Travel

This is the most recent event that's happened.

On the 14th, I flew from Salt Lake City, UT to El Paso, TX to spend the holidays with my family.
I flew on Southwest (cheapest tickets I could find - which is to be expected from a company who's number 1 goal is the be the cheapest airline possible) and had to fly from SLC International to Sky Harbor International (in Phoenix, AZ) - wait around for about 2 hours to get onto a flight to El Paso.
Much to my disappointment, there are no direct, nonstop flights from SLC to ELP - you can't avoid a layover.

The last time I flew, my layover was actually longer, but I was prepared - I downloaded a bunch of TV show episodes to my iPod and laptop to watch while I waited for my next flight. This time I wasn't quite as prepared. I arrived in Phoenix around 12:30ish, hungry and without entertainment. I figured I could just go to one of the little airport restaurants, grab something and people watch until my flight, but the nearby restaurants were all super crowded and there was no where to sit (well, except in the boarding areas). So I wandered into the CNBC store, picked up a book ("The Help" - thought I'd read the book before I see the movie), some pretzel/crackers and a soda (I was sleepy!) and then I headed over to the boarding area to read/snack. (Funnily enough, I wound up sitting across from a girl who was doing the same thing! - She was eating the same thing, and reading the same book as she sat next to her purple carry on case, wearing a cute purple/burgundy skirt, top, and cardigan outfit. In my mind, she was a much more fashionable, jet-setting version of me, probably on her way to see a fiancé or go to an interview for a fun and artsy new job).

Luckily, the time passed quickly enough and I was able to get onto my flight to Texas without any problems.

Last time I flew, I wound up in awkward and uncomfortable seats either between two talkative business people or squished up against the window while the guy sitting next to me shifted uneasily in his seat like he was gonna vomit the whole time - this time around I was able to sit by the window on both flights. The first next to a middle-aged couple that didn't say a word to me (which I was totally cool with). The second, next to two older ladies, who saw my book and then dove right into a conversation about civil rights during the 60s (after a while, I didn't really feel as though I was necessary or important to the conversation, so I just slouched down and quietly went back to reading my book).

Another difference between the last time I flew and this time around, was the fact that I took photos. Previously, I was so concerned about the plane's controls that I shut off my phone before I even got onto the plane (and didn't turn it on until I got off) - this time, I went ahead and left it on and took pictures until the pilot or flight attendant announced that all devices needed to be switched off.

Leaving UT I got an awesome view of the mountains, and over AZ, I was actually able to see some of the Grand Canyon! :)

I kept thinking about how awesome it would be to be a pilot or a stewardess; to get to travel every day as a job, and to get to see such amazing views of the sky! 

All in all, pretty okay trip (well, besides my ear and head aches, but they weren't quite as bad as they could have been, so I've got that to be thankful for).