Sometimes everything goes according to plan, and life is wonderful. Sometimes, you get a story. Let's just say my weekend in New Jersey gave me a story.... ;)
It all started with a crazy week...projects, presentation, exam....you name it, I had it. Yet somehow, the week flew by and everything went according to schedule. Friday came, I aced my exam, finished my project, got out of class early, and headed for the airport. I couldn't believe how smoothly everything had gone. I kept waiting for something to go wrong, and it didn't. I made my layover in Charlotte and was sitting outside the gate for my next flight. I snapped this picture and texted my friend saying I was ready to take on world travel alone...this girl was traveling smooth. Word to the wise: NEVER brag about smooth travel until you have finished the journey and arrived to your destination. I learned that the hard way.
Sometimes you get an adventure...sometimes you get a story.
I really don't think there's any good way to communicate the horror that was my flight, but fair warning: if you have a weak stomach, probably just skip this paragraph and head to the pictures of the beautiful wedding venue :) As I sat at the gate, I felt a little nauseous, but I didn't think too much of it. At some point I may share more of my health journey here on the blog, but for now I'll just say that I've battled tons of digestion and stomach issues through the last year (two, really), so these feelings are not totally out of place. Having experimented with plenty of dietary restrictions, I had recently added peanut butter back into my diet and had a Starbucks latte in the airport, so I thought one of those things may have been the culprit.
Boarding the plane and I was given the window seat...usually my favorite. The woman beside me pulled out a sandwich and started eating, and the smell started to make things worse for me. I closed my eyes and tried to pull myself together. Soon, we started taxiing out to our takeoff and the flight attendant began the safety spiel. Right then, I had the feeling and I just knew something was off. I caught the flight attendant's eye and mouthed that I wasn't feeling too good...she turned around to grab me something and THAT'S THE LAST THING I REMEMBER. Ya'll, I passed out. For the first time in my life. Let's just say when I woke up, the two seats beside me were empty, there were 3 flight attendants looking at me, and (TMI warning....) the contents of my stomach was now on the seat beside me and the jacket you see in the picture above....which is probably in a landfill by now if ya catch my drift ;) Thankfully, the mess could've been much worse, but folks, it was one MISERABLE flight haha.
Bet you've never delayed takeoff of a flight before...I have ;) don't necessarily recommend adding that to your bucket list hahaha. But hey....I did learn one way to get a seat to yourself, flight attendants checking up on you constantly, free ginger ale and mucho agua, and two free blankets! Somehow I survived the rest of the flight...I was cold and had a headache and honestly was pretty concerned with believing my other stomach issues had caused this disaster. I did make use of a bag at landing, but I was just glad to make it to my destination. We later learned I had the flu, and it had been going around my apartment complex all week! That was a relief to hear, although it made for a disappointing weekend. I didn't really have energy or an appetite. Thankfully, I was able to go to the wedding, but instead of the reception I came back and CRASHED with a 4 hour fat nap!! It was good to see family and experience a beautiful hotel, but to be honest, I was glad when the weekend was over. A delayed flight back with bad weather out of Chicago pulled me into my apartment at 1:30 Monday morning. I was one exhausted traveler.
My goodness, that's enough about me! The wedding took place in Morristown, New Jersey at the Madison hotel *swoon* I mean, look at this room! The glass room...window and plants. And it was a BEAUTIFUL day for the wedding...sunny and blue skies. Also, just look at the chandelier. Cue Phantom of the Opera music, am I right?!
The reception I slept though took place in this gorgeous room. The golden ballroom. Ahh. Straight out of a fairytale.
And just for fun, here's a view of the pool. I just love the natural light and plants that makes it feel almost like you're outside. Maybe someday I'll come back when I'm not sick and take in the full experience of this lovely hotel!
So, what was your worst travel experience? A hoped for adventure that turned into a story? I'd love to hear in the comments!