Friday, October 4th
I was up at 3:30 am to be to work for 4:15. I wanted to make sure I minimized the number of vacation hours I used. I figured if I worked most of the day I could be out around noon and have plenty of time to pack for our trip.
Chad went to work for a meeting and then was sent to the Lewiston Marden’s location. They were originally going to send him to Sanford but he reminded them that he needed to be out by noon. They then suggested Ellsworth but that would have caused the same problem. So Lewiston it was!
At the suggestion of a coworker, I called Key Bank and CPort Credit Union to let them know of our travel plans. I didn’t want any problems on our trip.
We both arrived home and packed 1 piece of luggage. We travel pretty light. We left for the airport, dropped off Jayden and Brad at their mom’s in Auburn and headed to Portland. We took the exit for the Portland International Jetport and were waiting at a red light. While talking, a grey Dodge Infinity rammed into us. One minute from the airport and, because of our luck, we were rear ended. Chad pulled to the side and the old man did, too. They had slammed into our trailer hitch and had a huge hole in their front bumper. There was no damage to our truck and the man said “Okay, you’re fine.” He got in his car and left with his elderly wife. Like, sped away as fast as they could. Chad got back in the truck and asked if I was okay. My neck was a little sore but we had a plane to catch.
We checked in and went through TSA with no problems. The woman doing the scanning had Chad pull up his pants. They weren’t sagging at all but she made him do it anyway. I told him it was because he had a nice butt!
We only waited to board about 15 minutes. We were in the last row of the plane. Chad said it was a good thing because no one could kick the backs of our seats. I offered him the window seat but he declined. He was a gentleman to let me have it.
The take off and traveling were good. Very little turbulence. We landed in Washington DC 20 minutes ahead of schedule. We took a tram from Terminal B to Terminal C. We ate at a restaurant that served Greek food. The salad I had included the most delicious chicken I’ve ever tasted! I gave Chad a few pieces because I had so much.
Our flight from Washington to Dallas started out great thanks to our flight attendant. I asked how many rows were on the plane and she said 30. I looked at our tickets and told Chad we were next to last. She said “Wait! I know you! Sharon and Chad Hood. Let me give you row 18. The entire row is vacant. This way you won’t be the last people off the plane.” So we had the row to ourselves. We were able to sleep and when the attendant woke us, we were informed that we would arrive another 20 minutes early.
We found our luggage in the baggage claim and promptly called for an Uber. We were met by Joseph in a very clean silver Prius. He loaded our bags in the back, open doors for us and we were on our way.
Turns out driving for Uber is his full time job. He takes home around $700 weekly while only working around 26 hours. To bring home $1000, he would have to work around 50 hours. He was very talkative and fun to have as our driver.
We arrived at Microtel Inn in Arlington. Let’s just say the people behind the front desk smelled like they were smoking something and our room didn’t look exactly what was pictured. We were kind of disappointed but it was clean, paid for and ready for us to sleep. Beggars can’t be choosers.
Saturday, October 5
We woke up at 9 Central Standard Time. After showering we found that the continental breakfast, again, wasn’t what was pictured on the booking website. Chad remembered there was a restaurant around the corner. Turned out it was a Denny’s! We were seated and served by a wonderful lady. I complimented her on her hair. It was very pretty. We then sat outside and figured out what we wanted to do. We decided to spend the day in Dallas. We started at the Dallas Zoo. We requested an Uber and within 4 minutes our ride arrived.
Kenneth was our driver and from Texas. His full time job was the owner of a restaurant in the airport. We told him if we were in his terminal, we would eat there. He also told us that the Fort Worth Zoo was better than the Dallas Zoo. We had heard that from the driver the night before as well but we were going to be spending the day there anyway.
The zoo wasn’t expensive. The exhibits were great! We saw everything from scarlet McCaws, cheetahs, elephants, warthogs, gorillas and giraffes. We were hungry so we decided to eat at one of their restaurants. The BBQ place was charging $7.49 for 1 hot dog. I saw they had a BBQ meal for $18.49. It came with 2 kinds of meat and 2 sides. We already had Gatorades so we didn’t have to purchase drinks.
From the zoo we took a quick Uber to Perot Museum of Nature and Science. We saw a 3D movie called Wild Africa. It was very interesting. That is also where we bought Anderson and Jayden their gifts.
We then walked to visit The Sixth Floor Museum. Unfortunately, the next tour was 4:30pm and we were unable to take it because our reservations for dinner were at 5. So we went to the Grassy Knoll and viewed the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I can understand taking pictures but when a woman decided to walk into the middle of the street, laugh and smile and laugh and pose silly for a picture...it was not well done. She could have just stood there.
We then Ubered to Medieval Times. We were picked up and dropped off by a young lady. She was very nice. We went to the convenience store next door because our hotel room was not well stocked with toiletries. We picked up shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, a comb (because I forgot my hairbrush) and a few other things. When we went back to Medieval Times we checked in and were assigned the Red Knight. We had our picture taken with Excalibur and were seated into dinner.
