My Luck Update

So just as soon as I am done posting my travel issues does another one happen. I should have known when both my flight to Detroit and home from Toledo were on time that something else would go wrong.

On Friday I leave work to hop on the el to go to O'Hare. I assume, hey its Friday, traffic will be bad so the el is probably my best bet. Wrong! I wait almost 30 minutes for the train. It then takes an hour and 15 minutes to get to O'Hare...UGH! Of course I miss the 40 minute bag check cut off to get on my flight and the later flight (9:30) is oversold. GREAT! I ask the lady if there is anything they can do - nope, nothing. So I proceed to throw out my liquids smash my purse into my suitcase (to consolidate into 2 bags) and then get through security with a bag I know won't fit in the overhead. All I can think is great - now what...what if they give me a hard time about gate checking my bag.....double UGH! I finally make it to my gate - which of course is the about the last one in the airport and thankfully the people agree to gate check my bag and I get on the plane to Detroit.

After a great weekend at home with my Mom I drove to Toledo for work on Monday and Tuesday and caought a flight home on Tuesday night. Again - I should have know. Flight is on time even though it is snowing. A miricle when you are flying into O'Hare. I turn in my rental, check my bag and go to the gate. Then of course I realize somehow between filling up the rental car and getting through security I've lost my credit card. I mean really....how does this happen. I call and cancel my card - get on the plane - and arrive in Chicago only 30 minutes late. I go to the baggage claim to grab my bag and I'm thinking I'll be home by 7:30. No such luck. After waiting an hour for my bag....I've determined that somehow they have lost it. File a claim - get a Starbucks (because everything seems better when your holding a Starbucks) and then wait by the baggage claim as Ben drives from the city to pick me up. Honestly, I waited another 40 minutes and just when I'm about to leave my bag comes rolling out. Finally! All I can say is at least I went home with my bag - even if I had to wait almost 3 hours for it. And I wasn't the last one from my flight waiting for their bags.

Spring

Some things I heart and make me think of spring/summer.

Busy Season

As I was driving home from work on Thursday night I started to really remember what it is to be in the heart of our busy season. For those of you who don't know, I work for a large public accounting firm and from about September through May is usually our busiest times. Most people think this is a result of the required tax filings, but for me thats not true. I work on the audit side so my busy season is determined by the fiscal year-ends of my clients. I don't do taxes - I never have. Honestely, I don't even do my own taxes....my Dad has always done them and now Ben does them for me.

But anyways back to busy season. As I was driving home I was thinking about the good and the bad that busy season brings and came up with the list below.

The Good

1. Drives that usually take at least an hour with traffic are reduced to half the time becuase you leave so early in the morning and come home so late at night that you miss all the traffic.
2. You spend most of your time at clients and get to run through the milage it takes to get you there and back. This may seem like a small perk but when you have a client that is 40 miles away one way....that adds up.
3. Free lunch on Saturdays - this Saturday the Weber Grill. Yummy!
4. You don't have to dress up for work on Saturday. I don't know why, but I feel so much more productive in jeans and a sweater.

The Bad

1. You wake up when its dark - you drive to the client - and you don't emerge again until it is dark.
2. Your "to do" list never gets shorter. You think you are making progress and then all of a sudden something blows up and you add five more things to the list. UGH!
3. 60 charge hour requirements each week, which means you work every Saturday. The sad part is that most weeks you don't struggle to work 60 charge hours and although Saturdays are required, most of us end up working Sunday too.
4. Your so tired at the end of the week that you can barely muster enough energy to stay awake to watch a movie on Friday night. Yeah - and you hardly ever go out on a Friday because you have to work on Saturday.
5. You work until midnight and then leave the office - the bad part, you worked until midnight - the good part, your not the last one to leave the office.

My Luck!

I mean really - what is it about me and travel? There is not one trip where I fly that I don't encounter travel problems. Honestly there has been, weather, late planes, flat tires, hitting a bird, a weird noise coming from under the floor boards (that 3 hours later was determined to be a disconnected air duct) and a flight attendant who refused to fly.

Tuesday morning I was awoken by a call from American Airlines telling me that my 1:30 flight back from St. Louis was cancelled. This of course was at 5:00 am about 20 minutes before I had to get up to get ready fro my flight to St. Louis.

Then of course on Thursday I get to the airport at 6:00 am for a flight to beautiful Evansville, IN. After I've already checked in and 10 minutes before we were supposed too board they cancel the flight. UGH! I get rebooked on a 9:50 that is delayed for 2 hours. I finally take off for the 45 minute flight but by that time I could have driven from Chicago to Evansville. Why is it so difficult!

Sorry for the vent but word to the wise - don't travel with me... unless you want to spend hours in the airport sitting on uncomfortable seats while you attempt to stay entertained by watching all the crazy people there.

Lucy post cut

The last post showed a good picture of Lucy before her hair cut - now see Lucy after! We try and keep it short, but who has the money to pay for a monthly haircut for a dog that basically costs as much as a person cut.

Lucy the Snowman

This is what happens when Lucy goes outside in the snow. Yes - those are snowballs that have accumulated on her fur!

Super Bowl Weekend

It's here - Super Bowl Weekend! Typically we have gone to someone elses house for the game, but this year we are hosting the first annual Akakia Fantasy Football League Super Bowl Party. Thats right, all the guys in the league and their significant others are invited. In preperation, Ben has purchased a new flat screen and media stand. Although we technically didn't need a new TV, he has been wanting one for quite some time. We originally said we wouldn't get a new TV until we sold our old one, but apparently the party was the excuse we needed to pull the trigger. So anyone interested in a 50 inch Toshiba? $800 or best offer....

Back to game - we are excited to have 20 plus people, one baby and at least one dog in the house for the game. I just need to figure out where they are all going to sit! Ugh! enjoy the game!