You think I'm kidding, but I literally went to hell.
Monday I embarked on a business trip for Delta Faucet Company to Carmel, Indiana. Everything was going well until we were nearly a few minutes from landing at the Indianapolis airport; the pilot got on and said "We have been informed they closed the airport for landing due to thunder storms at this time, we have enough fuel to circle the aiport for 45-50 minutes until we get further notice." My heart sank, it had already been a 2 1/2 hour flight and I was exhausted. It was already a late flight, I was supposed to arrive in Indy at 11:56p.m. So we of course circled the airport for about 45 minutes and then the pilot got on again and said, "We are still unable to land at the airport, we are making our way down to Louisville, Kentucky to get some fuel." At that point it was 1:00am, we landed in Kentucky and they wouldn't let us off the plane. There was a coughing child behind me as well as a little girl and her Grandma who wouldn't stop singing the ABC's and loud. Not only was I claustrophobic but I had had it by now. Half an hour later we got the news from the pilot that we were okay to land in Indy so we took off from Kentucky and landed around 2:00am. There was a driver holding a card with my name on it there to take me to the hotel which was...an hour away. I didn't crawl into the hotel bed until 3:30 in the morning; I had to be up for training at 8:30. I spent six hours in training the next day (listening to someone lecture for hours on end is never entertaining), was fed a mediocre lunch and that was it. By the time we arrived at the restaurant for dinner I was starving but also extremely nauseated, I figured the nausea was only food deprivation so I choked down my fetticini which was a ...mistake. I got back to the hotel room and threw up within maybe a half hour. I needn't go into detail but I spent the night on the bathroom floor-I had nothing left in my body; and another sleepless night to boot. I was sure I had to of gotten food poisoning, but after what happened next I think it was the stomach flu. I had to be up at 6am for training, I could barely stand to get ready. I kept having to do one thing at a time and then go lay back down, I was so weak and still so nauseated. After walking outside in the 94% humidity I didn't know how I was going to make it through the day. My glasses actually fogged up, that's how humid it was. Another five hours in training and of course not long after arriving the worst fever in the world came on. My body ached like it never had before, I thought I was going to shatter! Having no meds, I had to suffer through the fever aches and pains the entire time. I left for the airport at 1:00, I go up to check in and get my tickets, and the lady says, "Your flight is delayed due to tornado warnings and at this point it looks like you are going to miss your connection. Your connection is the last flight out of Milwaukee this evening so you might not have a flight until Thursday morning." Body aching, emotions rising, I felt so defeated at that point. If it wasn't one thing after another on this trip! It seems as though everything went wrong. I just said, "ok." turned, walked away and the tears started flowing. Security even confiscated the can of Pepsi I had stowed away in my purse for my upset stomach! Bastards! My options were A: to get on the delayed flight and hope that I could make my connection in the ten minutes they had allotted, or B: to get on the delayed flight, miss my connection and spend the night at the airport in Milwaukee. Get this I was the last person on the connecting flight from Milwaukee to Denver. That's how close it was, I got off the plane and ran to the gate. I felt like Kevin on Home Alone. The flight to Denver wasn't bad, I was able to get some rest and read my book. I was still nauseated so I asked for some sprite to ease my stomach. I arrived in Denver and had a two hour layover, I found a corner and layed on the floor. After the longest 72 hours of my life I arrived in SLC at 10:30p.m...proceeded to get on the wrong shuttle that was going to the wrong parking lot and wasted another twenty minutes of my life on this trip. Finally I got on the right shuttle, got to my car and got home to Jon & my puppies at midnight.
After everything I went through, I came home to this waiting for me:
On the counter was what Jon called my gift of relaxation (hallelujah!). Sweet smelling body soap, the softest loufa known to man, cucumber melon & green tea dove soap, stress & tension relief bath crystals (I had plenty of both!), juicy grape smelling body fizzer ball, & last but not least my favorite flavor of Grandma Sycamore's cookies-fudge chocolate chip. mmmm! To be enjoyed all at once would be dangerous! I carefully picked the coconut scrub, the bath crystals, and the softest loufa known to man. I've never had a better bath at 1 o' clock in the morning. I had to be at work this morning so it wasn't a long lived bath-but those crystals will last me awhile. He also left me this card, the inside caption read "...and still have my heart." 
He wrote the sweetest message inside and it left me feeling greatly missed and appreciated. Not only did I get all of this but the house was clean as well! Before I even left I was homesick, I missed my family and my home more than words while I was away. It felt like weeks, not only 2 1/2 days. Coming home to our beautiful Utah set a peace within my heart. Thank the Lord for the dry climate & our less than busy lifestyle. I could honestly feel the purity our state portrays in an instant. I am so grateful for everyone I have that I left behind these past few days. It's great having my family nearby and so close at heart.
The only positives from going away were working 47 hours in four days, losing five pounds (hooray for stomach flu!), and the glorious views from the planes (once I caught them). The first photo is of Lake Michigan, it was huge! There is nothing quite like soaring through a blanket of clouds, it's odd looking down on clouds and up at nothing but blue sky. The sun shining through the plane window put me to sleep.
Luckily I have tomorrow off, so I'm planning on spending the weekend catching up on some rest, slowly introducing food to my body again, in the yard, and with my family. Bliss.
80 hours and six flights later, I have returned from hell; it feels so great to be back.
