Getting There

WOW, what a day this was! I had to frantically burn my portfolio for my masters degree on a cd and mail it off. I had every intention of doing this a few days before leaving, but I promise my life wouldn't be mine if it wasn't for rushing and procrastination. As I crossed my fingers and got confirmation on the cd, I wished for the best as I headed out on my adventure to celebrate finishing the degree.

Mom and Dad took us to the airport- dad wanted to take his car but quickly realized the amount of luggage was going to require a larger vehicle. When we got to the airport the guy tells me my smaller suitcase was around 34 pounds and my larger one was 63 pounds. Holy cow, 13 pounds over the limit! At that point, I really thought my only option was to just pay the fee. He was like- we aren't busy- just step to the side and shove stuff in the smaller bag. Jen was the smart one and took an extra bag to carry on if needed. She didn't need the extra bag after all and was kind to let me use it. We went to the side and Jen was the pro at shifting items. Unfortunately, the smaller suitcase was ripped a bit in the process because although it was under the weight limit, it was pretty full for its size to begin with. When we got back to the counter to check the weights, we realized the smaller bag was coming apart! The guy was like, no worries, I have tape for that. Standing there in shock, I watched as he puts tape all over my bag with the words 'Alaska Airline' all over it! Laughing at the thought of boarding the cruise ship with tape all over my luggage, there wasn't anything I could do about the embarrassment now. Amazingly, we got the larger bag to 46 pounds and off we went with a very heavy carry on on my shoulder! Wheels were already spinning in my head about having to purchase a carry on for the trip home knowing Jen would be purchasing items to bring back. No worries, this wasn't the first time I've had to purchase bags to return home after a fun trip=) At the airport in Seattle, I called dad to let him know I was there safely. Any guesses at to what his first question was? Yup- how much did your suitcase weigh, Anne? Sorry, dad!