The Twin Cities

Or more like the red-headed stepchild of Eagan, MN is where I traveled last week for some corporate training.

Everything started out innocently enough; as always, I was super early to the airport.  For some reason that I can't explain, I always feel better if I'm at the airport with at least an hour and a half to spare.  So I sat down, waited for my flight (which was on time), boarded my flight and got to sit next to the drunkest man you'd ever meet at 8am.  

oh yes.  An entire flight sitting next to a drunk man, because he didn't like to fly.  Yes, I understand this very well, all too well, but not at 8am.  Maybe an 11am flight, maybe, but most certainly not at 8am.  And then to top it all of, he didn't get the universal signal of opening up my book and putting in my earphones.  Because the man continued to talk.

Great fun.

And guess what?  Laura forgot her GPS.  Yep, going to a city where she has never been before.  No problem right?  Because your car rental company will give you one!  Hooray!  No!  Probably should have checked it for functionability before starting the car and leaving the airport.

I would go into the joys of roaming around a city that one doesn't know while trying to operate a cell phone while driving, but I won't.  I'll let you imagine about how fun that was.

I finally get to the hotel, run my five miles, and decide that after driving and seeing nothing but this...

that it was time to get something to eat.  And normally while traveling I like to try some place new, but I wanted something familiar and warm, so I hit up Houlihans, my favorite haunt from back home in ATL.  Where I promptly enjoyed happy hour (2 for 1!!) and this lovely spinach dip..

Yep ate all of this by myself.  

That night I get back to the hotel, promptly turn the heat to eight million, and fall asleep.  But not really stay asleep, because I'm always terrified that I won't wake up for my alarm. 

But I did, got dressed, went out to the car and saw this..

Yep, -6 degrees.  You want to take a guess at windchill?  No?  Ok, I'll tell you.

-22.  Yep, NEGATIVE 22!!  So fun right?  Only challenged by how much fun the actual leadership classes were.

So after the full two days of training, I had a little mental breakdown since my phone GPS routed me to the actual airfield instead of the airport.  Crying and all.  But I'm guessing that the car rental guy noticed my blood shot eyes, and decided to not charge me for the gas that I didn't have time to put in the car, because I was deathly afraid of missing my flight, and having to spend another night in MN was my biggest nightmare.

I get through security, walk through the terminal saying multiple times, "Beer, Beer, Beer," and then it appeared in the form of this....

Summit Beer!  Hooray!  

And then since I had a horrible week, I rewarded myself with this...

And since I think it was still pretty obvious that I was distressed, the bartender gave me a warm cookie and some ice cream!  For free.  Nothing better than free ice cream and cookies.

And then the pilot must have known that I really wanted to get home because the flight was thirty minutes early.  I was never so happy to pay an airport parking fee in my life.  

So sorry, Minnesota, I can't say that I ever want to go back to visit you.