Kansas City here I come (next year)

Over the past six months since my last post, I have been soul-searching about another trip.  Several possibilities have popped up, from a road trip to visit my cousin in Philadelphia to a dance weekend in November in Tampa and one in December in Indiana.  Finances played a major role in canceling those thoughts.  My two-month kitchen renovation took nearly all my budget (i.e., savings).  I decided on the higher road -- not getting into more debt.

That said, another possibility crossed my desk that is exciting and do-able.  It's a PBR event in Kansas City, Mo., April 2-3.  Six months would get my savings back in shape and ready to go if I could get good prices on travel and hotel.

I wrote my sister-in-law who lives near Kansas City to invite her to join me and she said yes.  She likes the PBR too. 

Getting the tickets was the first task.  Opening day for ticket sales was Oct. 1 and, as I expected, neither the Web site nor the phone was working.  I've had that happen before. The phone lines were so busy I was on hold "forever," and a recording kept saying I'd have better luck on the Web site.  Not true.  The link wasn't working.  I tried repeatedly over several hours with the same lack of response.  Discouraging isn't a forceful enough emotion to describe how I felt.

I was ready to call my sister-in-law the next morning with the disappointing news but thought I would give it one more try.  Amazingly, the Web site worked!  I was able to reserve two seats in a good location close to the action.

Then came the next task -- booking my flights.  I had searched the day before and found AirTran to have reasonable prices for nonstop flights both ways.  I used Expedia because of my experience with them and was able to get the flights I wanted.

Finally, I had to find a hotel, preferably close to the Sprint Center where the bullriding will take place.  I did find one near the Crown Center, which is somewhat near the Sprint Center, and I made my reservation for two nights.  My sister-in-law will join me for the first night (Saturday) and enjoy dinner and the sights.  Our tickets are for the final round on Sunday.  I'll be returning on Monday. 

I've wanted to spend more time with my sister-in-law (and no husbands) over the years and this will be a lot of fun. 

I wonder what the weather will be like in Kansas City the first part of April?!

Best of the best

Saturday was the best day dancing.  I didn't quit until about 4:30 p.m. when my leg gave out.... not to mention my feet were pretty sore.

After a bit of rest I went to dinner and was invited to join Kathy Brown, a dancer/choreographer from Tampa, and her friend Freddie.  It was nice to have the time to chat and get caught up.  Line dance newsletter maven Carol joined us too.  A nice start to a fantastic evening that ended, for me, with the show.  The line dance instructors are an amazing lot, whose talents extend from the obvious dancing to comedy and showmanship.  This year, the Marathon was graced with a performance by country singer David Bradley.  He sang his new single, "Soak It Up,"  while a dozen or more dancers performed a line dance choreographed for the song by Mary Beal. 

But the best was saved for last as world line dance champion Brian Barakauskas performed his winning dance.  I've know Brian for years and he has been winning dance competitions for most of them (UCWDC Superstar World Champion in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2010).  It doesn't seem possible that he can be any better, but every time I see him dance, he is.   

I was nervous about my return flights on Sunday since I didn't know what I would have to do to get my Atlanta boarding pass.  My husband had offered some assurance on Saturday that I could easily get the pass from a Delta rep when I got to Atlanta.  It turned out better than that.

I had to get a seat assignment for the Raleigh flight and asked the woman at the counter if she could also get me the boarding pass for the connecting flight.  What lovely words to hear: "Of course."   So from that time on, my nerves were calm and the flights were uneventful.  In fact, they both landed early.

I'm glad to be home, though.  I'll spend the rest of the week find the step sheets for the dances I learned to give to my line dance instructor here.  I hope she'll agree to teach them.

My next trip might be a quick one to New Jersey in July to visit my aunt, who turns 92 that month.

Dancing's great, but not my return

I recovered overnight from the dancing on Friday and was ready to again today.  So far I've had four lessons on new dances.  My brain will never retain them all, but I hope my home instructor Kathy will be willing to teach them in our weekly class.

I have decided Michael Barr and Michele Burton are my favorite instructors, as well as choreographers, because they are so smooth in style.  If I could emulate even part of their style, I would be happy.  It feels so good to dance their dances, from "It's Amazing" to "Rumba Breeze."  I'll look for more of their dances later today.

