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Christi Diggs
on Jun 20 2013 - 06:00 AM
In lieu of good taste, request people bring money
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Lindsay Metcalf
on Jun 19 2013 - 06:00 AM
My top five most important moments of the summer so far
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mara williams
on Jun 18 2013 - 06:00 AM
Hey, manchild, mama says: clean your room, wash the dishes, don't drink and drive.
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Emily Parnell
on Jun 16 2013 - 06:00 AM
Eating fresh, local produce is good for body and soul
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Jim Cosgrove
on Jun 13 2013 - 06:00 AM
I just want to buy some pants. Please, turn down the music.
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- kim nakahodo - Profile | Pictures | Blog
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I just got back from visiting my folks in Chicago, and I am exhausted. I knew this trip would be challenging since I was going sans DH. My husband generally can’t take off around holidays due to his work schedule so I usually make the annual trip by myself. This pilgrimage home for Thanksgiving has gotten tricky over the years and now the trip is double the fun. This was the first year that I attempted the trip home now that I have two tiny travelers with me.I have flown and driven this trip home. Flying with all the TSA fun is about 3-4 hours door to door and driving is anywhere from 7.5-9 hours. Both methods have their pros and cons, but at the end of the day – flying is faster. So I bit the bullet and spent the cash on two tickets to a potentially frozen paradise.Flying with kids sucks.I honestly feel that airlines treat kids like luggage, a necessary evil/hassle that they will nickel and dime you to death over. It seems like now a days, you must buy your right to pre-board if you are traveling alone with kids. Yup. I flew American Airlines this time around (at a premium so I could get two guaranteed seats together) and not once did they pre-board if you did not pay. I asked if they would be offering pre-boarding since I was traveling with a 3-month-old and a 4-year-old by myself and the desk attendant asked if I upgraded my boarding pass. I said no, then she told me that my group should be boarding soon.Awesome. Thanks American! I’ll remember to tell all of my friends NOT to travel with you unless they can afford to pay for everything you used to offer as part of the ticket price. I can’t wait for the pay toilets that are sure to be installed soon.So, the entire boarding process was hamstringed by a stressed out girl with a screaming baby and a toddler trying to load their luggage with 80 people behind her. How is value-adding to everyone’s travel experience? I guess I have had too much customer service training in my life…. Almost every job I have ever had has centered around customer service so I can’t comprehend how businesses make decisions without thinking of how they will impact their customers.But I’m not stupid… there are only so many flights and we are forced into crappy customer service, terrible travel conditions, and just an unpleasant experience all around. The truth is – they just don’t care. They will get our money because it’s a means to an end. In this instance, it’s not the journey, but the destination.We did have a great time in Chicago, but what a stressful way to go. I’m glad that driving is an option next year, because I don’t think I can handle another flight anytime soon. Ryker is just a bit too young for a 8ish hour drive by myself… it would be different if he wasn’t still only nursing. Pulling over every 2-3 hours to nurse is just not doable by myself. I would have been in the nut house by Iowa City.By the way, I would like to give a shout-out to the @#*@^ that stole the cash out of the wallet I left in the family bathroom at KCI. I accidentally left it on the shelf behind the toilet for 5 minutes and by the time I remembered, my cash was gone. I know, I know, what did I expect. I deserved it for forgetting my wallet in the first place. (I shoved it in my pocket after going through the TSA line.) But seriously, I hope you come down with a tragic illness. That was Christmas money for my kids from my parents. I never carry cash because I am worried some ^%#% will rob me for it. Hello irony.
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