The Very First Day of RTW

Day 1

Honestly, it's hard to believe that we have started our new lifestyle. As I lie in a bed in Oslo with Jay sleeping next to me I contemplate over the past few weeks, first with all the preparing and then actually leaving our house. And yet we have done it. It feels like a vacation right now, but I know that will change over the next couple weeks as we settle into an on-the-road routine.

And so, without further ado, I present to you: Day 1

1. As we walked out of the gate at Logan airport in Boston and made our way towards where we would meet my cousin, I noticed we were walking past the Priority Pass Lounge. Thanks to our Chase Sapphire credit card, we got membership to this lounge brand that has locations all around the world. We decided to check it out since we had a bit of time. Well, we aren't used to belonging to clubs so we were very excited to learn that we could go in and there were comfy chairs, and there was food and drinks, and it was all complimentary. Awesome! We stayed there awhile and basked in the luxury, and then left to meet my cousin.

2. Lunch with Miriam and Sheldon was wonderful, it was fantastic spending the afternoon with them. We also got to see Miriam’s dad Lou who regaled us with stories of his work exploits, and his work with Soviet Jews back in the days of the USSR when Jews weren’t allowed to practice Judaism or leave the country. Lou was a real hero. Plus, on another note, he knew Rae Landy. It was a great visit!

3. Once back at the airport we had a bit of a stressful time making sure our bags were at the right weight to get them to be carry-on weight. I know, I know, you think we should have done that at home. Yes, we tried. But there was still stuff we had to take that made our bags over the limit. Like my puffy coat. And our electrical adapters. And iPad. and computer. And three pairs of shoes. Plus hiking shoes. (Which we were wearing). Jay threw on his big raincoat and stuffed lots of things in his pockets. I put on my puffy coat and tied a fleece around my waist, and loaded up my pockets with as much as would fit. It was with great trepidation that we approached the check-in desk. The guy didn't even blink when he saw two people wearing big bulky coats in the beginning of September. In fact, I read that people do this all the time and the Norwegian Air flight attendants even collect stories of the craziest things people do or say to get around the weight limit rule.

Anyway, we made it~ he waved us through after a little bit of chit chat. What a relief. I don't know what I was prepared to get rid of even before the trip started. I was sweating. (It wasn't just nerves, I was wearing my puffy coat)

4. So then we repacked our bags and went through security without a problem. We then found the Priority Pass Lounge (see above) and prepared to spend a bit of time there while we were waiting for our flight to Oslo. We went in and put our stuff down by some chairs. Jay went to the bathroom and I walked across the room to check out something and I was gone for literally 1 minute or less and when I returned to our stuff my wheely backpack was gone.

WHAT???

I double and triple checked as my heart started to race. Where the hell is my bag? I was gone like literally less than 1 minute. What was happening? My whole entire 9 freaking months of stuff is gone????

So I said to this guy who was sitting nearby, “Hey, did you see somebody walk away with my bag? It's missing.”

And he said, “Yeah, a guy just walked away with it. I thought it was his and he was rushing to catch a flight!”

WHAT???!!,! So now I'm totally freaking out. This will push me over the edge. Then I thought maybe Jay is the guy who took the bag. Maybe I didn't notice that he was taking my bag to the bathroom? Just then, Jay returned and did not have my bag.

So in an absolute panic I ran to the lounge check-in desk. And there is my freaking bag. Just standing there right in front of the desk. How did my bag get here? “Oh, a guy brought it up here because he didn't know who it belonged to.” That was a suspicious story since the bag was next to all our other bags. But never mind. I got my bag back. And wow! What a lesson!!!! Looks like we will not ever leave our bags unattended. Ever. Ever. Ever. Yikes!

5. So everything else was fine and smooth for the next 45 minutes until I used the bathroom one last time before we boarded. I couldn’t get out of the stall. The knob for the lock wouldn't turn. “Crap,” I thought. I'm going to be stuck in this stall and I'm going to have to crawl on this disgusting bathroom floor to get out of here.” More sweating. And I wasn’t even wearing that damn puffy coat. Now it was just all nerves. I used all my strength and jiggled and lifted the door and finally the knob turned and I got out of there.

6. What a relief it was to get on the plane and just sit and relax. I was a bit stressed. And now I'm chilling. Jay, the love of my life is sitting next to me and I know that as long as I have him next to me all will be fine.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring when we arrive in Oslo. Goodnight!