A Trip Down Memory Lane...The Honeymoon [From Hell}

All of the other stories I proofread before posting them. This story...I do not care to relive or remember, so I didn't proof it. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) we do not have pictures of all of the disastrous parts, only the few parts we managed to salvage, which are the parts I prefer to remember. The novel-sized retelling will require some time (and possibly tissues) to get through.

Ok, so a lot of you have heard a few of the disastrous details from our honeymoon, but we wanted to post the full story. And yes, we know that this will "make a great story to tell our kids one day" and that "one day we'll look back on this and laugh." However, right now we don't want to hear any of those comments :+)

Day 1 (Sunday)
Our original flight was for 2:30 PM. Before we left, I checked the flight status and it said "on time" so we headed to the airport. We parked our car in the Parking Spot and after boarding the shuttle van to the airport I get a text from American Airlines that said our flight was cancelled. I immediately called the 800 number for the airlines and asked them to put us on another flight. The next earliest one was for 7:45 AM the next day. So we come back home and open wedding presents, which was enjoyable until I get on the phone with Travelocity. Since we wouldn't be able to arrive in Jackson Hole until the following day, we were wanting to be refunded for the one night of stay at the hotel (Hotel Terra). However, since this was a "package deal" and, more importantly, we didn't purchase "trip insurance", then we were unable to be refunded. Nice. Travelocity was able to contact the rental car place and get a new package deal for us at no cost - probably the only nice thing that happened from Travelocity.

Day 2 (Monday)
This was the longest day. Ever. We wake up at 4:00 AM, in order to park our car and be at the airport by 6:00 AM, in order to fly out by 7:30 AM. Our flight departs mostly on time to Chicago (our connection city). Upon arriving in Chicago we grab some food - we had some time to kill before our flight to Jackson. After we eat, we check on the flight status and find out that no planes are arriving in or departing from Chicago. So we wait. And wait. And then wait some more. And then politely ask if there are any changes, but find out that everything is still on hold. And then more waiting happens. Finally, at about 6:30 PM they cancel the flight. Swear word.

After picking back up our checked luggage, we stand in line to talk to an American Airlines agent. The lady was kind and sympathetic, however, there was nothing she could do. There were NO flights into Jackson until Tuesday afternoon, although she did say that she could get us to Salt Lake City and then we could drive the rest of the way (about 4-5 hours). A few friends had mentioned they had done this drive before so we eagerly jumped at the proposition to be that much closer to our final destination. We rush through airport security and board the plane.

Immediately upon landing in Salt Lake City, around 11:00 PM, Kacy started vomiting (most likely due to altitude sickness).  She was so weak I pushed her in a wheelchair to the rental car area. Now, while we were waiting to fly from Chicago to Salt Lake City I had called Travelocity to talk to them about a new rental car situation. I tried to ask about the hotel again, but we were just out of luck. The gentleman explains to me that it would cost about $1,100 to drive a car from Salt Lake City and keep it for the rest of the week in Jackson. I asked him if there was another option. He said if we drove a car (Hertz) from Salt Lake City to Jackson, turn in it, and then get another rental car (Dollar Rent-A-Car) in Jackson for the rest of the week, that it would be about $600 cheaper. We went with the latter option.

Day 3 (Tuesday)
We begin our 4-5 hour trip to Jackson around midnight. The car (a 2009 Chevy Impala) was quite spacious and smooth riding, however Kacy needed to stop within about 30 minutes of leaving the airport in order to throw up so we stopped at a gas station to get barf bags. I forgot to mention that I needed to turn the car in by 5:00 AM in Jackson, otherwise it would be $109/hr each additional hour it was late. This wasn't a problem to me because the drive should've only taken about 4 hours. Things were going as well as they could - Kacy was trying to sleep in between vomiting sessions, but I was wide awake and praying to have a smooth drive without any complications. Boy was I in for a treat.

About 3:00 AM we come to a gas station near Arimo, ID and stopped to get Kacy a few more vomit bags, Sprite, and some crackers. I also asked the woman at the counter how the weather was in Jackson and whether I should take I-15 north through Idaho Falls or if I should take Hwy 30 east towards Soda Springs. She tells me that the roads were closed up near Idaho Falls, so I opted to take Hwy 30 toward Soda Springs. We brought Kacy's Garmin GPS and after knowing which roads I needed to be on and where my next turn would be, I pulled out of the gas station. About 20 minutes later we pass through Soda Springs, ID and the weather begins to get a little more blizzard-like.

