by 8:30pm in anticipation of the early morning wake-up starting around 4:45am for them.

Their enthusiasm for the flight this morning was palpable; both girls popped out of bed as soon as I told them it was time to wake up.  Both were so excited for this trip to Milwaukee and Chicago, and Ani gleefully shared her geography knowledge by proudly sharing that both cities are in North America. 

The airport this morning was a breeze, as the 7:30am flight time seemed to dodge some of the morning rush.  The biggest challenge of the morning was schlepping Ani’s car seat from the parking garage to the Southwest check-in.  Other than that, we encountered no lines nor waits for check-in nor security.  Since I know the airport well, I was able to map out our plan for breakfast and the less-busy Starbucks run near the international gates, just a few moving walkways from our gate.

Not a bad start to the day at all….we’ll see how I feel later tonight when the early wake-up comes full circle ;)

My seasoned travelers.....