Airport Adventures

I left Phx. with the knowledge
that i would be spending the night in the airport in Chicago
I was fine with this fact.
I was prepared--
i had my blanket,
my pillow
and my computer
with movies to watch

I can sleep just about anywhere.
My flight was due in around 1am
and my girlfriends wasn't due till 8:30
Most days i would be pleased that we flew faster than anticipated

BUT.....

i wasn't too thrilled when we arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule
I figured sleeping on the plane was more comfortable

(i had an entire row to myself so i had spread out)

than the terminal.
(and i was right)

Upon exiting the plane
i started hearing
the lady on the loud speaker
telling me
(yes she was speaking directly to me)
that unless you were a ticketed passenger
(which i no longer was)
according to FFA

or is it FTC?

or maybe it was the FCA?
wait the last one is Fellowship of Christian Athletes--
(and i know them being christian and all,they really wouldn't have cared)
That your time in the terminal was limited.
That they would kick you out.
All of a sudden my best laid plan
sent me into panic mode.
If i couldn't stay in the airport
what was i going to do.!?
Where was i going to hang out till my girlfriend got there?
Never mind the fact that i had

two large,
filled to capacity suitcases,
(Thank you southwest for not charging for my bags)
that i would be dragging around with me.

We were getting a rental car--
but... not till the morning--
so sleeping in that was out.

What was I going to do?
I am not normally a panic-er
but i was starting to feel a little tense/nervous
maybe some angina pains--
after all i could sleep in an Emergency room
they even have beds there!?

I had overheard another couple that was in the same quandary
I figured i would tag along with them
(they looked harmless enough)
They found a security guard
and inquired about
the FFA's rule
(wait....isn't that is Future Farmers of America)
and he was so kind to inform them
(and me--who was casually eavesdropping in the conversation)
that we could go up one level
by the check-in
and they would leave us alone.

DEEP SIGH OF RELIEF

So I got my bags
and proceeded to join
the homeless hovel.
Finding an available spot
turned into a daunting task

Who knew there would be so many of us?

I found a lovely piece of floor
by a departure board
(prime real estate since it had a outlet for my computer)
it had a large pole on the other side
and a large potted plant in front of me
I pulled my suitcases on either side of the plant
and isolated myself in this little nook.
it brought me back to 3rd grade
when i would cram myself in a tiny space to read my books--
{ah such sweet memories}

this was going to turn out well I decided

I plugged in the computer
tried to put in a movie--
and found that for some reason only 2
of my videos would work.
So the video i opted for
was the BEE MOVIE
not my ideal sleeping movie
but it worked.
I covered my head up--
put my head phones in
and proceeded to try and sleep

again with the woman on the load speaker--
{quite rude--did she not realize we were trying to sleep?}
Never mind each time she told us that we were breaking the rules
i felt a pang of guilt.
Plus she just kept repeating herself--so annoying

I did manage to nod off for a few hours
until my relatively quiet and abandoned area
became a busy hub-bub of people throwing their luggage around

So around 6am Chicago time

(that is 4am Phx. time)
have you ever know me
to willingly be awake at that time in the morning?
I think NOT!

I figured that sleep was futile
and i sat up and proceeded to be creative
until my girlfriend arrived.
I came prepared
and this is what i came up with for my dear friend
this is the front---the little box is one that i had purchased at Target in the $1 section that was filled with 3 tootsie rolls or something. It really didn't matter because i had ultimately bought it to alter. On occasion i would see someone peer over the plant to see what i was up to.
This is the back. Didn't they turn out cute? My friend always brings me something fun so I figured i would whip these out. It was so much fun. The lunch box held our business cards as we walked around CHA. We received many complements on how cute they looked--and they were equally impressed we told them I had made them in the airport.

So the moral of the story is.....
If i am going to be homeless...
let me have my scrapbook supplies--
my "Will work for Food" poster
will be the best you have ever seen.

And the next time i plan on sleeping in the airport--I am going to invest in one of these

Mini Motel is the Solution!
Enjoy Your Rest and Awake Refreshed!
Never again find yourself stranded in a transportation terminal with no place to sleep!
The Mini Motel provides you with comfortable sleeping accommodations
no matter where your travels take you.
Even in Chicago Airports that threaten to kick you out.......