Well, it looks like we’re not going to Orcas Island after all. The Southwest tickets I’ve earned are not valid for the days we want to leave. Since we’d be renting a house we wouldn’t be able to coordinate flights with rental times.

Up next is picking another destination known for cooler weather, or bagging the vacation plans altogether. We’re hoping we can make something work but we’re really sad the San Juan Islands won’t be it.

I got back this afternoon from my Chicago trip. Things went very smoothly, too. Brent and I took the Orange Line train to Midway and got to our gate with plenty of time to spare. Got off the plane and Kelly and the kids greeted me at the curb. It couldn’t have been any smoother.
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My training today went well. Much better than I expected, actually. It was well-delivered and well-received. I think no one suspects it was my first time delivering the material. I got compliments on it afterward, too.

I just back from a dinner at a Rush Street Italian restaurant with the client and my coworker, Brent. It was a good wind down from the preparation I put into the training. I also enjoyed walking around Chicago. (I still haven’t been in a car!)

Tomorrow we go over any follow-up questions that might pop up and then I’m on the early flight back to Raleigh. It will be good to be home again after 6 days away!

I’m in Chicago now until Wednesday conducting training. The train ride was smooth and relaxing and I managed to take the bus to the hotel. Checked in early and relaxed some more.

My goal in the next few days is to not set foot inside an automobile. So far, so good.

I’m off to Chicago now for two days of training sessions. I’m looking forward to riding the rails into Chicago, the Mecca of train cities. I will also ride the rails to get around town as well as to the airport for the flight home.

While I can plug in my laptop and chat on my cellphone on the way, I won’t have Internet access. Blog atcha later.

Good news from Kelly this morning: they got on the morning flight to Raleigh! By the time I post this they should be “wheels up” and on their way home. Kelly said the kids got to meet the pilots and make the “welcome aboard” announcement, too.

Good to know their travel adventures will soon end. I suppose I can cut Northwest some slack after all.

Well, the travel gods were not smiling on Kelly and the kids. Northwest Airlines royally screwed up their only possible chance to get to Raleigh tonight. Northwest then went the extra mile, screwing up the family’s chance at tomorrow morning’s flight, too.

Right now the family will be lucky to take the 1:30 PM CDT flight which puts them into Raleigh after 4PM: twenty-one hours after they expected to be home! Is it any wonder Northwest Airlines ranks at the bottom of customer satisfaction surveys?

I saw the family off this morning for their trip from Milwaukee back to home. It was sad saying goodbye to them knowing I wouldn’t be home for another three days. I now sit in the room Kelly’s parents stayed in, surrounded by empty chairs that used to be full of wriggling children and laughing adults. Feels quite lonely here.
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We’re in Milwaukee for the next few days for a family wedding. Its my first trip to Milwaukee. Nice place, from what I’ve seen so far.

Its been so long since I’ve flown that it seems to have lost any joy it once held, even when bringing my family along. We flew Northwest (as we didn’t have a choice) and I was dreading the experience, as NWA has one of the worst customer satisfaction ratings. In spite of my dread, the airline did a decent job. Employees overall were friendly, the plane was clean, and we arrived on time.

Sunday, we part ways as Kelly takes the kids home and I head to Chicago to conduct my first product training on Tuesday and Wednesday. I’ll rejoin the family Wednesday night.