San Diego

I finished my photos from San Diego put pics in an album here. The surfer is Andy - he's good!

Airline Delays

I spotted an article about the increasing volume of airline delays which have occurred this year. They say 25.2% of flights have been delayed. I must be picking the wrong routes because 30% of my flights have been delayed this year (not all that much more, I know). Or, to put it another way, three out of four trips have been affected by delayed flights, where I got home late or arrived at my destination late (1 am instead of 9pm for example...). When you have no choice but to connect in another city, delays can mess you up big time. Fortunately, I never had to stay overnight anywhere, but I enjoy flying a whole lot less this year than I have in other years. The flights are packed, I get stuck in the middle seat, a plane I'm getting on hasn't arrived from another city, I run to another terminal to catch a flight I to which I was bumped (original connection already missed) only to have that one delayed 3 hours, having to change planes once boarded because the radio doesn't work, and more. When flying to Oregon, the plane Ryan and I were on was 14th in line to take off because of runway construction in Minneapolis. I now avoid Chicago and would rather fly in the morning than evening. It seems there is a similar trend with flights as there is in doctor's offices - the afternoon appointments are nearly guaranteed to be late because they are behind from the morning. It seems weather-wise, spring and fall are best because there are no snow storms or thunderstorms.

What's the solution? I don't know - the whole industry is a mess with unions, legislation and more. A handful of customers who are upset enough to avoid certain airlines won't make much of a difference. Passenger traffic is continuing to increase, of course. My best bet is to take direct flights when possible, but there are none to Oregon at this point from Pittsburgh. I'm flying to Oregon for Thanksgiving and Christmas and should be prepared to be delayed. What has your experience been?

Oregon Photos

Here are a few more photos from Oregon. More may be found here.

Oregon!

Ryan and I went to Oregon for a few days to spend time with my family. It was perfect. I am now back and wish I was still there. Pictures will come. For now, some highlights:
- Ryan is so "in" :-)
- We looked at old "us" videos from my childhood, including hugely embarrassing footage of my awkward teenage years (attitude + perm + braces = _____ ). The funniest (and well, scariest) part was when Ryan told us about the dream he had after that about me, as a teenager, running in a race with one leg and being disqualified because I lost my shoe, wore a flip flop instead, jumped in the race later and won. Fortunately, Ryan did not run away.
- the dogs still rock
- the coast was gorgeous.
- my mom's BBQ ribs are soooo good
- much laughter was had by all for all kinds of reasons
- I wore comfortable shoes to the airport. No running was necessary this time.

Wear the right shoes

I am back from Kansas. I flew out last Wednesday and drove back with Ryan yesterday (14 hours). The Clarks shoes to the right are completely cute and comfortable except when running nearly all the way around Chicago's airport to get a flight. I landed at 1 am instead of 9pm after delays, weather, missed connections and a plane which took 2 hours to taxi from the hangar to our gate, but I was glad to at least get in that night. I got my luggage the next afternoon. Ladies, imagine meeting your boyfriend's family for the first time without your regular makeup and toiletries! EEK!! Ryan's sister, Lori, was fabulous though and loaned me a bunch of stuff and I looked fairly normal. The weekend was wonderful with Ryan's family. There was much laughter! Next week, we go to Oregon for a few days to spend time with my family. I'm so excited!

Also, my nephew was born last week! Andy & Erin had their first baby, Cohen Andrew, and he's a cutie. I have tickets to go out to San Diego in about 5 weeks.

Lastly, Ryan is back for good! Our three month separation (with synod in between where we saw each other) while he interned out west is over. O.V.E.R. Seminary classes don't start for a couple of weeks so we will have some good times together, including making Bobby Flay's fish tacos sometime.

Good Tidings!

Yay! I just purchased tickets to travel to Oregon in May! My family is quite excited of course, as am I. The bonus is being able to visit the beauty of Oregon in addition to seeing my family. And the dogs. It's exciting to think about going to Oregon so soon after being there a year ago (this is compared to 9 years passing since the trip before that, so this is a good rate!). Lord willing, I will be able to go a couple more times before the end of the year.

I'm Back

I am all better and was also in Colorado for five days, related to work. I stayed longer for play and was snowed in some as well! Pics below.