Dirk and I are suckers for easy movies - the ones that make you smile, that you have seen a million times so you don’t have to concentrate too hard, and that you can get other stuff done at the same time. (If you haven’t seen it) in the film Miss Congeniality, Sandra Bullock’s undercover FBI agent character is physically transformed through a series of beauty treatments to prepare her for competing in a beauty pageant. Over the course of the rom com, her rough interior is transformed as well, and she wins the title of Miss Congeniality. This week I had appointments for hair, nails, body hair removal, and permanent makeup for lips and eyes. No beauty pageant or a rom com ending, but congeniality is always helpful for flying, which is how this week ended.
The week started off by taking Harrison to "uni" for "freshers" week. American translation: we took Harrison to college and moved him into his dorm for freshman orientation. It’s been ages since I have been part of a move-in day - such an exciting time! I had a million questions as it all seemed so different than in the states, but I kept my inquiries minimal for now. All four parents did pretty well in keeping their cool. And all four are very proud.
Travel
It’s funny the things you learn about flights. Before Dirk’s ship rotation changed, we had expected to be in England for the summer and join Koningsdam in Vancouver for the tail end of the Alaska season. My plane tickets were thus booked (changeable, nonrefundable) Vancouver > England > Vancouver. As Dirk's rotation changed to Oosterdam, I adjusted my schedule to come to Maryland for a few weeks. With this, I have learned the important lesson:
TIP: You cannot change a plane ticket’s country of origin or destination.
I was able to change the ticket to Toronto. So I stayed the night and flew to DC the next day. Cost was significantly less than forfeiting a ticket and purchasing a new one.
Related to that, a couple years ago I also learned:
TIP: You need to finish your flight - you can't skip the final leg even if you have your luggage.
When you enter the states, you go through customs at the first entry point, collect your luggage, recheck your luggage and go on to the connecting flight. My memory was telling me that when I lived in NY, once you collected that luggage, you could walk out of the airport, connecting flight or not. So a couple of years ago, I booked a ticket to Philadelphia rather than DC because it was substantially less expensive than a ticket to DC. I had thought I would be able to do the same. NOPE. There was no way to exit; you had to do the connecting flight. Fortunately, my very kind friends took a little road trip to Philly to pick me up.
So this week, we needed to book my flights to join Dirk on the ship in South America. And we are going to visit mom in California for a week before, so that was a few more flights. Once we had my flights, we could work on getting Dirk’s flights coordinated. As we are pretty confident, but not 100% sure, of his contract dates, I went with refundable, changeable tickets. This added a bit of cost on to the ticket, but if the contract dates change, the country of arrival would also change. And I’ve already learned that lesson. So now that I have spent more on tickets than I have ever spent on a car, we’re good to go. LOL (Sort of).
Wellness Round Up
Nutrition: This week’s meal planning was influenced by a few factors:
We are an empty nest minus the appetite of a teenage boy;
Pulled some things out of the freezer that I wasn't sure what they were; and
Didn’t want to do too big of a shop since I was only home for a few days before leaving Dirk on his own for two weeks.
We opted for store-ready mains and cooking our own sides and veggies, which worked well for the week.
Otherwise, I am happy to say that I am still finding healthier and veggie-forward options in the airport lounges and on the plane. Yep, there are some indulgences, too. But there are definitely more veggies than the younger me would have eaten.
Hydration - Mixed. I would like to get back on track with this.
Sleep: Good.
Stress: Transitioning to university is a big deal, but this was more exciting than stressful.
And overall, my travel to the states went smoothly. Amsterdam had some flight delays due to weather, so there was a bit of stress there as my flight on a different airline from Toronto to DC depended on me making it to Toronto. Fortunately I had enough of a cushion in Amsterdam.
Congeniality goes a long way any time, but especially when it is time to exit the plane. It seems more often than not that this is when everyone gets very territorial and grumpy. When we landed in Amsterdam, the flight attendant asked if we could all let the passengers from row 16 & 17 off first as they had a tight connection due to the delay. Amazingly, everyone did.
Movement: We got a few walks in, but otherwise I was woefully lacking. Determined to get back into my running this week coming up.
A few posts ago, I wrote about The Sunflower lanyard for those with hidden disabilities. I had never seen this in the states and yesterday I saw a sign for it in the DCA airport.
That's it for now. Bon Voyage & Bon Appétit!
Updated August 17, 2024
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