Day 1 5/25

So I suppose I should say a few general things about this blog. First off, I’m not entirely sure how often I will have access to a computer with internet. I do have my laptop, and I assume that I will have a computer in the office. I guess I might be apologizing before the fact for any tardiness in my posts here. Also, let me know if you have any questions that you want answered or pictures of anything in DC. This site is basically a blank canvas; I really have no idea what I’m going to write about yet so ideas will be much appreciated! (But do try to keep it PG since both my grandmothers will probably be reading this lol.)

PS if you want a mailing address, send me an email and I will send it to you. I’d rather not put that information out there on the Internet for just anyone to read!

Day 1 (5/25): Well my trip got off to a very inauspicious start. I went up to my uncle and aunt’s house in the Twin Cities on Saturday morning and spent the weekend there. I had a lot of fun and it was a nice way to sort of unwind before I went off to the hustle and bustle of the capital. So I printed my e-ticket on Sunday night and made plans with my uncle to drive me to the airport the next morning for my flight that I thought left at 9:10am. So I got up with what I thought was plenty of time to get ready and get to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to board. However, when I woke up I had a text message from Orbitz (that’s where I booked my ticket) telling me that I was to board at 7:10am and arrive in Milwaukee at 8:30am for my layover. I was immediately jolted out of my early morning stupor and began frantically throwing my few unpacked articles of clothing in the suitcase. I ran downstairs in a panic and told my uncle that we had to go now. He sat me down and told me “It’s physically impossible to get you there in time.” That was the last thing I wanted to hear right then, but deep down the tiny little voice of logic told me he was right. So my aunt went and got the phone for me and I spent the next two hours checking websites and calling the airlines. (I had to call two because I had booked my flight through one airline but Orbitz does all their business through another, so they each kept telling me that I had to call the other.) We eventually got it all worked out and I got a flight for 4pm from MSP airport with a connection in Philadelphia.

Once I got to the airport (three hours early), I found my ticket counter and I met up with a very helpful ticket counter attendant. She helped me get my ticket and then check my luggage. I hit a bit of a snag at this point because I had overpacked my larger suitcase by 13 lbs. She could have easily charged me the overweight bag fee, but instead she helped me rearrange the clothes among all my bags in the middle of the ticket counter lobby so that it all fit and I didn’t have the fee. I was sooooo glad for that!

After I was finally able to actually board a plane, it was a very smooth, boring flying experience. I got on my plane in Minneapolis just fine. I transferred flights in Philadelphia just fine. We were put in a holding pattern above Philly, in which time I thought I was flying over the Simpsons’ hometown of Springfield because I saw us circling around the smokestacks of a nuclear power plant like the one Homer works at. I got into Philly and got on my plane to Washington Reagan Airport. On that flight I talked to a girl who is going to grad school at Catholic University here in DC. Upon landing I collected my luggage and met up with my friend from Creighton that I am staying with and we went back to her house in Baltimore.