I just got back from a whirlwind weekend back home in Nebraska. Time was not my friend - it slipped away from me far too quickly and I wasn't able to see all of the people I planned on, but I was able to attend two incredible events.
The first event, the MS Society wine walk, was a wonderful way to spend time with friends and support a great cause. (My grandfather suffered with the disease for years.) We walked, wined, and shopped with many of the stores donating partial proceeds to the society.
The second event, a wedding, was heartwarming as well. There is nothing like getting all dressed up and celebrating two people in love starting their lives together. Throw in some friends and wine and I was a really happy girl.
So after an exhausting (but oh so much fun) 36 hours in Nebraska it was time to board a plane again and head to my other home. Waking up at 6:30 am to get on a plane after a long, late night isn't my favorite thing in the world to do. I struggled to throw on a hoodie and brush my teeth. To be honest I'm not even really sure if I brushed my hair.
In Chicago the airline needed to bump a person from the flight and offered a free round trip flight in return. The airline lady hadn't even finished her announcement when I threw my hands up in the air to take her up on it. Woo hoo!!! No shame there. I hear "free" and "plane ticket" in the same sentence and I am all over it.
Thinking I'd use my newly acquired 2 hour layover wisely, I headed to Chilis for lunch. As I took a seat at the bar, some guy next to me offered some hand sanitizer. I shouldn't have accepted his kind offer to kill airport germs because apparently with that I also invited conversation. The first thing he asks/tells me about is Obama's healthcare plan. Or as he saw it, the United States going to hell in a handbasket. I smiled and told him I didn't know enough to comment. (A lie, yes, but I wasn't going to get sucked into this firestorm.)
Somehow by declining to comment on the current state of health care I also provoked him to talk about our right to bear arms. I'm still not sure how his mind jumped from doctor bills to gun ownership, but I found myself shoveling cobb salad in my mouth as fast as I could to get away from his overbearing and unsolicited opinions. I was relieved to get my bill and go to my gate.
Boarding the plane, I was pleased to find that I had the emergency row. More leg room = excellent. My excitement was short lived. Guess who occupied the seat next to me? Yup. Chilis dude. He got all excited and said it was fate that we got to sit next to each other. Why didn't I feel so lucky? I spent the next hour and a half in the air with my hood pulled up over my head pretending to sleep.
I suppose putting up with some guy's rant was still worth the free ticket, but for the love of pete, just let a girl eat her salad.
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