I decided to check-in online for my flights home tomorrow.  I got the boarding pass for the Raleigh flight to Atlanta with no problem, but for some reason, I can't get the boarding pass out of Atlanta.  I don't know why.  That means I will have to go through check-in at the airport!  And I only have an hour between flights.  I'll keep trying to get through online today, but I'm not confident about a different result.  You'll find out tomorrow or Monday what happened.

Let the dancing begin

Getting to Raleigh, N.C., wasn't too difficult after all. We started, however, with a half-hour delay at the Melbourne Airport because the airline was waiting for weight confirmation that usually is reported on the computer -- the network was down, however.  Eventually a fax saved the day.  The pilot more than made up the time delay in flight, thank goodness.

It has been years since I have flown into the Atlanta airport but not much seems changed.  I still had to travel miles, on foot, escalator and train, to get to another concourse and the second flight of the trip.  I think the airport could declare itself a city, it is so big, except it doesn't have much of a stable population.

I arrived at the hotel with only time enough to check in and take one line-dance class.  As tired and sore as I was, I was glad for that.  A leisurely dinner and watching So You Think You Can Dance helped me relax.

This morning started out full of promise.  After a free breakfast, I joined the crowd in the ballroom to watch the dance instructors demonstrate the dances they would teach today.  That's a great way to learn which dances appeal to you.

My first class was not learning a dance but a technique class by Rob Glover who helped us learn how to move our bodies, from the head to the feet.  And he taught us a dozen or so warm-up exercises that we can do every day.

My first actual class was by Michael Barr, who is the smoothest dancer!  The dance was done to a boogie and is a lot of fun.  I can't wait to show it to my instructor at home.

It's time for lunch and more dancing this afternoon.  I have a new motto:  Forget work.... let's dance!

Counting down

It's hard to think about the trip on Thursday when the contractor is tearing apart my kitchen.  Trying to reorient the mind to our mini-kitchen is challenging.  The dining room table is piled high with dishes, glasses, cookware and spices, and a small corner space left for sandwich making and the like.  The refrigerator is next to the table and the microwave on the chest a few feet away. 

I received another change notice from the airline.  The second short flight out of Atlanta is not reserving seats ahead of time.  I hope I can walk fast enough after leaving the first plane to get to the terminal in enough time to pick my seat.  I only have about an hour between flights.  I knew there was a reason I hated flying into Atlanta to change planes. 

The next two days will be focused on wardrobe, for flying and for dancing, in one lightweight bag. 
* * *

Hotel check

I checked with the hotel in Raleigh today to confirm my reservation and also the refrigerator I need.  Medicine that I take needs to be kept refrigerated at a constant temperature (thereby eliminating the ice bucket method).  Lucky for me (for a change), all was confirmed.  And so far, no more airline changes.  I'm getting excited about the weekend event.  I've learned two new dances here at home that are big hits in the line dance world, so I won't feel a total recluse when everyone runs to the dance floor.  Of course, I won't run but make my way cautiously to ensure maximum dancing.  Oh, the compromises of age!

It's time to gear up for another trip, but flying this time.  At the end of May I will be heading to Raleigh, N.C., for a dance workshop called the JG Marathon.  I have been line dancing for most of 15 years and have attended several line dance workshops over the years and the Marathon is undisputably the best.  I had to miss it for the past 4 years because of my job at the Kennedy Space Center.  Inevitably, a shuttle launch would fall somewhere in the same timeframe, not allowing me to attend.  So one of my first self-promises upon retirement was to attend the next one... and I hope many more. 

I began the planning months ago, trying to find a convenient flight.  Unfortunately, the nonstop flight I used to take no longer exists.  I reluctantly settled on a flight through Atlanta.  The only good part is that I will be flying out of the Melbourne airport, just 15 minutes away. 

A little unsettling in the past 6 weeks, though, have been the repeated flight changes.  Expedia sends a notice that there is a change, then I have to study all four flights to see what the change(s) are.  So far, the change is a matter of one or two minutes either departing or landing.  I am a little concerned though about the seat change on one of the flights.  I have a specific need for an aisle seat on the left side of the plane (in order to stretch out my right leg/hip).

There are 3 weeks left for any more airline mischief... I hope not.