Now that I think I am finally recovered from my weekend of travelling, I will tell you all about Family weekend visiting NiBo!
My adventure began last Friday on the 17th. I flew out of the main airport here in Phoenix. I'm lucky enough to work only a few blocks away from the sky train that takes you to the terminal. They are also nice enough to let us leave our cars in the parking garage overnights/weekends which saved me money on either a cab or airport parking fees. Needless to say I got a good amount of walking in this past weekend.
Phoenix Sky Harbor airport has some pretty features, like the walkway pictured above, there is also lots of stained glass windows around as well. My flight didn't leave until 12:55pm and I got to the airport around 10:45, I like to be early, better early than miss your flight. Security was a breeze, I just hate to take off my shoes and belt though. The last couple times I've flown, I've packed light, I picked up a nice backpack on Amazon and it's been working out perfectly. I don't have to worry about carry-ons and this fits right under the seat which makes for a quick exit!
This time I flew Southwest from Phoenix to Atlanta and took a shuttle from the Atlanta airport to the Columbus, Georgia area which is very close to where the Army Base NiBo is stationed at is located. I could have flown on Spirit Airlines which was a little bit cheaper but I read horrible reviews and decided I would go with Southwest which I had heard wonderful things about.
I was skeptical of the whole open seating arrangement, but it totally worked to my favor, hello window and aisle seats! (Just make sure you check into your flight as early as you can to make sure you get the best line position) The seats were comfy and leg room was perfect! You even get a beverage and snacks! On my way out there we stopped in Austin, no plane change just a connection so I didn't have to leave the plane and was able to move seats up to the front when we stopped. On the way back I had an hour and half layover in Austin as well, it's a nice little airport, lots of good BBQ places it looked like!
I also survived my first experience at the Atlanta airport, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be though I can see if you don't have a very long layover it can be a must run situation, which I saw several people running to the end of the terminals to get to the farther gates. When I left Atlanta, their security checkpoint was a bit longer, though the line moved fairly quickly, and I didn't have to take off my shoes! They could have had their mobile boarding pass lines marked a bit better so I didn't end up in a paper only boarding pass line. I'm all about the mobile apps with digital boarding passes, helps with peace of mind that I have everything I need in one place and don't have to worry about printing something off and bringing it with me, or stopping to print it off at the airport. Plus! It saves a tree :)
NiBo had leave from 8am-8pm on both Saturday and Sunday. When we arrived on Saturday morning there was a one hour family briefing that went over the do's and don'ts for their family pass, where they can and can't go and some information about the upcoming graduation ceremony in November. It seemed like that meeting took forrrrevvvvvvver, we just wanted to get to see NiBo! When we were dismissed a.drama and I were the first one's out the door and the soldiers were all lined up in front of the building just standing there until they were dismissed. When we finally located NiBo I think we all teared up a bit, it was so good to see him!
In his letters he had a few simple requests. Pizza, Chicken strips, a burger and ice cream, oh and Buffalo Wild Wings. He had already had breakfast at the 'chow hall' so we drove around the base a little bit and he showed us the giant hills he had been marching up and down since August and showed us where the rappel towers and obstacle courses were. He had lots of stories to share. When it was time for lunch, we made our way to Buffalo Wild Wings and he got his chicken strips in. Then we went and saw Brad Pitt's new movie Fury and then just chilled at the hotel and ordered pizza for dinner. We made sure we had him back in plenty of time so he wouldn't be late.
Sunday we were able to pick him up right about 8am, we also got to see them march over from their barracks and calling out the cadences, which are still stuck in my head, they are quite catchy. This day we stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then just went back to the hotel and chilled. We had some things picked out to do, there are several nice museums around but he just wanted to lay around and relax, something he hasn't had a whole lot of. He was able to have his phone for the weekend, so he was able to catch up on all the happenings in the world that he had been missing. He said it's hard to go with zero information, the only news he got was bits and pieces and whatever we had wrote to him in his letters.
Sunday was also A.Drama's 26th birthday! We celebrated at the Texas Road House by her request, and NiBo was able to get his ice cream request in. He opted out of getting a burger because they had a Physical Training test on Monday and he wanted to be in tip top shape, he's not used to eating total junk food lol.
It was a long weekend but too short as well. I got back home in AZ about 1pm Monday and went straight for a nap, I've been enjoying my after work naps the past few days. I didn't sleep well in the hotel beds, there is nothing quite like your own bed after a trip so I've been taking full advantage.
NiBo doesn't know where his next duty station will be so we are all waiting to hear where he will be. I'm hoping it's somewhere close so he will get visitors, but I also secretly hope it's Germany so I can have an excuse to go back. I think I am almost as anxious as he is to find out, I can't wait to see where my next vacation spot will be!
I head back home the week before Thanksgiving and will spend a few days in Illinois then I'll drive down with mom and dad for his basic training graduation ceremony. I'm hoping to squeeze in a visit to the Atlanta Aquarium or a stop in Nashville! I'll have to sweet talk dad into stopping some place. I think if I volunteer to do most of the driving he will give in.
After they dropped me off at the Atlanta airport on their way home they made a slight detour and stopped in Covington, Georgia which is the filming location of mom's all time favorite show 'In the Heat of the Night' (aka Sparta, Mississippi) and also for a show that A.Drama and I watch 'The Vampire Diaries' (aka Mystic Falls, Virginia). It was still early morning dark when they got there (it's about 20mins from the airport) so they didn't get to see too much. Mom want's to stop back through again when we head back from graduation so we are still mapping out all our spots to visit. Again, I think if I drive dad will give in! Maybe you can help persuade him by leaving some comment shout outs in my favor ;)
They also made a stop in Metropolis, IL which is home of the giant Superman. A.drama and I have stopped there a few times on our way to Nashville. I think dad enjoyed it!
Oh and the weather was amazing! I got to wear a sweatshirt and there was a crisp cool breeze. The high temps were in the mid 70's it was heaven. Fast forward to this week in AZ and they were mentioning possible record breaking temperatures aka 97° on Friday. Yuck! It is supposed to drop back down into the mid 80's after that. Fall has been a rough transition, it's my favorite Midwest season and I miss it! I keep telling myself come late November/December/January/February/March it will all be worth it when they are dealing with snow and I'm enjoying lunches outside and riding my motorcycle..... if we can just get there. Right now I'm super jealous of the crisp cool nights they are having back in IL. I'll keep ya posted though ;)
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