I knew my turn was coming up, but I wasn't sure if I just passed it or not, so as cliché as it sounds, I glanced down at the GPS to make sure I'm still on the right road...and the next thing I know we are starting to slide off the road. I did my best to control the skid but there was nothing more I could do. We hit the snow bank. Kacy was asleep so waking up to us skidding off the road pretty much terrified her. After trying to rock our way out for a few moments (forward, then reverse) we both realize that we're stuck. It's about 14º outside. There are no lights except the ones coming from our car. We're in a very remote place about 7 miles from the closest town. Swear word.

My door is jammed against the snow so I have to climb out through the window in order to see if I can dig us out. Kacy woke up to us skidding off the road, immediately stuck her head in a barf bag, and when she was finished what she saw was me climbing out the window. Not a great way to wake up! After about 2-3 minutes of trying to dig with just my hands I climb back in the car. We have AAA, however cell service is quite bad and we can barely get in a few words before the signal goes out. Finally we get through and they say that help can come in a mere 4-5 hours. Wow. I keep telling Kacy, "Everything will be alright - we'll be ok." Kacy, by the way, handled all of this like a champ. I was really just trying to convince myself that we weren't going to die. Inside, Kacy also says she thought we were going to die. We've seen the Lifetime movies. We know how this ends.

After a few minutes of trying to think of other options, Kacy and I got our ski clothes out of our luggage and bundle up in order to start trying to dig the car out when...(cue heavenly music)...a car's headlights shine from a distance. Kacy runs to the middle of the road jumping up and down and waving her arms. As the car got closer, it seemed like the it was going to pass right by us, but it was really just trying to slow down safely and not end up like us in the snow bank. Our angel from Heaven, named Brian Phillips, gets out of his car. Here is the conversation between Kacy and Brian:

Brian: Are you guys okay?
Kacy (in a shaky, but excited voice): Umm...not really. We're stuck.
Brian: Where are you from?
Kacy (reluctantly says): Texas.
Brian: Me, too. Where in Texas?
Kacy: Houston. (Answering, but thinking the whole time, "What the heck does it matter where we're from!? Just help us!)
Brian: Me, too. Where did you go to school?
Kacy: Texas A&M.
Brian raises his right hand and the light shines on his Aggie ring. Immediately, my Aggie ring starts to glow and vibrate, as does Kacy's. We lock eyes and begin to chant "Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!..."

Okay so that last part about the chanting didn't happen, but are you kidding me?? An Aggie just happens to be coming along the same remote road we are stuck on and rescues us? We totally know it was God, but how cool is it that it was an Aggie?!? The Aggie network is vast. The Aggie network is real. Praise God for the Aggie network :+)

On with the story. Brian tells us not to worry, that he'll take us to our hotel, which just happens to be about 30 minutes from where he lives! One minor [to be read: major] inconvenience occurs during this time: my wallet goes missing. We figure that during the transporting of our luggage to Brian's car and the climbing in and out through the windows caused it to get lost in the snow. At this point in the story, I don't realize that it is lost until we pull into a gas station about an hour later to get some quick snacks and I reached back to find it's not there. (Thankfully Brian was very generous and paid for our snacks. And he was totally cool with Kacy continuing to barf in the back seat. Did we mention we believe he's an angel??) We called the Soda Springs Sheriff's Department to let them know that our car is on the side of the road, but that we will get it towed the following day. At some point Brian's wife called to see where he was and when he told her he picked up two people off the side of the road she was very skeptical. He put her on speaker phone and we had to explain we were just harmless newlyweds.

About 6:30 AM (yes, we have been up for 26.5 hours straight) we arrive at Hotel Terra in Jackson Hole (technically it's Teton Village, but whatever). We are exhausted and pretty much go to our room and sleep until noon. I spend the rest of the day on the phone with Wells Fargo, Progressive, Discover, and Hertz. Not knowing whether or not I'll ever get my wallet back, I cancel all my cards and talk with Progressive about car insurance. Then I called Hertz.

The woman kindly informed me that the "ticket" was going to have to stay open (at $109/hr) until they retrieved the car from Soda Springs - which they have no incentive to rush out and pick up. I asked the woman if she knew about what time they would get out there to pick it up and she said that it would be quite a while because the closest Hertz location was in Pocatello, ID about 60 miles from where the car was stuck. On top of that, the weather was getting worse out there so the delay would be even longer. I told her about my wallet and she said that she would inform the towing company to look for it once they got the car back. One last detail: I have the keys to the rent car. Before we left in Brian's car I locked the doors and kept the keys with me, in hopes that the car would be towed to our hotel and I could get my wallet back. This was just wishful thinking friends :+)

After spending multiple hours on the phone, we go and pick up the new rent car. Since I didn't have my license (...it's somewhere in the snow with my wallet in Soda Springs, ID), and Kacy is under 25, the woman at Dollar Rent-A-Car said there would be additional fees. She said that she shouldn't allow Kacy to drive at all, but that she was willing to help us out anyway, in light of all that had happened thus far. We pay the ridiculous amount of money to rent a car for 4 days and then go eat at a place called Billy's BBQ. Good food. We wandered around town a little bit. Lastly, we went to the store and picked up some food for the week. We booked a hotel room with a kitchen in order to save money on food costs.


