From Airport Anchors to Wedding Bells: Our New Jersey Adventure
They say travel is about the journey, not just the destination. Well, our recent trip to New Jersey for my niece’s wedding certainly put that theory to the test! While the wedding itself was a beautiful highlight, the path to get there was a comedy of errors—mostly involving long lines and very little sleep.
The Best Laid Plans
Our original itinerary was a dream: a scenic detour to Aurora, New York. We had every intention of visiting the Mackenzie-Childs farmhouse, a place that has been on my bucket list for ages. We were also looking forward to a long-awaited meetup with dear friends Patti and Debbie from our Traveling Tote group. Sorry ladies, I was very disappointed I could not meet up with you.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas. A wave of bad weather triggered a domino effect of delayed flights, and as the hours ticked by, we realized our New York detour was slipping through our fingers. We never did make it to the farmhouse, but it’s officially staying on the "must-visit" list for next time.
Our 15 Minutes of (Unintentional) Fame
The real "adventure" began during our layover in Atlanta. If you’ve seen the news lately, you might have caught a glimpse of two very tired travelers in the TSA line—that was us!
Rita, one of the gals in The Traveling tote was watching the news and shared these words with our other tote gals.
Ladies, watching news just now, I spotted this gal walking through the extended lines of TSA in ATL (according to header).
Celebrating Love in New Jersey
After the marathon of delayed flights and security lines, arriving in New Jersey felt like reaching an oasis. We were there to celebrate the wedding of my husband's niece, and despite the rough start, the joy of the occasion made the travel fatigue melt away.
There is nothing quite like a family wedding to remind you why all the travel stress is worth it. We traded the fluorescent lights of the terminal for the glow of the reception, toasted to the happy couple, and finally got some much-needed sleep.
We enjoyed lunch here at the Newark airport. A cozy sitting area..jpg)
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Jackie with Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill with Countess De Monet @The Bookish Dilettante
Stay tuned for our next Traveling Tote adventure on September 15th.
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Linda, of course we were disappointed that you never made it to the farmhouse, but happy to hear it’s officially staying on the "must-visit" list for next time. You and Paul look amazing in the wedding photos, and I'm glad your stress melted away once you got to wedding. Have a wonderful summer!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I'm sorry your wonderful plans to visit Deb and Patti and see the MC Farmhouse were cancelled because of weather and flight interruptions. Thank goodness you did make the wedding for your niece, they are such a lovely couple. Great pic of you and Paul. Hopefully you both will someday soon fulfill your dream to visit Aurora.
DeleteOh, Linda! That was certainly an adventure for your Traveling Tote story. Some things are just worth the effort and trouble.
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures and those are wonderful wedding/family pictures. You look beautiful as always.
I am beginning to think I am never going to be part of the traveling tote group-even though I have the tote.
I am getting ready for a little vacation with my daughter and grandgirls though and taking my tote along with me. I have a question for you. Can you count that as a purse or does it count as your carry on? I am hoping I can count it as a purse and still take a carry on. lol
Hope you have a wonderful wonderful weekend. xo Diana
Oh Linda, what a nightmare. I'm sorry you didn't get to the MKC house, even more so that you were in airport hell during your trip. Between weather and TSA, I'm sure you that no one has ever been more relieved to arrive at their destination! Well, you looked lovely in your seconds of fame on television -- and well done, Rita, for capturing that. Timing is everything! The wedding photos are lovely and you two didn't look the slightest bit "worse for wear" after your journey. It looks like a lovely occasion.
ReplyDeleteWow, that was the air travel trip from hell, but it looked like Miss Lola, at least, had a fun time. The photos of you and Paul from the wedding (both filtered and unfiltered) are super!
ReplyDeleteOh I remember what a nightmare the airport was for you two and how sad it was that you missed out on the Aurora part of it! I am so glad you made it to the wedding. You look spectacular in that royal blue dress. And although you got stuck in the airport your photos there are so fun. May the rest of your travels be smoother.
ReplyDeleteYou were certainly missed, but happy you made it to the wedding! Love your AI pics! What are the chances that Rita would have recognized you on the news? I am still amazed at that!! Happy that you still have Aurora on your bucket list!
ReplyDeleteLinda, despite the travel delays, it looks like Miss Lola still managed to have quite the adventure…including her 15 minutes of fame on the news! I’m so sorry your side trip to Aurora, New York and the MacKenzie-Childs farmhouse with Patti and Debbie didn’t work out, especially after the planning and anticipation. Hopefully there will be another opportunity for that fun getaway! The beautiful bride and groom look radiant, and what great photos of you and Paul. Happy Friday!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I am so sorry about your travel issues, but your 15 minutes of fame is a great memory. My husband and I strongly dislike having to fly out of Atlanta, if at all possible we fly out of Birmingham. The wedding looks like a beautiful celebration lovely photos of you and Paul!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post Linda..Loved the pictures..Sorry your plans were "changed" but glad you made the wedding..Beautiful bride!! Traveling these days is nothing short of a nightmare...
