NO WAY? You mean Angi actually FINISHED that TR? Thank GOD!

This has to be the BEST TR that I've EVER READ... BRAVO to you for sharing all your adventures and mis-adventures with us!! Hopefully our trip in 5 weeks will be as entertaining as yours.
Ken and Joyce

 

You have set the bar high for trip reports!
VERY entertaining to say the least!
You are one funny chick! :dave:

 

Thanks guys! I know from my TR you prolly cant tell but I am a little modest about myself. (I know you are thinking YEAH right!) I am blushing.

And Bethy thanks for only calling me FUNNY not Funny LOOKING! :lol:

Jackie, do you do medical? I work on a medical floor but our hospital has the largest inpatient chemical dependancy and mental health units in the state. We are the only medical floor in the building. There is a very small (I would NOT put my critically ill family on it because they will need to be transfered to another hospital if soemthing unexpected arises) ICU, maternity, NICU, Ortho and a spine/general surgery floor. The rest of the fairly large building is dedicated to metal health/CD. So we get EVERY mental health or CD patient that those units deem "medically unstable" There criterial for medically unstable OF COURSE CHANGES depending on how much work the staff would have to do. What? a nurse actually has to administer an injection? Oh no! That paitnet has diabetes (for 20 years mind you) they MUST go to medical for at least a little while. Generally these are the problem patients that need 1:1 nursing and cost and arm and a leg to keep. Very frustrating cause I kid you not every day I have at least ONE of these patients. They want drugs and many of them FAKE withdrawl symptoms but us nurses MUST believe the patients. I love medical so much tho. I couldnt ever seeing working on one of those other floors. I have cake hours too. 12 hour day shifts. No nights ever. Unless i want OT and there is plenty of daytime OT to be had. My boss is so flexable with me too. ESP since I called off today to go to court for my daughter and she just switched the day for me next week no problem so I could go back. Never says a word when I need a day off for my kids as she knows it is only me who can do it. So I out up with the drunks for now and get myself drunk every now and then too!
We call our unit "hotel 11A" too! LOL! :lol:

 

Oh wait. I just hyjacked my own thread (again?) :? I bet you guys are here to find out how the trip ended right? It DID end right? Hmmm Give me a few and see if I can remember the details....

 

HA HA HA HA ! :lol: I am evil arent I? :angel:

 

Evil?? Nah- just a titillating report writer. BTW- we've been in Minny Apples quite a few times- mom used to live in Eden Prarie (before she passed away 2 years ago) and my brother lives in Mendota Heights (and before that St. Louis Park)... anyway- hope this the first of many exciting TR novellettes...
Ken and Joyce

 

Angibaby, I'm still waiting on pictures. Didn't you get any? Heck you had a half dozen cameras during your trip. Just kidding. I will send you some notes next time we go and let you write our TR.

 

Ok. So here it is the moment you have all been waiting for...drum roll please.....the last part of our little TR. I am sorry it has been so short. I just have no nack for gab. :roll: :lol:

So without further ado here is the final episode of my TR "one last snafu and the straw that broke the camels back" AKA "what is your flight number (again???) and you want your burger done HOW?" You pick your favorite title. It's more fun that way!

So we arrive at the Chicago airport. A little tired and pretty darn hungry. We get off the flight. Go through Customs and need to find the AA terminal to check in at cause we only got our first boarding passes. I guess cause it is a different airline. So we look as people who are heading out one way that seems the correct way but I see a sign that says AA with an arrow. And another AA sign pointing in the opposite direction (looking like where everyone was leaing from, I dont think that is right.) So I tell him lets follow the first sign. Of course Garland needs to disagree with me and we dispute it. In the end I was right (but whats new? :lol: ) really though it took a bit to find our way to where we needed to check in with AA. Not much in the way of signage. Get there. The lady asks us our flight number. Sure mam it is (insert number here). Looking at paper. looking some more. and some more. Mam what is your name? I dont see that flight number on our itinerary for today. (YOU. HAVE. GOT. TO. BE. $HITTING. ME.! :evil: :cry (I am not sure how much I can take at this point really. Just give a flight home. I dont care if I have to pay again at this point!)