The dinner was great. It was the same delicious tomato bisque, baked chicken, potato and corn on the cob. There was ice cream for dessert. Each theater we have attended has never disappointed. The show is different each time. The acting and combat was very good. Our knight lost again but it was still exciting. The horse show was wonderful as well.
We went back to the hotel to rest up for the next day. We Ubered for a ride and my Key Bank card was declined so I used my Cport Credit Union card instead. During the ride I called Key Bank and they released the hold. I told them I had called the day before and there should be notes on our account saying we were traveling. I did it to make sure something like this wouldn’t happen. Apparently no one was paying attention. We can’t stand Key Bank. Yes, I’m grateful for theft protection but that was stupid.
Eliud Njubi was our driver. He was so interesting. He is originally from Kenya and came to the United States on a scholarship to TCU when he was 18. He was a runner and a coach. I looked him up online and it turns out he was a 2-time South Central Region Cross Country Champion! I told him Anderson wanted to become a better runner and he told me to tell him to not run on his heels but to run on his toes. He also said for him to join cross country because it will definitely help him. Eliud became a US citizen 2 years ago. He sends money back to his mom in Africa to help pay her bills. He was so pleasant to talk to and you can tell he loves people.
Sunday, October 6th
IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! I woke up around 5:30. I had missed General Conference from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints the day before because we were off exploring. As I started listening to the Saturday afternoon session while Chad was sleeping I was floored. The talk by Elder Bednar shocked me. It went right along with a certain event that happened to us yesterday at the zoo.
While we were there we observed other people. People watching is fun. There was a man who was with a woman and it was obvious he was trying to impress her by the things he was saying. As we walked by the cheetah enclosure we could hear him say “Did you know cheetahs are fast. He could jump from that rock and clear that fence if he wanted to.” We looked at each other and I, personally, thought it was cute. They must have just started dating and it really sounded like they were on one of their first dates.
What I didn’t know is at the exact time that exchange between the couple happened, General Conference was going on. At that very instant, Elder Bednar was referencing a talk by President Packer from 1976 about observing the predatory habits of wild animals and how we can learn from them. He went on to mention how he and his wife, Susan, were in Africa on a trip years later and they were able to observe a pair of cheetahs as they were hunting topis as their next meal. One of his first sentences was “Cheetahs are the fastest land animals on Earth.”
How could that be? Was it coincidence? I don’t think so. Chad and I never go anywhere and we had decided last minute to visit the zoo. I, personally, truly believe God was sending us a message. Elder Bednar’s remarks told of the 3 lessons he had learned from their excursion: Beware of evil’s challenging deguises, stay awake and be alert and understand the intent of the enemy.
We woke up late and I had asked Chad to please watch the 15 minute video with me. It would mean so much for my birthday if he did. We watched it together and when Elder Bednar said that the 2 cheetahs were 100 yards apart I paused the video. I told him 100 yards: that’s the same distance as a football field. There is no way that hearing that number, those particular animals and that talk being given on that very same instance we were visiting the zoo was coincidence. When we finished watching the video I told Chad that I know God loves me and him and was personally watching out for us. He knew we were taking that trip and He wanted us to know that we were loved. I really think it was a sign. I hugged him tight and thanked Chad for that gift to me.
We left the hotel and had breakfast at Denny’s again. We both ordered the same thing. We walked back to the hotel and Ubered for a driver to take us to AT&T Stadium. I was told that if we get there early we had a chance of getting front row in the standing room only sections.
The man who picked us up was a married father of 3 boys who were ages 7,8 and 9. His wife, who is an architect, hates sports so on Sundays after church, like today, he drives for Uber and gets to listen to the games. He also has a go-to playlist. His favorite artist is Mandisa who was a contestant on American Idol years ago. She has had a very successful gospel career. Her song ‘Overcomer’ was the title track to the movie I took Anderson and Jayden to see just a few days before the trip.
We arrived at the stadium. It was so big! Two women walking by asked if we wanted them to take our picture for us. We sure did appreciate it. We went inside the gate but couldn’t go in just yet as it was only 12:30. We went to the Pro Shop tables and found a couple of Cowboys shirts to buy, something for Brad and a hat for me. When we approached the counter I asked the lady behind it if there was a discount for my birthday. She laughed and said “There sure is!” Chad and I thought she was joking but she wasn’t! She gave us a discount and I got my hat for free!
At 1pm the doors opened and we hustled up the four flights of stairs and found a spot at the Standing Room Only right up front! We had to stand for 2 hours before the game started. I will tell you, the view was spectacular! On our left was a man and his son from Ohio who were there for their first game as well.
