The Final Day!

So we woke up to snow again, shocking I know. SLC was forecasted for another 3 inches! Our flight was not out until 1pm but given the lines that Graham and I saw flying in, we decided to err on the side of caution and get to the airport early. This go round Paige was with us…..so the Dynamic Trio set out for the airport at 10am….a bit too conservative possibly?

Checking in and locating the gate were a piece of cake….finding the hidden watering hole was a bit trickier. Luckily we only passed it onceJ The wait began with Bagels and Bloody Mary’s! After our $100 Bar tab the flight started to board…off to Denver we go!

Note to the reader – in exchange for the cheaper flights we had to endure a 2 stop flight home..1^st stop Denver, 2^nd stop Chicago....not sure I would do that again.

The flight to Denver was short and to the point…the next one was a bit longer….In Denver, Graham decided that he needed to buy me a Valentine’s day giftJ I am the lucky recipient of a 3-D magnet with a Wolf, Bear, Eagle, Ram and Elk on it. It is a welcome addition to the tacky magnet collection! Paige also decided she needed Ice Cream, off to TCBY we ventured.

Somewhere along the way we also assigned each other nicknames…(not really sure how this started).. Graham = Graham Cracker (original aren’t we [though Graham did request “Razor Malone”]), Paige – Chocolate Strawberry (see previous entry with our flight attendant friend), Becca – Junior Mint (for her love of things chocolaty and minty).

Ok – off to Chicago! On this particular flight Graham tried to make friends with the girl sitting in our row….Katie…she was part of a traveling comedy troupe that was headed home Chicago. Graham ended up being the “chatty guy” sitting next to her on the plane, Poor girl.

We landed safely in the Chicago airport in time for dinner at Chile’s (gross) and a few bevies. (Did you know you can take beers to go in O’hare???!!!!)

With our plastic solo cups in hand, we headed to our departing gate. This is where Graham’s chattiness continued. The gate attendant was making our final boarding call when Graham asked it if he could borrow that (that being the CB type thing for the PA system)…the attendant actually said ‘Sure’!

Graham then busts out in a Valentine’s Day serenade of “I will always love you.” Needless to say, Terminal F was treated to a really off key rendition of Whitney Houston’s hitJ (see attached Video)

For the remainder of the trip we giggled, listened to music, and enjoyed the last or our trip to the fullest. We arrive in Richmond around midnight and my Mom picks us up! She arrives and immediately comments on the fact we smell like a distillery – I wonder if that had anything to do with the Bloody’s, the Jack and ginger, or the beer…hmmm, hard to tell.

So what did we learn this trip?

1) The Mormons frown up “outsiders” walking through their downtown areas with cases of beer.

2) The Mormons also have a thing for water features in downtown! Everywhere you turn, there is a fountain, a pool or a fall…not good if your bladder is full. Graham has hypothesized they require water in which to lay their eggs for breeding.

3) Skiing Utah is about the greatest experience ever.

4) The public transit system there is fabulous, once you figure it out.