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about your travel troubles. But you look lovely in distress, My Friend! I enjoy weddings, especially traveling to weddings. Thanks for sharing the photos of the happy bride and groom! I love the Detroit airport. It's one of my favorites in the US. I have a feeling I will be flying up there even more often in the coming weeks and months! ;P
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe you were spotted..But yes there you are..Sorry re Aurora etc:( But the wedding looks lovely and your hair has grown and looks great!
ReplyDeleteOh, Linda, air travel can certainly be stressful at times. I'm so sorry you and Paul had to deal with this mess. That said, you two certainly look fabulous in the wedding photos. I'm still in awe that Rita saw you on the news. What are the odds about that? Hopefully you will get to visit the farm house. It is such a special place! I've been several times, and it never gets old. I'd go again if the opportunity presents itself. Happy Month of May!
ReplyDeleteWell, that is quite an incredible story, Linda! I have had some terrible experiences flying across the country as well, and have spent HOURS in the Newark airport waiting to fly into Maine to visit family in Canada. Anytime we fly across the country, it seems to take a full 24 hours, it is crazy! So sorry to hear about your terrible time traveling, but thankful that the wedding was so beautiful and special, you both made such an incredible couple, your dress is beautiful! Blessings to you dear friend!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Linda. Glad your trip to the wedding was beautiful once you and Paul were able to get through all the crazy. Some of these weather issues and the TSA nightmare certainly looked challenging. Glad it all ended well. We are on our way to the airport to return back home this morning from Charlotte NC. Hoping all goes smoothly for us. Hugs. Kris. Junk Chic Cottage
ReplyDeleteHow funny you ended up on the news. The wedding looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteTraveling today is not an easy proposition. All that said, even in the "weary traveler" photo, you look gorgeous and perfectly put together! I'm so glad you were able to enjoy the wedding, such pretty pictures and you and Paul look fabulous. What a great color dress! I hope you're back home relaxing now, among the hummingbirds, in your private oasis! Happy Saturday my friend!
ReplyDeleteOh how sad that you never made it to the farmhouse or to see Patti and Debbie! It was fun to see you and Paul in the picture strolling through the airport. The wedding looked so beautiful and so did you and Paul. Now you’re home sweet home!
ReplyDeleteLol, Linda, I still can't believe capturing that photo of you & Paul in Atlanta. After just traveling home from our great vacation, I feel it's so true that travel days are meant to help one realize there's no place better than home to be. Air travel is NOT at all what it was 25 years ago. My granddaughter even noticed. When we landed in Atlanta going to our vacation, she exclaimed (out loud), "that was NOT a perfect landing". Everyone laughed in agreement to the bumpy landing.
ReplyDeleteYou & Paul looked completely rested and beautiful at the wedding (quite apart from the gorgeous AI photo). Beautiful dress and occasion. Happy May to you, and maybe your next try to Aurora I may try to get there too!
Linda, I'm so sorry to hear about your problems with the weather and flight and could not make it to NY to the farmhouse. Flying is not fun anymore and there always seems to problems. I am so glad you finally made it to the wedding. You and Paul looked so nice and I loved your pretty gown. I hope you make it sometime back to NY to the farmhouse.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about your travel issues! Ugh! Thankfully you got to the wedding. And you were on TV! Too funny but not at the time.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures of you and Paul were fabulous. You are gorgeous!
Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
What a Rockin' Sockin' trip that must have been!! Only YOU can look just-saloned in a TSA Line. And I don't think I've seen such a lovely portrait of two married-for-years folks---that's mantel-worthy---I'd like to have one like it on MY mantel---alas, our last fireplace was two houses ago.
ReplyDeleteAnd despite my lifelong propensity for PINK, I think that Wisteria table at the top might where I'd be content to sit for My Last Meal someday---absolutely, shadowy, shady, royally scrumptious.
Linda so glad that all ended well and you made it to the wedding. You look great. We also can share a 15 min of TV fame on our last motorhome trip where we blew a tire on a 6 lane very busy highway that was under construction, so there was no way to pull over in downtown Lafayette Louisana but had to stop just past a blind curve in the far right lane that had merging traffic...The Captain called the police first so traffic could be re-routed around us and we sat there for several hours waiting for tire repair with police for company. (luckily I had cold drinks and sandwiches to offer the police and construction crew) Meanwhile, one of the policemen's mother in New Orleans called her son and said we were on the TV news...that a huge motorhome was blocking traffic on a major highway, since we were in downtown there were mounted cameras everywhere...must have been a slow news day.🥰 Glad you are home safe...have a great week.
ReplyDeleteI came here vian Nancy. You have a beautiful blog, Linda. I love how engaged people are with your post. Your pictures are beautiful I love your AI pictures, too. :)
ReplyDelete