Put me on a plane, fly me to anywhere

Remember my amazing coat of amazingness? The one I had coveted for like a decade before David bought it for me for Christmas a couple years ago?

I think I've worn it twice. Ever.

Okay, that's a lie. I've worn it plenty of times. But generally only when we're out of town. Like in Chicago in December. Or in the 'slow in December. Pretty much anywhere that's not here in December.

I wore it when David and I sort of spontaneously went to Vegas before Christmas, because even Las Vegas is colder than Phoenix these days.

Which reminds me...I never told you about that trip. It was brilliant. We were there for less than 24 hours, though, and we weren't drinking, gambling, or seeking out half-naked women (or men, as the Thunder From Down Under case may be), so a lot of people have wondered a) what the heck did we even do and b) why the heck did we even go?

We walked the Strip. We saw castles and volcanoes and fountains and roller coasters and Transformers and street musicians and ice skaters and gondoliers and blown glass art and Christmas trees and stunning architecture and it was marvelous. I really didn't feel the need to see a show or even spend any money because the spectacle of it all is sufficient entertainment for me. Plus our hotel room at the Luxor had a hot tub overlooking the Excalibur, so that definitely featured in our evening activities. (Traveling rule of thumb: when a room with a hot tub is available and affordable, ALWAYS GET THAT ROOM.)

As for why we spent (undisclosed amount) on plane tickets from Phoenix for an otherwise inexpensive and fairly unremarkable date?

1) Because I hadn't yet spent the night away from Margot and it was a nice break from being the mom for an evening. More importantly though,

2) It enabled me to fly for FREE whenever David goes anywhere this year.

Last year he traveled a lot for work. Almost enough to earn a companion pass for me...but not quite. So we splurged a little on a random Vegas trip to earn enough points, and now? Now I can go with him on business trips if I want to and it won't cost anything. Granted, we'll need to find a sitter for Mila and eventually Margot too, but for the moment, babykins and I can tag along at no extra cost.

Flights for free fifty-free! Woo!

Mostly this is great because I've got a couple trips in the planning stages that will now be significantly less expensive, even taking into account what we spent on Vegas. Beyond that, though, I'm stoked to have an escape route in a couple months.


I'm actually kind of jealous of you polar vortex people right now. I wouldn't mind being snowed in and sipping hot cocoa, or bundling up in sweaters and scarves and my beloved coat. Because when it's already a balmy 80 degrees in January, I can't help panicking about June. Sure, being able to do this in December without freezing to death was pretty much the coolest thing ever. But come summertime, we're gonna be hating our lives.

So yes. Free travel away from this god-forsaken Valley? Sign me up. Oh wait you already did.

Snap.