I think this is about 6 or so pm. Our flight is at 9:50. So I tell her our names. Mind you she isnt at a terminal just in the AA place where you switch planes after a international flight. The terminal is a few feet behind them. They are just here helping you find where you need to go (and I am wondering WHY they werent around a MILE ago when I was trying to find them in the first place. :roll: ) so she isnt on a computer. She just has a paper with several pages of some writing at this point I didnt care what she had. Just get me on a flight. "MAM you are not on my list" :shock: :shock: "are you SURE you are on AA?" OMG! What is WITH you people. YES I am sure (really this time) see? HMMM. Well my paper only goes till 9pm so that wouldnt be here anyway. Really? really? So instead of having the whole days list (and I am thinking there isnt much after 9pm anyway) you give people heart attacks because when I tell you my flight number and name how in the HELL am I to know you paper doesnt show my flight cause it is too late? really? (she earned her sign for sure. Not me this time :roll: ) :bash: <----that is me to her cause I cant take it anymore.

Ok well can. Oh but wait. They get the list. And yes we are on a flight and it is the same time BUT it isnt the right flight number. :? That is a little confusing and scary. Maybe they changed the flight number? Wait though. Our bags were ticketed all the way through to MPLS and they say the flight number we have. So are they going on a different flight than us? UM no they will be on your flight.

You dont have to worry. (uh yeah, most of those things are brand new. got smart last year when AA lost my 1/2 kids goodies on a trip as I packed them by kids in a plastic baggie. We only got one bag and that one only contained two kids stuff. That was nice can you imagine being the kids who didnt get crap like the others! so at least we wont loose them they are in my carry on!) So yeah famous last words. You cant tell a worry wart or a mother (or a combined one) not to worry, our brains dont understand those words. Really.

So how do I know this if they are already marked for Minneapolis that they need to get on a different flight? (sorry lady. I dont know you. I dont trust you. and I want my crap.) What IS our flight number anyway? herinsert number) me: are you going to put that on our bags (we are near the scanner thingy and she was telling us to leave our bags and go check in upstairs at another AA terminal. Her: no they will get on the right flight as we dont have a flight with that number. Me: well you MUST have it says so right here. It even says THAT is where my seat is! Not on flight (insert number) Her little compadre and her are just so sure we will get out bags without difficulty even though they are spossed to be on a plane going to the same place at the same time only with a different flight number (that just happens to not exist except of course on this crappy email I printed out!) I am sure this is headed nowhere fast and I am crabby. We just let well enough alone and go check in. Walked to BFE because these lady's were certain that it would be quicker than going to the chick at the counter behind her who had no customers. Not sure what their definition of quicker is but yeah doesnt seem possible. And WHY can you tell me I should trust you anyways when you cant tell me why my flight number is different then the one on my bag and email? Really. You seem just as confused as I am and you do this job daily. You mean you never came across this before? (Ok I dont know about you but before I assure one of my patients (so customers) about something I have never come across the very LEAST I do is look into it a bit)

walking, walking and more walking. Along the way we spot a set of those screens where you can look at flight status. BOTH fight numbers are listed on here AND listed as ON TIME! OK I am SURE that lady stated there wasnt even a flight with that number. :?

Get to the terminal. VERY NICE lady at the counter listened to my confusion as I walked up only because she asked how I was! Hey if you didnt want to know dont ask! Kicking myself for not remembering her name and calling to compliment her to her boss. But I was stressed at this point. Anywho she explained to me about the flight numbers and cleared it up for me. The flight has two numbers because some of it was bought (i think or just sold them as connectors for themselves) through and sold through Mexicana. So one is the Mexicana flight number and the other was sold as AA. All on one big plane. HMMM why didnt the chick downstairs who got her "sign" didnt know that? The nice lady tells me she isnt sure as it is a fairly common thing. :? Whatever. We finnally know what flight we are on. Oh well I dont have seat together. Phooey. But oh well. I want home at this point. Who sat next to me at this point. I could care less. GET. ME. HOME.