We saw 100 high school football players holding the giant flag on the field as the official trumpeter played the National Anthem. Also in attendance was former President George Bush and his wife Laura. We found out the next day that Ellen DeGeneres was there sitting right next to them! How cool is that? It was pretty exciting! We left at halftime because the game was so lopsided and our legs started to ache. We walked to Taco Bell for a bite and had a very unsettling experience.
While we were finishing up our meal, behind me Chad saw a young man come through the door. The young man looked at him. He smiled strangely at Chad and Chad noticed that he lifted up his shirt a little and he could see a gun. The young man made a slow circle inside the restaurant, smiled strangely at him again and left. Chad said we need to leave now. I had no idea what was going on. We quickly threw our trash away and went outside to wait for our ride. When he told me I was definitely shaken up. We hurried into our Uber and went back to the hotel.
We watched the rest of the game on the TV and saw the end. A disappointing loss for Dallas but we loved going there. We ordered pizza and breadsticks from Peter Piper’s Pizza which was directly across the street. When he came back from picking it up he said “I just had the weirdest experience.” He told me how when he arrived he was waiting and looking around. The place was kind of like a Chuck E Cheese with games and such. He could hear the 3 employees behind the counter saying “Do you have that order for Chad? See that guy over there? If anyone looks like a Chad it’s that guy. Yeah, he’s definitely a Chad.” He was, like, I can hear you, you know. It was just weird.
Monday, October 7
That night, neither of us slept well. There were people outside the hotel still tailgating but we fell asleep and kept waking up. I think it was just our subconscious minds telling us it was Monday morning and we both had to go to work. We got up at 6:15 and tried to Uber to the airport. The sad part was both of my debit cards were declined due to suspicious activity. I had called Key Bank and CPort Credit Union and told them on Friday what was happening and not to lock our cards. My Key Bank one locked up Saturday and now this! Both of my cards were locked. Luckily we had an emergency credit card with us and were able to get to the airport. I called Key Bank AGAIN and they did the same thing. I told Chad I would call CPort Tuesday. I didn’t want to deal with that again that day.
Tiffany was our driver and, unfortunately, we hit the traffic heading into the big city. We made it to the airport an hour before our flight! We went to the ticket counter and and got our boarding passes. We stood in line only to get to the front where an old man shook his head and quietly said “Uh uh, you’re in the wrong line.” He handed us back our tickets and we turned around and got into the other line that was extremely slow moving.
We finally made it to the TSA guy and I went right through. They wouldn’t let Chad come through. They were watching a guy who refused to remove his shoes. By the time Chad got through, my shoes were on and I had everything waiting for him when he caught up with me. They were holding other people’s luggage and looking through it. Glad it wasn’t ours. Of course, we had nothing to hide anyway.
We made it to the terminal and are immediately swept through the gate. The American Airlines plane was VERY roomy! For Chad to have leg room...that’s saying something. Each seat had its own TV monitor and they passed out complimentary headphones. We decided to watch a movie together: Date Night. It was pretty funny!
During the flight, the attendants came around to administer they obligatory cookies and drink. The young man asked me what I wanted and I said a ginger ale. He looked at Chad and he asked for a Pepsi. The young man snottily replied “If you want Pepsi, you’re on the wrong airline.” And that’s ALL he said! He just stood there. Chad was speechless. He spoke up and said “Then can I have a Coke, please?” The man poured the drink, handed it to ME and went on his way. Never even looked at him.
The rudest individual I have ever met.
Chad was like “What was that all about?” I told him I had no idea. Why does he seem to get all the weird things happening to him?
The flight was extremely bumpy and I started to feel sick as we were coming into LaGuardia. It never fails. Each time I land here I get so sick. Luckily, I was able to keep it together but it was close. Pretty sad when I feel around the pocket of the seat in front of me just to make sure I knew where the sickness bag was.
After we disembarked, we needed to get to the next terminal. We had 2 options: Go through security or wait for a bus. We stood in line for a bus. The little old lady in front of us was very upset about having to wait. She kept complaining and the airline associate did her best to assure her it was on the way. It eventually arrived and we all got on. Chad jokingly said “Watch, we’re going to 20 feet and be there.” Sure enough we went about 100 feet and we had arrived! We laughed!
The inside Terminal B of LaGuardia is absolutely disgusting. No restaurants, dirty bathrooms and the floors...oh please, someone get a rug cleaner because I’d do them myself! We wound up eating ready made sandwiches that you could tell had been there a while. 2 hours later we boarded the tiny plane. It wasn’t full so we were able to get seats together. I messaged Anderson that he could see where we were with our shared locations on his phone. He said he would watch. I had my phone on airplane mode and he watched our path to Portland.
We safely landed in Portland on a rainy evening. We were home. We booked it to the baggage claim and scurried out the door to the truck. It was nice to ride in the front seat again and Chad was glad to have 2 hands on the wheel. We came home and hugged the kids, cats and dogs. I started laundry right away. We gave our gifts to the kids and went to bed about an hour later. What a great adventure we had but it was better to be home.
