Florida Day 4 July 31, 2011

Day 4 started much earlier than Day 3….4:00am.  I’d pack most of my stuff the night before, so I headed out of the hotel at 4:30 and to Denny’s for some breakfast (it just happened to be right next door to the hotel).  The waitress forgot to give me my yogurt with my meal so she gave me a to-go yogurt.  This was perfect—I had just enough blueberries left over to make myself a tasty snack for the plane.

I took the rental car back to the airport and said goodbye.  I must say that my first experience renting a car was relatively painless.  After I got my luggage, I walked half a mile in the wrong direction before getting to my terminal.  I didn’t have long to wait before they called to board the plane for the trip home.   I was so tired that I nearly slept through take-off, and then couldn’t get back to sleep during the flight.  I was fortunate enough to have a window seat on the ride home, but unfortunate enough to get one on the east side of the plane (the sun was in my eyes so I had to shut the blind).

Orlando Sanford Airport at 5:30am

Goodbye, Kia Rio

We were getting ready to land when the bomb dropped.  Okay, there was literally no bomb; however there was fog in Owensboro so we had to land in Louisville to refuel before flying back to Owensboro.  Two hours after my ETA, we landed and I was able to start the drive home. 

Waiting for luggage at Owenboro

Looking back, I had a very enjoyable trip.  This is the second major trip I’ve taken by myself and I’m proud of the way I don’t have to depend on someone else to go with me, get me around, and to have another set of eyes, ears, and arms to help with directions and carrying things.  I’m glad I went somewhere this summer to relax, and I think the beach was just the place to do that.  

New Orleans, Day 4

I was up early today.  Not because I wanted to be, but because I didn’t sleep well again.  I even took a Tylenol PM around 10:00.  Oh well—maybe I’ll sleep on the plane.  Or all day tomorrow.

Check-out time was 12:00, so I headed to the lobby around 10:00 to get myself checked out and to stash my luggage at the Bell Station until the game was over.  I began to walk toward the stadium.  At this point, I got onto myself for making the walk yesterday.  Seriously, how could I get lost in a sea of Saints’ jerseys??  The closer I got, the more people there were.  I saw a Saints Party Bus, a band playing in a parking lot, and a LOT of tailgating.  Outside the stadium is an area called Champions Square.  There was a big screen tv with all kinds of action going on, food & beverage booths, and lots of Saints and Browns fans.  My favorite part of Champions Square was the drumline.  They played for a little bit, and when they were done I headed into the stadium.

The stadium itself was a little disappointing (uh oh, my first disappointing event for the day).  I think I was expecting it to be like the Lucas Oil Stadium.  It wasn’t as new or updated.  I found my seat and settled in to enjoy the sights.  The game started at 12:00 local time and I was really really excited for it to begin.  This was the whole reason I went to New Orleans, remember?  As each quarter went by, I became more disappointed.  The Saints weren’t playing like they usually did, and the Browns were playing much BETTER than they usually did.  It was a tense game for the Saints fans.  Several of them left early.  I would’ve loved to get an earlier start to the airport, but I stayed until the very end.  Browns: 30, Saints 17.  Definitely not the best football game I’d ever watched!

As I started to walk back to the hotel, I noticed the clouds had rolled in.  There was a 50% chance of rain in the afternoon.  I was hoping it wouldn’t interfere with my flight.  I got a couple of blocks away from the stadium and it began to rain.  It was around this time I noticed I had a blister on my right foot.  Great.  This day kept getting better and better!  I made it to the hotel just as it stopped raining.  I collected my luggage and headed for the bathroom to change out of my Saints jersey (I was a little ashamed to be a Saints fan at that moment, plus I didn’t want any Browns fans to harass me between there and home.  I just wanted to get out of Dodge!) and got into a cab.

My cab adventure to the airport was less than fun.  Luckily, the cabs charge a standard rate to/from the airport to anywhere in New Orleans.  A 20-minute ride turned into an hour very quickly.  I had time to gather my flight info for the airport and take a few last minute pictures as we inched our way toward Louis Armstrong International Airport.  The cab dropped me off and I got checked in.  When I printed my tickets, I had no seat assignment to Atlanta and no ticket for my flight to Evansville.  Great.  The lady who checked my suitcase said they’d give me a seat assignment and a ticket at the gate.  Ok.  I get through security and head to the gate.  I get a seat assignment, but no ticket for Evansville.  Fantastic.  All I could do was check in at the counter in Atlanta.  I ate an Uno Chicago’s pizza for supper (I was starved) and drank a LARGE Pepsi.  I don’t drink soft drinks, but after my stressful afternoon, I figured, “Why not?”  Big mistake.  The flight to Atlanta was one of the most turbulent I’ve been on.  During takeoff (my favorite part of the flight), I almost got sick.  I felt sick most of the way and I kept my eyes closed.  That gave me a LOT of time to pray.  J  When the flight finally landed, we were all ready to race off that plane.  I had 49 minutes to catch my connecting flight.  In Atlanta.  I had horrible visions of me running through the airport and getting sick all over the place.  Thankfully, I found my gate with time to spare.  The flight to Evansville was one of the most pleasant flights I’ve ever had.  It was the only flight on this trip that I sat by a window seat.  My stomach had settled by this point, so I passed the time by looking at all the lights on the ground.

