A Weekend of Firsts

This past weekend was the first of many things for me:

• My first Amtrak ride.
• I rode overnight so I had to try to get some sleep. Luckily, I got a window seat. Unfortunately, we were also a full train that night so people random get sleeping in my seat and getting off. I was kind of asleep, but also kind of not asleep for most of the night. Things that helped: eye mask, neck pillow, blanket, spotify's sleepytime playlists.

• My first time in Rhode Island.
• As soon as I got there, we went out for breakfast as a cute little spot in downtown Newport. Mike got something marvelous with eggs and chorizo and I got french toast made with Puerto Rican sweet bread and spiced apples.
• We also exchanged cards (I was blown away by Mike's (really)...see below) before heading back to base.

A picture of the sunrise in Providence on Valentine's Day. MJ was driving.

Only the best Valentine's Day card ever.

• My first time on a Navy base.
• The base felt a little bit like a university to me. It's a little mini-town that is completely self-sufficient. We went to the gym where I geeked out over the group fitness class offerings (it would have only cost me $3.00 for a barre class) and the fact that they have a bar attached to the wall in their abs room that holds your feet (to practice sit-ups). 
• Mike lives in a hotel on the base with the other JAGs and we got to hang out with some of them one night while there. Ben (also Georgetown grad and JAG..who Mike just commissioned) came out and showed us a wonderful drink spot.

Still not used to the New England temps, I went with two cinnamon vanilla hot toddy's. I think I need to have cinnamon-infused simple syrup on hand just for everyday life, right?

• While I couldn't fathom drinking anything that wasn't hot, our group was apparently completely fine with the idea of getting ice cream after drinks. It was about 11pm in Rhode Island on a Sunday, so I guess we didn't think through the idea of what kind of place would be open with ice cream that late. Some women at the bar overheard our dilemma and really tried to help us problem solve. One of them finally exclaimed: "I got it. I got it! I know what you have to do. Here's what you need to do: go outside, walk across the street, you will see a building with a mermaid on it, you need to go into that building and up the stairs until you see a fire place. You sit by that fireplace, and then you ask them for the Snowball. It has ice cream and fudge and brownie al mixed together. You should get the snowball and you tell them I sent you." She basically repeated these directions 5 times before we left, adding that you can also get a sparkler in your snowball if you say it's your birthday.

• When we went outside, Ben said he had no clue where she was talking about and that maybe she meant across a street that was kinda far away. Right as he said that, we saw "the mermaid" outside a place that did not appear open, but whatever. It was a sign. We went in and all had desserts and tea together. We even told them it was Mike's birthday to get a sparkler in our snowball. Apparently, at one point when I was in the bathroom, the lady we met at the other bar had walked in to talk to the wait staff and ensure that they took good care of us...because apparently she knows everyone on a first-name basis there.

MJ and Collins tickled over the sparkler.

The whole group! LtoR: Maggie, Justine, Ben, Lauren, me, Mike.

• DC's first legit snowstorm of the winter + My first solo flight + My first Uber ride.
• My flight left Monday around 5pm out of Boston. I was worried it would be cancelled, but glad when it was on time. It seemed to be about the last flight they were letting go to DC, so I guessed they thought it could beat out the worst of the storm that was scheduled to hit DC. Things did not go as planned because although my flight left at 5:30pm, I didn't get home in my bed until 2am. Here's what happened.
• Left Boston at 5:30pm. 
• Arrived in DC area around 7ish, but destination airport (Reagan) is "closed" for snow removal. Basically we aren't allowed to land there. We hang out in the air for a while doing circles until it becomes apparent Reagan is not reopening anytime soon. Our pilot tells us we're going to land at Dulles (way out in VA) instead. I am frustrated because my car is at King Street metro (a few stops from Reagan) and Dulles is not metro accessible.
• Land at Dulles around 8pm. We sit for a while because we were not expected at Dulles and no one knows what to do with us. When we finally get up to the airport, some people get off and the pilot tells us the plan is to eventually go to Reagan once they reopen. We're going to refuel in the meantime. I decide to stay on the plane because I don't want to have to figure out the bus system to the Silver line and because I am trusting and because my baggage still would have been sent to Reagan.
• Around 10pm: Reagan reopened a while ago so we headed back out to the tarmac. The airports are crazy with planes, so we had to wait a really long time to take off. We wait so long to take off that our pilot tells us Reagan has actually closed again and we are going to just turn around and 'drive' back to Dulles so people can leave if they want.
• Around 10:30pm: We are back near airport. We are told that actually people are not allowed to get off because there is no room at Dulles for us to "park" so we're just going to wait until Reagan reopens. Pilot has no idea when that will be.
• Around 11pm/11:30pm: Spot opens at Dulles to park so pilot says we are actually going to park and let people off. I call Mike and Kelly for advice and tell them I'm getting off the plane because NO MORE. The plan is for the plane to refuel and still go to Reagan, but as soon as I get off the plane and am trying to bargain for taxi fare or something home (because the metro was closing at midnight), our flight is officially "cancelled". This is good because it means JetBlue will take some responsibility for helping us get home. 
• 12pm: We get our baggage at the terminal. I charge my cell.
• 12:30pm: JetBlue has arranged for a charter bus to take us to Reagan. The roads are horrible, but we make it in about an hour.
• 1:30pm: I go inside at Reagan and there is a taxi line the length of the airport. The roads are so bad that there are no taxis picking people up. I wonder if I'm going to have to make a bed for myself at the airport and realize I left my pillow and blanket at Mike's place. It was a sad moment.



The taxi line at Reagan. 



This was a time when we had landed, but weren't allowed to get off of the plane yet.

• 1:35pm: I start playing with my phone and find the Uber app Mike downloaded for me. I've never used the app and I figured there weren't any cars out if there weren't taxis either, but magically I manage to get a car after refreshing the app like 10 times. My angel uber comes to take me home.

Even though the trip back was a nightmare, I had such an amazing time hanging out with Mike and his friends for the weekend. Even though our Valentine's Day dinner consisted of pizza because a snowstorm in Rhode Island messed with our plans, it was the exact weekend I needed. We bought and watched The Last Five Years on iTunes which was INCREDIBLE. If you are into musicals or know anything about the show, you should definitely see it.

Because of our schedules, I'm not sure if we're going to have the opportunity to see each other again before Mike gets back last weekend in March, but I'm counting down the days. Coincidentally, tomorrow's sermon is on Patience (we're going through the fruit of the spirit) so I'll try to take some good notes.

TL;DR: Great weekend. Made it home safely. Of course you want a sparkler in your snowball.