June 27th, Part 2
Our Uber driver was a huge Packers fan and it made me think of my friend Nancy and how much I misssed her.
We made it to SNA safe and sound, albeit, a little frazzled.
We arrived very early and there was no one at the Westjet desks so we waited on a nearby bench for awhile.
So far, so good, our flight was on time!
We eventually joined the line and about 30 minutes later, we got notification that our flight was delayed. We didn't know why, something about departure location delays. Our plane was coming from Calgary and they were getting some storms.
We watched as many K-9' teams made their rounds. They all kept surrounding this one area but eventually they all left. You can see three of them in this pic plus two more guys in uniform. We thought something was about to go down but nothing happened.
Eventually the WJ agents came out and we checked in. They took our extra bag of dirty laundry for free thankfully and we checked the other one for free since we had upgraded to Premium, so we didn't have to haul them around.
Once we got through security, we were hungry so we headed to California Pizza Kitchen. It's been a long time since we've been to one of these but we still remember that they had good pizza.
We split one pizza, Kira only wanted one piece and I had two pieces minus the crust. Rob always eats our crusts and then he finished off the last three pieces. It was really good but very heavy and I didn't want to eat too much.
We headed to our gate and found a spot to chill for the next few hours. Our flight would eventually be delayed again and it changed to another gate because of it.
Rob and I also split that chocolate croissant that I had bought that morning and it was freaking delicious! No wonder Kira loved them so much! It might have been the best chocolate croissant I've ever had in my life!
Kira eventually got hungry and she wanted McDonald's so we headed over there together. The line was very long and there was only one person working the counter. This woman was a one-woman show! The line ended up being 45 minutes and it would have been much longer if the woman wasn't freaking amazing! We commended her on the fact that she was literally doing everything except making the burgers. She took all of the orders, called them out to the kitchen, made the fries, got the drinks, put the orders together, called out the numbers and more!
They were getting ready to board our flight as we grabbed the food. Kira scarfed it down in record time and then we boarded. This is where she found out that I had upgraded our seats because she kept saying that we could just board after everyone else, no big deal but since we had Zone 1 boarding with our upgrade, I wanted to take advantage of that so I had to tell her about the upgrade. I was hoping to keep it a secret until we actually got on the plane but yeah, that didn't work out.
I completely forgot to tell you about my first botched attempt at surprising my kid. When I was booking this trip, like I had mentioned, I was very close to booking the SunCoast Park Hotel and at that point, she asked where we were staying, so I told her. And then I booked the Grand Cal the next day and decided to surprise her and tell her as we were pulling up to it but the US Customs guy foiled my plans when he asked where we were staying. I blurted it out and looked over at Kira with her jaw on the floor and realized that I just ruined that surprise.
So, I'm 0 for 2 with surprising my kid this trip.
We REALLY enjoyed this upgrade because we were on a plane with dedicated Premium seats, not the old planes with the regular seats and a blocked off middle seat.
We couldn't get all three of us in the same row so Kira was one row behind us. It made it difficult to take our traditional pic but we didn't care.
Good enough!
The people behind us didn't make it on the flight and Kira eventually moved over there and had no one next to her so she was really spoiled!
When she found out about the upgrade, I reminder her that we had upgraded once, for our Christmas trip in 2018 but all she remembered from that flight were the warm cloths that they gave us. So funny what kids remember, right?
She had the best reaction when the flight attendant passed out those warm cloths!
We took off very close to sunset, two hours after we were supposed to.
This 3.5 hour flight just flew by! It seemed like we were always getting something delivered or set up for our meal. And look at that, a real glass!!
I don't drink but I sure enjoyed a nice glass filled with ice to dump my water into!
I propped my iPad up and watched some Black Mirror while I dined. How spoiled am I??!!!
I don't recall the other choice but we all ended up with the chicken. It wasn't amazing or anything but it was nice to have some real food on a plane for once.
I got to see Vegas again out my window as the lights were coming on. The photos didn't turn out at all but it was cool to see it again! And the clouds were amazing!
Do I spot one final hidden Mickey?
We were offered one more snack but I think we all just put these into our carry-ons as we were all very full.
Coming into Calgary, we flew right by our house.
And then passed downtown, so pretty at night.
Kira exclaimed that this was the best flight ever! I have to agree with her I think! The 3.5 hours really did fly by, I watched a couple of really good episodes of my show, had some great views out of the window and I was very comfortable. Normally flights kill my back but these seats were so roomy, I could flip side to side to help alleviate my lower back pain. While it was a splurge, this upgrade was 100% worth it!
Back to Canada, yay! The Customs guy didn't even ask us any questions! Normally after visiting the Nexus machines they ask us if we have anything to declare but he looked at our printout from the machine and let us through, not a single word! I have to say, since Covid, while flying can be hit or miss, getting through Customs has become so much easier for trusted travelers and I love it!
Another plus of flying Premium is that your bags come out first! We are normally waiting forever but the bags came out just as we were getting to the luggage belt! Across the street we went to hop on the shuttle to go get our car. Kira was done.
This is where we found out why our plane was delayed. The power had gone out at YYC for hours earlier that day and our plane couldn't take off on time. Many people were way worse off than us so I'm glad it didn't affect us too much.
As usual, we headed home, unloaded our stuff and I unpacked while Rob and Kira went to go get Luna & Boo.
The puppies were very happy to be home and we were absolutely exhausted!
Thanks to my two brothers who helped make this trip possible!
And that's a wrap, folks!
Thanks for joining us for another adventure. I really appreciate all of the comments, I love reading every single one!
Until next time, Adios, Amoebas!
No no no.....return trip immediately......for fried chicken!!!!!
D'oh! Awww Kira all tuckered, bless
It did get colder, once the sun went down which is why Rob needed a jacket. 