So obviously an hour later we are still hungry. Me tho I am in a not sure what I am hungry for and nothing sounds all that great either. So I make G pick, then of course I veto his first choice on the list of places. Ok we are by a Chili's express. Lets do that. Go wait to be seated and there is NOTHING express about this process. NOTHING. There are empty tables but we dont even get greeted for seating until 10 minutes later (and there wasnt anyone in front of us!)

Sit down and I find they had no entrees really and I wanted a meal. Basically like one salad choice, a few starters and burgers. I really want an entree or more than a garden salad. I see photos advertising these nice looking salads and I say to Garland "that is funny they would have that photo up there and not have it in the menu". He is looking puzzeled at me. Did you read the whole thing? They are at the front. HMM no they are not! He looks at my menu and then hands me his. Wouldnt you know in all her time waiting to greet us she didnt have time to sort out the lunch and dinner menus. :roll: I still decide on a burgert anyway cause something in each of the salads didnt sound appealing. Wait. wait. wait. Hmm we have been here an awful long time without a server even bringing water and greeting us. wait. wait.wait some more. It has been a minimum of 20 minutes. Noone has came near out tables or the ones around us. But lucky them they had their food already and at least a water! NOT us!

So G is getting pissed (as am i). Goes to a area across the restaurant where he sees a server who has been helping customers (I guess in another section). He tells her that we are ready to order and have been here for a while. Could someone come over there. She didnt even offer water before walking off. I guess to find our server. :roll: UM yeah. Why not help the server out and the CUSTOMER by getting the orders in and then finding the waiter. I mean that would be the customer service and team playing thing to do right? At least offer water. That isnt hard. :roll:

So I kid you NOT, TEN MINUTES LATER our waiter comes to our table "Do you want drinks now or do you just want to order?" UH I think we have had PLENTY of time to think about what you want. PLENTY. :roll: I think we will just order. "oh good" (mind you this is said like we were going to waste HIS time by only ordering drinks if that was what we did anyway) I order a water. Then my burger. "how would you like that done?" Medium rare please. "you cant have it that way. Only medium well or well." (i think then why not say that up front instead of teasing me thinking I can get what I want) me:what? That is how i want it. I hate over done meat. (please read his snotty attitude in this one) "well it isnt chili's rule it is a health department regulation." Me: forget it I dont want anything. "it isnt us who makes the rule mam. it is the city of Chicago." me: I heard you say that the first time. However. From the service I have recieved here thus far AND I would have to eat a burger too done for consumption I think I could go to McDonalds and get it for much cheaper. (total attitude from him again) him "well enjoy it" Yeah whatever asshole! :evil: (that was in my head, my tired, weary head not outloud!)

So now to find a place to eat, again. :roll: Ended up at Macaroni grill. good food and serice was excellent (that chili's waiter could have taken at least one lesson from her to become AN OK server). Wait for the plane. Get on. Someone let G sit next to me. Yeah. Get to Minneapolis. home sweet home.

Get home around 12:30. Go into kiss my kids good night and make sure they are all tucked in good (since I am the best at this). And this is where I end.

 

I actually DID get photos.

G had taken all the memory cards home with him to see if they would work after being wet. He went out of town for the funeral and then for buisniess before he had a chance to look at them. All the while he has me pestering him daily about them. LOL! You think he would have gotten to them to shut me up. I actually think he LIKES when I am a nag. But finally he gives me the good news they work. He has loaded them on the puter for me. I just now need the time to upload them to a site and I tend to play with naming them. I am about half way done right now. Gotta pick through the NO shares and the ones that were a bit repetive and boring and then I can post them. I dont have Carrie's yet either. I wanted to add them all together as we were both using both cameras. But since I used mine more and she hers you can imagine she has more of me and vice versa.

I do think that I will be password protecting them tho and I will PM it to anyone who requests it and is a fairly regular poster. (there are I am sure many registered users who just lurk here) G is pretty uptight about posting photos on the net and I try to respect that. Especially how things are going this last week I dont want to hurt anything anymore. Plus then I dont have to take all the NICE SHOES off them either! :lol:

 

All I can say is wow! I was completely entertained, we did get to meet you and it was a pleasure, sure hope we can do it again next year!