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| Delta's Fix for Delays |
This past valentine’s day weekend I flew up to visit my boyfriend on the East Coast. Coming from Hawaii, the trip was a grueling 12 hours with 2 layovers. On Thursday Feb 11th my flight was scheduled to leave Hawaii at 9:40 pm. However once we were waiting at the gate, we were informed there was going to be a 4 hour delay, which only meant I would be missing both of my layovers… great. Needless to say I was very late meeting up with my boyfriend. I got delayed in Seattle (my first layover) and had to stay over night in Minneapolis (my second layover) because I missed the last flight going out. I was more than frustrated with Delta Airlines especially when our only compensation was free pizza and granola bars. My free hotel room was only given after an argument with one of the Delta representatives. After almost 18 hours at airports due to delays I was not about to spend a whole night (another 7) on the ground.
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| Leaving Minnesota |
The next morning, Feb 14th, I was able to catch the first flight out of Minneapolis to Washington DC, and met my boyfriend a whole day later than planned. (Did I mention we had booked a hotel the night I was suppose to get there? Goodbye couple hundred dollars.) Thankfully, getting to run into his arms at the airport melted away all my frustration. He picked me up and spun me around just as he always does when we’re finally reunited. From the airport we had lunch, caught up a bit, and got cleaned up to go to dinner. Coming from Hawaii, planning outfits before hand is a must for me. I freeze on the East Coast in the winter, so I plan out all the layers I'm going to be wearing while I pack. For my Dinner outfit I decided to wear a collared long sleeve dress shirt paired with a navy blue knitted cardigan. I rolled the sleeves over the cardigan to give it a more casual look. For pants, I went with black tights and even thermal tights under those for warmth. The shoes I matched with this outfit were my TOMS black Desert wedges. I am IN LOVE with these shoes EXCEPT for the fact that the label on the tongue of the shoe is brown. I find that when I wear black tights/jeans or even high socks the brown label really distracts from the outfit and draws attention. I would have much preferred the label to be black.
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| The only OOTN photo I took... |
We made our way to Tyson’s Corner mall where we luckily got a reservation at Gordon Biersch. To kill the couple hours we had before our reservation, we shopped and walked the mall. It started out with my boyfriend saying “we can go anywhere you want, since you’re the one visiting” but that quickly changed when we walked into Urban Outfitters and saw a pair of boots. It reminded him that he had been wanting boots for a while… so began our mission. He kept saying, “I really like timberlands… but Asians can’t pull those off so we gotta find something else.” We went to a few different stores when finally he found ones that he liked at LL Bean. Shopping with him is so fun. He gets so excited when he finds something he really likes. When our buzzer went off for dinner we made our way back down to the restaurant and got seated promptly. I had a filet with jumbo shrimp and my boyfriend got a massive burger. He also got a beer!Which wouldn’t be anything special, except for the fact that it’s the first time I’ve seen him order a drink! He turned 21 just last month and I haven’t seen him since December. (Way to make me feel like a little girl….)
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| Boot Shopping |
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| Dinner Date |
After dinner, I forced him to watch the new box office film 50 Shades of Grey with me. It had sold out by the time we got there, so we ended up having to watch it in IMAX (hehe). The movie was pretty good, but that feeing, lying on someones shoulder with them smiling down at you, just can’t be beat. After the movie we ventured out of the mall to catch the train in the FREEZING COLD with winds up to 20 mph. My face and ears actually hurt and felt like they were getting pricked as we tried to run for cover. In that moment I learned it’s better to dress warm than cute when visiting the East Coast. That night after being up till 2 AM, my boyfriend and I were talking while laying under our warm covers when he reached over to his night stand and pulled out a little box. He opened the box and said, “Happy Valentine’s Day Adrian” and opened the box to the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. I felt like a true princess.
The days to follow were nothing short of amazing. We took a car up to Baltimore, Maryland and got to play tourists for a day. We visited the National Aquarium and ate an early dinner at Phillip’s right across the river. The aquarium was cool but very crowded. I feel bad for my boyfriend having to take me to all these types of attractions. I’m such a little kid when it comes to aquariums, zoos, and amusement parks. I kneel down right in the front of the glass surrounded by a bunch of toddlers, saying “woowwww” just like them. My favorite part about the aquarium was the GIANT sea turtle, and the many different types of sharks they had. The crab cakes we ate afterwards at Phillips were awesome too! A mandatory meal every time I come up to the East Coast. That night my boyfriend and I played some racket ball and I got to meet some of his friends from the naval academy. All in all, even though I may have lost the only game I played against them… I think I’ll be able to beat them if we were to ever play again.
My boyfriend and I were also able to find a Baltimore shot glass during our day trip up to the city. Ever since we started our distance relationship in 2012, we have sent each other shot glasses from the places we have visited. When I went up to Oregon for college, I sent him an Oregon one. When he went to California for a year he bought me one from Universal Studios. Then we decided instead of buying a glass from every place we are apart, we should start a collection of glasses together. Here's to the first! :)
My boyfriend and I were also able to find a Baltimore shot glass during our day trip up to the city. Ever since we started our distance relationship in 2012, we have sent each other shot glasses from the places we have visited. When I went up to Oregon for college, I sent him an Oregon one. When he went to California for a year he bought me one from Universal Studios. Then we decided instead of buying a glass from every place we are apart, we should start a collection of glasses together. Here's to the first! :)
On Tuesday Feb 17th, I headed back to Hawaii, leaving the snowstorm behind me. Luckily I had no delays on the way back and bought a couple things to read at the airport. I also got to watch the movie Best of Me based on a novel written by Nicholas Sparks. It was about high school sweet hearts who go their separate ways and end up finding each other again 20 years later. I was in tears on the plane (and of course in the middle of two guys) so wiping the streak marks from my face did not go undetected. The movie really touched me though, and made me realize that when you truly love someone, no distance or time apart will make a difference. At times I question my relationship because of all the challenges distance and the military brings. But this trip made me realize, how perfect love can be. Warm. Simple. Safe. Just indescribable. I can’t wait for the day the plane tickets are one way. And goodbyes only mean till morning.
“The first time you fall in love, it changes you forever and no matter how hard you try, that feeling never goes away.”
-Nicholas Sparks (Best of Me)
 National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD .JPG) |
| Overlooking the Baltimore Inner Harbor |