Saturday, August 12
Where did the week go? This vacation literally flew by ... I have no idea where the time went.
As usual I'm the first one awake because the beds at HRH just aren't comfortable to me. In fact, we (me & DH, the girls were fine of course) didn't get a good night sleep the entire time we were there.
At 7:25a I mosey on down to the Club 7 Lounge and ... it's locked. Geez, when they say 7:30am for breakfast they really mean 7:30am and not a minute sooner. As I'm waiting a mini crowd starts to form ... and it's about to get ugly. People start banging on the locked door, saying stuff like "C'mon let me in!" "I just want a bagel!" And ... "I need coffee and I need it NOW!"
Okay, not really, but that would've been kinda funny.
So they let us in and for the first time all week I get a jelly filled donut. And it figures ... it's the best dang jelly filled donut I've ever had and I get one shot at it. Ugh.
I think the three of them are still sleeping when I walk into our room - and they are ... until they smell my food and then they're all immediately awake.
So they're off to get some goodies and I'm watching CNN and the "banned liquids" debacle. They're saying how backed up airport security is so we decided to call Tiffany Towncar and instead of being picked up at 7:15pm for a 9:15pm flight, we request 6pm ... and apparently the dispatcher was just about to call us to bump up our pick up time as well. So we're thinking that we did the best thing and we're definitely not looking forward to security.
The girls and I decide to head on down to the workout room to pick up the t.v. remote and sign in for the cabana. It's about 830am by now and there's absolutely no one in the pool area ... completely peaceful. I leave the kids in the cabana watching cartoons and head back up to the room to drag DH downstairs.
We decide that because we have a late check out (1pm) we're going to hang out by the pool until noon and then come back up and pack and keep all of our luggage with us in the cabana.
We swam, the girls did a cannonball contest and a raft contest, our little DD had her hair braided, they built sandcastles, had lunch at the Beach Club and just acted really really lazy for the remainder of the day. I actually even fell asleep in a lounge chair which was a first for me.
At about 5pm we took turns changing in the workout room and then we left our luggage at the front desk and discovered our room keys still work for Club 7 access. And for the first time the whole week we cannot find a single seat in Club 7 ... so we sit in the alcove on the other side of the elevators and eat our last concierge snacks for a while.
We say goodbye to our Club 7 lounge, head down to pick up our luggage and await our driver. She's on time and we're at the airport doing curbside check in no later than 6:30pm. And we're literally through security in 20 minutes.
Where were the huge lines? I fully expected they would go through my huge purse item by item - after all, I had 4 different kinds of prescription drugs in my bag (one of the things that was highlighted in all the coverage on t.v.). It was easier going through Orlando security AFTER the Britain/Liquid/Elevated Terror Levels happened than it was COMING to Orlando through Midway Chicago security. (And did you know that removing your shoes was "suggested"? I've been taking off my shoes for the last 4 years because I thought it was mandantory! Weird!)
Honestly, I thought the whole thing was a joke. We weren't shaken down. We weren't questioned any more. Nothing.
So we get to the gate WAY ahead of time and YEAH! I've got internet access. So while the 3 of them play Uno, I do some surfing.
About 45 minutes before departure they make an announcement to the effect of, if you have to go to the bathroom, you'd better go now because it's going to be a bumpy ride and the captain expects to have the seat belt sign on a long time.
Uh-oh.
That's not the thing you say in the presence of a fearful flyer.
I flew a lot as a kid. I was never scared. Never. Until I flew to Mexico on our honeymoon ... we had to be de-iced twice, did a steep bank turn out of O'Hare and my DH was freaking FREAKING out because he never flew before.
Now, he flies for work and to him, it's a piece of cake. He's never nervous ... at all. I'm the one who's a bundle of nerves with a prescription for Valium or Ativan in her purse.
So now, I'm shaking. I actually ask Bob if we can leave and drive home. He looks at me like I'm nuts and tells me to take another pill.
We get on board and we actually leave a couple minutes early - what a first! And it is bumpy ... but not horribly bad. I could let you guys in on what I'm doing in my head to keep calm, but it would really make me sound like a crazy lady ... so I'm going to just say I made it through the flight.
We land at Midway and instead of the right to the car with our carry on bags I've imagined, we're now waiting with 3 other flights for our bags to come out.
Alright people, I've come to the conclusion that you don't need to hear how long of a walk it is to the car, or how Chicago traffic is so awful we have expressways backed up at midnight on Saturday ... but if you've read this far, thanks for putting up with the HollyHolly report!
If you have any questions, just let me know. I'd be more than happy to be as helpful as I possibly can .... unless I'm busy doing something else that is.
THANKS! 
but my girls are almost 11 and 9.