My flight landed in Evansville ahead of schedule.  I collected my suitcase, found my car (and took a picture of it—I was THAT glad to be home), paid for my parking (much cheaper than I expected), and headed home.  My cats were VERY glad to see me (and I was VERY glad to see them).  I was thankful for my comfy bed and my satellite channels (all I watched in the hotel were HLN and HGTV).  I slept well & late.  A pile of laundry and dishes waited for me when I got up, so why not??

Final Thoughts

I am very glad I took this trip.  I proved to myself that I can do it.  I wasn’t scared once, although some situations made me more nervous than others.  I know I don’t do nights that well (either being out at night or sleeping at night) on vacation.  Although it would’ve been great to share this trip with someone, it was so nice to get in everything I wanted at my own pace.  I spent more time in some places than I did in others.  I took tons of pictures.  I journaled my experience so I can look back on it and remember.  Would I do it again?  In a heartbeat.  Next trip:  somewhere with a beach….possibly Florida and Disney World (I’ve been there tons of times & would love to go back!).

Drumline in Champion's Square

At the game with my $6 souvenir cup.  I was drinking Sprite!

A little Drew Brees action.

One disappointed and wet girl.

Max was sure glad I was home!

New Orleans, Day 1

I am not a journal person.  I don’t like writing my thoughts down, but I have also been *blessed* with a rotten memory.  In order to remember this vacation as well as I’d like to, I’m going to take a little time each day to write down what I’ve experienced in the “Armpit of America,” as I’ve heard it called. J

Day 1 of my trip started out like any other school day.  It was a Thursday, the last day of school before Fall Break.  I actually made the kids work (I know, I’m the world’s worst teacher in the world!) because it not only makes the time go by faster for them, but me as well.  At the end of the day, I rushed home, changed clothes, rinsed out my lunch dishes, grabbed my suitcase and carry-on, and headed out the door (hugging and kissing the cats as I went).  With a quick stop at the bank and post office, I was on the way to the Evansville Airport.  I got there and parked and was blessed to have an airport shuttle pull up near me.  A nice, elderly man drove me right up to the airport doors.  I wasn’t sure whether to tip him or not, so I gave him all my spare change, as I had few ones and wasn’t sure what all I’d need them for.  I got checked in, which was an adventure in itself:  My Delta credit card is still in my married name (yes, a gross oversight on my part, since I haven’t used the card in the year and a half I’ve been back to my maiden name).  However, TSA rules say that my ticket (married name) must match my government-issued ID (maiden name).  Luckily, my dad told me I should carry my divorce decree with me, just in case.  Boy oh boy, I could’ve kissed my dad right then and there for that advice!  I needed it twice before I got to my departure terminal at Evansville, and I’d need it just as many times for my flight home from New Orleans.

The flights themselves were fairly uneventful.  At Evansville, there was a little mix-up: two men had been assigned the same seat number.  It took a few minutes to straighten out, delaying our flight slightly (which for me was ok-my connecting flight in Memphis didn’t leave for a few hours). After landing in Memphis (Facebook post ♪♫ Walking in Memphis ♪♫), I had some excellent BBQ Nachos before boarding the plane to New Orleans.  On the flight, I sat in front of a LOUD, OPINIONATED woman.  She was being extra-helpful to the couple sitting next to her.  Apparently, it was their first trip to N.O. and she was a native.  Fortunately, I picked up several restaurant recommendations from her!  The woman next to me had a Saints Superbowl Champs shirt on, and she and I chatted for just a few minutes (remember, I’m not supposed to talk to strangers!).  My biggest thrill was looking out the window (I was in a middle seat, but could still see out) at what I guessed was Lake Pontchartrain.  It was totally black.  For quite awhile all I could see was black, then I could see the bridge where the cars can drive (or rather, I could see the lights of the cars driving on the bridge).  Awesome!!  I hope I get to sneak a peak of it in the daylight!

When the flight landed, my luggage came quickly (thank you, God) and I found a taxi that soon had me speeding toward the Hilton Riverside hotel.  I don’t think I breathed, blinked, or shut my gaping-open mouth the entire ride!  The first thing I noticed was a palm tree.  Those of you who know me best, that’s the first thing I look for when I travel to Florida.  To me, that’s a symbol of vacation, relaxation, and tropical paradise.  Ahhhh.  As we sped along, I saw many stores I’d see at home (Michael’s, Best Buy, etc.).  Soon we were getting to the business district, and I could see taller buildings that reminded me of Nashville, TN.  Then, I saw it.  The whole reason I came here on Fall Break: The Louisiana Superdome.  To anyone else, it probably would look like a big, round building with no interesting features.  To me, it meant the SAINTS!!  Not long after we passed the Superdome, we were on the riverfront at my hotel.  I’m not a nightlife person, but the lights, music, and warm weather invited me to stay outside and enjoy.  However, the thought of stretching out on my bed, taking a hot bath, and having a nice hot cup of decaf tea was more enticing, so I headed inside the hotel.  It took awhile to get checked in (apparently I wasn’t the only later flight), and by the time I got to my room, it was after eleven at home, ten here.  I’m an early-to-bed, late-to-rise kind of girl, but I did get that bath, get connected to the internet (Facebook: ♪♫ When the Saints Go Marchin’ In ♪♫), fixed the tea, and watched a little HGTV on the HUGE, flat-screen TV.  Tomorrow I have my bus tour of the Hurricane Katrina devastation and a walking ghost tour in the evening.  Adios! J