Quick Trip: Phoenix, AZ

Since receiving tickets for Leonard Cohen prior to returning to the USA and having a job stateside, the Harrington duo was pleased to discover the weekend of the Leonard Cohen concert would be extended two days thanks to Parent-Teacher conferences, an obligation for teachers and parents, but not for paraprofessionals. Knowing that, if they were in the land of kimchi with a long weekend, they'd be sure to go somewhere and do something, the couple hit a few flight search engines and soon realized that Phoenix was beckoning them forth. Not only were tickets affordable, but the couple had a small handful of friends living in the city of warmth making the decision to purchase all the more easy.

So, after a cold, cold nights sleep in the Subaru, the couple checked in, disappointed to learn that Spirit airlines carry-on requirements were quite meager and the large bag to take-along the laptop (for NaNoWriMo) would cost an extra $40...bucking up and paying the outrageous fee, the couple was soon scarfing down breakfast, warming up and making their way to the gate.

Upon arrival at the gate, the couple soon learned that their flight was delayed by about two hours, longer than the anticipated flight itself. Always attempting to make the most of every situation, Mike continued reading while Melissa added to her NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) story about Lady Annyeong (a story which would not find it's conclusion in November as hoped, but has, at the very least, been started). The couple also spent some time eavesdropping on a group of hockey players who'd spent a wild week or so in the Rocky Mountain city of Denver and had a series of conversations regarding missing teeth and drinking beyond their fill. Also stuck in the airport, the same crew of men decided to attach a dollar to a string of floss and see how well they could prank passers-by, turns out they could do it without much trouble and brought loads of laughter to otherwise annoyed travelers.