Vacation!! This is the first time I’ve taken a personal vacation in several years and I’m so excited. The last time I was on a plane was about two and a half years ago when I got to fly down to Texas to see my brother’s graduation from basic training. This time I get to fly out to Utah to see his first house with his wife and two dogs surrounded by the beautiful mountains of the Salt Lake City Valley.
Flying in a pandemic
Flying in a pandemic was honestly no different for me than the last time I flew years before COVID-19 hit. The only difference that I noticed was that every person was wearing a mask. I checked in online before getting to the airport, security was the same (I had to surrender my shampoo because it was too big and I’m so upset), the number of people flying was still the same. I flew with American Airlines and both flights were full. The airport food was still ridiculously expensive ($15 for a small water and a sandwich?!?). The only real thing I noticed was the social distancing between the passengers and the galleys for the flight attendants and that they serve snacks in pre-packaged bags.
It could very well be that I’m simply flying out in a time when everything has resumed some normalcy since the pandemic started. It has been several months since things changed due to the virus.
I had plenty of time during the flights and in the 5 hour layover between the flights to work on the sweater for David! If I don’t give myself carpel tunnel before the year is over I’ll be so surprised. I managed to finish the body and start the separated front section before I was picked up at the airport. I knit the same amount in one day that I had previously knit in one week.
Plans for the week
Nothing is really set in stone which I’m enjoying a lot as I’m so used to routine and schedules. The Fear Evolved 4 event is being released for Ark on Xbox tomorrow night so I’ll be playing that a lot while my brother and his wife work throughout the week. I’ll of course continue knitting all week as well and see if I can’t get this sweater finished before I head back home so I can give it to David when I see him 🙂 My brother and his wife want to take me out to see Antelope Island one day this week and then grab dinner in Salt Lake City (we’re thinking a Korean BBQ spot). I of course promised to cook for them all week while I’m here so we’ll see which recipes we get to! I’m thinking to do this beef and shells recipe that I love, this creamy parmesan herb chicken and mushrooms recipe, and this tomato spinach chicken recipe I just tried recently.
Overall I’m hoping for a lovely week of relaxation to take my mind off of everything that’s been going on lately. I actually have TWO weeks of vacation but I don’t even know what I’m going to do with the second week yet! Most likely more Xbox, more knitting, and more relaxation just in my local area 🙂 We’ll see!
And of course, my brother’s dogs
This is George (on the left) and Ollie (Oliver, on the right). They were both adopted from the same shelter. George loves to just snuggle. I’ve never met another dog that loves hugs this much. My brother and his wife tell me George likes to sleep under the covers with them curled up next to their stomachs. Ollie is a little more rambunctious, he just turned one year old recently and still likes to nip and chew. They are both such good and sweet dogs I’m falling in love.
