We decided it was time to go back up to the room and get our stuff to head to the airport. I took a video walking around our room trying to channel my inner Michelle, but it's not as cool so I won't post it.. haha
Josh called Charley's Taxi to request a cab and they told us theyd be there within 10 minutes. We grabbed our bags and headed down to be picked up
I snapped pics of everything I could on my way out... hahaha
We went outside and our cab was already there! We grabbed our last picture at Aulani and got in our minivan to the airport!
The Honolulu airport was so.... interesting. haha We didnt notice as much when we came because we just went to baggage claim, but showing up to the airport was so stressful and I didn't like it at all. It was like a small island airport I guess, but there was no desk to walk up to and check in, you just walk up to a podium in the middle of the corridor, but there are like 10 podiums that take people 1 by 1 and it was super busy. We got in line and missed the agriculture check somehow, so we went through that and then had to get back in line. My bag was overweight by 5 lbs, so we had to move stuff around but at least they were nice about it and didn't make us get back in line, etc. We checked our bags, got our coach tickets and were on our way! Most of the airport is under construction so we walked around for a bit and finally got through security. Once we got through security, it was like a normal airport again but open-aired and super pretty. We hit up starbucks
and I bought myself another bag of chocolate covered macadamia nuts (my fav) and we headed for the gate. Our plane was scheduled to leave around 1PM, but we weren't getting home until the next morning at 9AM. I decided since we were going coach, we weren't getting a meal (or at least a good one) so we needed to grab something to take with us on the plane. Josh agreed and we headed to find some food!
By the time we got back to the gate, our plane had arrived!
We lucked out because when I bought our tickets the only seats left were emergency exit rows. They wouldn't let us pick our seats ahead of time, so we hoped we'd get the exit rows when we checked in for space (and we did!). We sat down and at the window was an active duty soldier. (We were going to San Jose, CA). She told us she was originally from CA and was heading home for leave. She was really nice, told us how excited she was to get back etc etc. Then to our surprise, once we took off, there were open seats in first class so the stewardess moved her up to first class (which was awesome for her and us!) we had the whole exit row to ourselves. Josh of course sprawled out and watched movies on the ipad while I finished up Shades of Grey
We were definitely glad we had gotten lunch, since all we got was peanuts! Man did we miss first class! At about 11:30PM local time and about 6PM on our body clock, we arrived in San Jose!
When we arrived in San Jose, they said "Welcome Home and Thank You" to a soldier on our flight that was returning from a tour of duty. I was so excited when we walked off the plane, to see his spouse/gf/whatever she was, waiting for him with a sign, balloons, and someone with a video camera. I begged Josh to let me watch. He was the last flipping person off the plane!! (And it made me mad they didn't know who he was in the beginning of the flight to bump HIM to first class), but it was so sweet and reminded me of our Lyndsey! I even teared up watching them and of course tried to be cool so Josh didn't see me crying about people I don't even know!! lol
Of course because it was so late in San Jose their time, the restaurants were closed!
We had about 40 minutes til our next flight so we just took a seat and waited. We were going to Atlanta next and would arrive there about 6:30AM. We didn't get an exit row this time, but the flight wasn't full so after we took off, the person on the aisle moved to the row in front of us and we got to stretch out again! We tried our best to sleep (unsuccessfully) and were given more peanuts... thanks a lot! BUT we were starving so we ate them! Oddly, they didnt even have food for purchase
boooo coach... lol At around 6:15, we arrived in Atlanta! We had an hour til our next flight and thankfully food was open in Atlanta AND we pulled into the same gate our new flight was leaving out of, so we didnt need to take the subway or run anywhere. I grabbed a redbull and cheese danish and Josh got a coffee and egg sandwich and we called my parents to check on Goonie and confirm my mom was picking us up at 9!
Thankfully our flight was on time, we boarded and were SO ready to get home! No food service again as we flew 2 hrs back to CT and were so happy to get out of an airport after traveling for soo many hours! Our bags had made it, my mom was there waiting, and off we went to see our pup!
Back to my parents house, we loaded up the stuff they had brought back for us from FL and Goonie's stuff (Goonie's house/crate, food, toys, bowls, etc, plus our 3rd suitcase, my dress, etc). It looked like we were going on a two year safari with all the stuff we packed into the car... hahaha And we headed for our house, yippee!! As we were backing down my parents driveway, I said, MY BOUQUET! My mom had forgotten, so she pulled back up and ran in to get it. I was so excited to see my bouquet again.... she came running out of the house with a Disney laundry bag, tied tight on the top and handed it to me..................................................... I said, why is it in a bag???!?!?!? Immediately, I start balling. I had been up for over 24 hrs and my bouquet was RUINED! It was seriously disgusting. I opened the bag and the smell alone was enough to knock you out. It clearly rotted without air. My gorgeous bouquet of peonies was a wet, BROWN mess. I cursed her up and down, how could she not know to hang my bouquet in open air, had she even done that in FL nevermind since then, it would have dried in FL and she could ahve then put it in a bag and brought it home, taken it out and hung it again. GRRRRRRR. I took it out of the bag and it just slopped onto lap like disgusting mud and more and more flowers fell out of the pretty ball as I cried and cried and couldn't stop. We got to our house and I was so mad I just wanted to smack her for ruining my bouquet. EVERY wedding I've been in I have my bridesmaid bouquet from, all of them nicely dried and laid in their own boxes. Every single one. And now I don't even have my own. I was so disappointed. I even caught a bride's bouquet (one of Josh's cousins) in 2009, and that bouquet is still so intact it looks preserved. UGH!
I made Josh carry me in our front door and then I proceeded to run up to my "wedding room" and cry some more. I wanted her out of our house ASAP so I could flip out more, so I went down and helped bring everything from the car in. She left and I flipped out more. Josh's mom works at a florist and he asked if she could fix it. There was no fixing this bouquet, it needs to be redone completely. I attempted to hang and dry it anyways and it's so sad. Even to this day I try to avoid the wedding room now so I don't have to see my poor bouquet but I don't have the heart to toss it. I did email Laura to ask if it can be recreated (I need to wait til next year since now peonies and ranunculus are out of season) but I fully intend to. As Bethie says, PIFFLE!!
Once she was gone and I calmed down, we enjoyed spending time with our pup as we struggled for the next few days trying to get ourselves off of Hawaiian time!
The END!
I realized I never rated anything, so maybe next I'll do that for the wedding?!