 

Day 4 (Wednesday)
For Christmas Eve, we had scheduled a couples' spa treatment with massages and that was really nice. We had planned to go snow tubing on Monday, skiing on Tuesday, and then get all those muscles worked on and relaxed with the massages, but we missed the first two days of activities. Regardless, our bodies appreciated the pampering in light of everything that we had been through.

We also scheduled a sleigh ride, followed by dinner, that evening as well. While it sounded very romantic and cozy, it was 11º outside and very windy. We had all kinds of layers of clothing on - plus the blanket that they wrap you up in - but we were still a bit chilly. The dinner was delicious and we sat near a cozy fireplace so we were able to warm up.

 

Day 5 (Thursday)
On Christmas Day we enjoyed breakfast in the hotel and opened presents. Our dear friend Davey had mailed a small tree and ornaments and lights to the hotel so we were able to decorate it and enjoy our first Christmas together.
 

We originally didn't plan any activities for Christmas day, however, since we didn't get to go skiing (aka snowboarding) on Tuesday, we decided to try and go on Christmas Day. After presents and breakfast, we go downstairs to get some snowboarding gear and head out to the Tram. Kacy had been skiing but not snowboarding. I was going to try and teach her instead of paying $150 for lessons. Again, trying to save money :+)

We get up the mountain and I do my best to explain snowboarding and balance, but it was snowing fairly hard and there was almost too much powder. Kacy did her best and was a trooper to make it down the mountain in spite of a few nasty spills. Like most people, she was able to stay up on the board, but not all that able to stop. I was the same way the first time I tried it too. We went down the mountain one time before giving up. Kacy's hair literally had icicles forming on it.

After grabbing some hot chocolate, we turn our gear back in and head up to our room to relax. We watched multiple Office episodes, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf and had a wonderful Christmas dinner (ham, mashed potatoes, and apple crisp).

Day 6 (Friday)
Today we planned to go on a snowmobile tour, which included a stop at a natural hot spring and lunch. We bundled up even more than when we went on the sleigh ride because we figured it would be pretty windy. The shuttle was supposed to come and get us in the hotel lobby at 7:45 AM, however, two of their vans got stuck and so they were delayed in picking us up. We could've slept for at least another hour by the time they finally made it to our hotel, but we were just happy that it wasn't canceled.

They take us to their headquarters and give us jumpsuits, boots, and helmets (a welcomed treat to keep us even warmer) and fed us a quick breakfast. Then we pile back into the van (me, Kacy, an older couple, their son and his wife and daughter) and head out to the meeting spot where all the tours depart from. From there we get on the snowmobile and take off through the mountain trails. It was really pretty and we kept warm, given all the layers we had on. Kacy and I switch off driving responsibilities - she loves that kind of stuff! After we drive for about 45 minutes, we reach the hot spring. There are a few log cabins (restrooms, changing rooms, information station) around this medium-large spring.

There were about 12 guys changing in the men's space (a room no bigger than 8' x 8') so aside from trying not to get cozy with a stranger, it wasn't too bad. It was pretty chilly, especially on our feet, but once we got into the water it was delightful! It is amazing that so much heat can come from the ground that is covered by tons of snow. We relaxed in the water for a while and then prepared ourselves for exiting the warm water and back into the cold winter air. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. It was really refreshing and again, the only thing that was hard was dealing with cold feet.

After we changed, our tour guide had made us lunch. Now we knew lunch was included, but we thought it was just sandwiches or some other "snack-like" dish. No. We had steaks, beans, bread, and pasta salad! This was probably my favorite part of the honeymoon. Don't judge me. For some reason there was an extra steak so she gave me two?!? They were delicious and juicy and now I am really hungry...



We sat outside while eating our delicious steaks at a picnic table with very light snow falling on us. Just an all around pleasant afternoon. After lunch we headed back down to our snowmobiles and continued on our journey. We drove through some very nice lux cabin areas - which I'm sure they love hearing the sound of snowmobiles zooming by all throughout the day - and then came to this open area where we were free to roam. I got a little excited because I wanted to see what this snowmobile could do. Our tour guide explained to us to stay on beaten paths and that if you get stuck DO NOT give it gas to try and get out of it because you'll just bury it in the ground.

