My kids and I spent Thanksgiving with family in New Mexico last week. And as expected, traveling over the busiest weekend of the year at the mercy of two college schedules was not without its "excitement."
Our flight out got moved up two hours making our layover in Atlanta over three hours long. Our first rental car smelled like it was on fire after 15 minutes on the road, so I had to drive back to exchange it, then they forgot to switch the next car's reservation to my name, so I had to go back in again; third time was the charm though and the Jeep Rubicon I ended up with was fantastic. Even driving through a snowstorm in the pitch-black on winding desert roads at 1:00am.
On the trip back, our first flight was delayed three hours, and we passed our connecting flight on the tarmac in Dallas at 10pm. We were then put up in a janky hotel with the thinnest of walls for 4 hours and slept for literally 10 minutes (I woke up in a panic afraid we missed the flight) and headed back to the airport at 3:30am for our 6:00am flight to Chicago; then we took a car to the Milwaukee airport to get my car (and my daughter took the Badger Bus back to Madison).
I say all of that to point out a few things:
1. We had a fantastic time with our family in Santa Fe, shared some amazing food and stories, old and new, and adventured to Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument. We'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.
2. I was so proud of my kids and their positive attitudes throughout the challenges. "There are so many people in worse situations" was said many times and my heart swelled each time.
3. We encountered a handful of really nice people throughout it all but the one who "took the cake" was a woman working at Varasano's Pizzeria in the Atlanta airport. She was extremely friendly and kind on such a crazy busy night. Our conversation went like this:Me: So, what do you think of Kirk Cousins as your quarterback?
Her: I don't watch much football; I prefer basketball and boxing.
Me: We're from the land of Giannis so I like basketball too. Did you watch the Tyson fight?
Her: No; I haven't had a day off in 13 days.
Me: Have you tried that cake place around the corner?
Her: Yes, it's so good!
Me: What's your favorite kinds?
Her: I'd recommend the strawberry with the cream cheese frosting, it's amazing.
Me: Thanks!
My daughter and I took a few steps to the side; her holding the thingamajigger that buzzes when the pizza is ready. I said, "I'll be right back; I'm going to go buy her a strawberry cupcake."
The smile on her face as I handed it to her was contagious, and her positive attitude for sure buoyed me for the rest of that long travel day and beyond.
It truly is the little things.