Homecoming

Thursday June 22 -Day 21- Three weeks down. Exactly three weeks to the day. Today is the day I get back to the Colorful state. I’m excited, anxious, nervous, happy, sad, DRAINED. I’m ready to be home. We all get up at 6:30am and start putting the final touches on our room. My parents both shower as they want to start fresh on their first day back in the Infinity. What an uncomfortable car. I get my dob kit all packed up, take my final hits from my Happy Vappy pen and divide the pieces safely between my carry-on and my checked luggage. It’s finally time.

We depart following a quick pit stop at the continental breaky for Rich and Sheils. We truly make incredible time. Residence Inn to parking at MSP was exactly an hour and a half which put me at the Southwest counter right at 9:10a. My flight doesn’t depart until 11a. It’s all good. I have plenty of time to say my goodbyes to Mum and Dad and hopefully grab a quick bite. It’s really an emotional time. I have a lot of thoughts, especially about the past week. My parents are incredible for coming to care for me and I fear that I may have been too hard on them. I was just at the end of my rope and anything anybody did would have annoyed me. I truly love them and am ready to say goodbye, but at the same time it’s always hard to say goodbye. Why is goodbye always the hardest word to utter?

9:25am. Plenty of time to peruse the terminal for some sustenance. Unfortunately, the Southwest terminal is also the terminal that has far less options for dining at MSP. It’s all good, I found a Caribou, of course. The land of Caribou. Kind of a crap shoot on the experience you will get at a Caribou. I’ve found a lot of kind of lazy employees who are doing the bare minimum of satisfaction. I am always satisfied though. Its my turn and I see a cinnamon swirl coffee cake that I want to pair with a forbidden shot of espresso. It’s a good kick start for my morning. My plane is delayed 17 minutes. Fucking of course it is. Although it’s a short time, really any delay is going to set me over the edge. GET ME HOME. GET ME TO MY BABE! ITS TIME.

Our plane arrives and the airline host prompts the passengers to line-up. I am B49 but I still line-up close to the gates so that I can get my spot easily after the A-list passengers’ board. It feels like an eternity, but it is finally my time to shine. I find a great aisle seat next to a young woman and her 3-year-old daughter, Emily. They are very nice and are traveling home to Denver from visiting Grandma. It’s a quick flight as I watch a movie, The Whale starring the incredible Brendan Frazer who came to fame but his outstanding acting in The Mummyfranchise. I’m so excited when we touch down in the mile-hi that I begin to cry. I’m tired. Overtired. It makes me emotional. I can’t wait to see Megs. She texts me that she’s waiting at the top of the escalators outside of security. Its truly an incredible reunion. Neither of us want anything to do with PDA but we at this point our worries go out the window and we embrace and remove our masks to give one another a big smooch. I’m truly happy. This has been a long time coming.

We go down to baggage claim where my bag, miraculously, is coming by just as we walk up. Megs grabs it and off we go. She parked in a garage close by and after a quick redirection we get there and head out. I feel low. Very tired, very hungry, very blah. While Megs goes to get a facial, I will go to Chic-Fil-A to get a sandwich and a drink. Lil rebirth if you will. I drop Megs at Sensen Skin Body Wellness and peel out to get to my lunch. I get a deluxe chicken sandwich and a lemonade. It brings me back. I have just over an hour for a quick adventure before Megs finishes up. When I was driving Megs over I saw a sign for the Denver Botanical Gardens. That piques my interest. I decide to go there.

If you have never been to the Denver Botanical Gardens, it is an absolute must-do. It sits on 24 acres and will dazzle you with different gardens and water features for what seems like an endless loop. I take my camera with me. Over 165 photos later Megs calls me. It is perfect timing as Denver is going into a severe weather warning for hail and possibly tornados. It’s a bad scene and I’m ready to depart. I go pick up Megs and it is time to eat again. When in Denver I think it is important to fill up on as much food as possible. We decide on Cheeba Hut. A toasted submarine sounds TDF[1] honestly and I’m all for it.

We get our subs to go and head west on 70. It is time for our final descent into Eagle-Vail. I’m ready to be home. It’s time.

[1] TDF- To Die For