I was the only one in the group who had driven a snowmobile before, so I thought, surely I wouldn't get stuck? As I make my way around a few paths and test the acceleration of the snowmobile I start to head back toward the group. I was being cautious in trying to stay on beaten paths but as I begin to make my next turn, the left ski of the snowmobile gets caught in a sidewall of snow and I bury the thing. I try to pull it out myself while I'm waiting on our guide to come help me out, but it is deep in the snow. Once my tour guide, plus another tour guide from another group, come over to help, we get it out and I head back to the group. No one was upset or anything, it was just a little disappointing to be the guy who was stuck. Again :+) The tour wrapped up just in time because the weather started to get real bad. We made it back to the hotel safe and sound, ordered some pizza, and began the arduous task of packing for our trip home.

Day 7 (Saturday)
Our day began with optimism. We were packed and ready to go, so all we had to do was turn back in our rent car. After we turned that in we checked our flight status. Still says "on time" so we think to ourselves, "Good. Let's just get home and try to put this week behind us." We had some time to kill so we ate at the little restaurant inside the airport and then made our way through security.

Since I didn't have any form of ID after losing my wallet, my mom overnighted some documents to me (birth certificate, voter registration, an old Blinn college ID) in hopes that TSA would just let me get home. Thankfully, Jackson Hole airport security is quite relaxed and the good folks there let me pass through. So we sit down and wait for any news to come across the PA concerning our flight. We were supposed to board the plane at 2:00 PM. About 1:30 PM we hear a family in front of us talking about the plane not even leaving Chicago because of bad weather. So the plane we're supposed to be on is stuck in Chicago (again) and there is no telling when it will be here to pick us up. We we were supposed to have a little bit of a layover once we got to Chicago, but with every hour passing, it was looking pretty dim for us to make our connection from Chicago to Houston.

I kept busy with my awesome book about knots and how to tie them (one of the lovely gifts my wife gave me for Christmas - along with some cordage for tying said knots). Kacy read a few books (she reads really fast, but unlike me, is able to retain the information :+) We just kept waiting and waiting, hoping to hear that the plane had at least left Chicago by now. It was now 4:30 PM and we overhear that the plane had left Chicago and should arrive in Jackson to pick us up by 6:10 PM. Well, as delighted as we were to hear that news, our flight from Chicago to Houston was going to leave at 7:25 PM. So even if we just ran out on the runway, fired some sort of cannon with a grappling hook attached to it while the plane hovered above us, and hung on for dear life...we still wouldn't make it on time.

I called American Airlines and asked them what our options were. We had two: either get on this plane and get stuck in Chicago and hope that the weather clears up enough to make it home the following day; OR, stay in Jackson Hole and fly out Monday morning at 7:45 AM. Given the fact that TSA security was pretty lax in letting me board and not knowing if Chicago would be as lenient, PLUS, the fact that there was no guarantee that we would be able to fly out from Chicago because of the bad weather conditions...we opted to stay in Jackson Hole and rebook a flight that would go to Dallas instead, so we wouldn't have to worry about Chicago weather anymore.

The bad news comes when we realize that our checked luggage (you know, the ones with all our cold weather clothes?) is on the plane headed to Chicago. After pointlessly asking the agent at the counter if there was any way we could get those bags back, we left the "terminal area" and proceeded to call Hotel Terra, hoping that they would have a room for us. The front desk woman (Julie) knew who we were and did the best she could with booking us a room for 2 nights. The best price she could give us was $199 a night. Though I'm sure we could've found someplace cheaper, we decided to stay with something familiar and they even came out and picked us up for free.

A note about the hotel. Although they did not refund us our 2 nights of stay due to horrible weather, Hotel Terra really did take care of us and everyone there was quite sympathetic. It is quite pricey (...what isn't in Jackson Hole??) but I highly recommend them and their hotel to anyone who wants to be treated respectfully, but in a casual way. Just get the "trip insurance" before you go.

We made it back to the hotel and ordered some comfort food (i.e. pizza) and went to sleep.

Day 8 (Sunday)
Since we didn't get to go snow tubing last Monday, we were planning on going today. However, since all of our warm clothes are in suitcases headed to Chicago, we tried to come up with a way to make it work. There was a bus system that would take us from our hotel (in Teton Village) into Jackson (about 13 miles away) and had multiple stops along the way - one of those stops being in front of a K-Mart. So we thought we would ride the bus to K-Mart, buy some cheap warm clothes, and then head out to go snow tubing.

After realizing that this was going to take up a lot of time, plus we didn't have room in our carry-ons for the extra clothes (we didn't want to just throw them away, even if they were going to be cheap), we decided to just stay in and get another round of massages. Actually, Kacy's parents forced us to do it. So we obliged and enjoyed every minute of them :+)

We ordered some more comfort food again and then went to bed, hoping and praying that our flights tomorrow would not be delayed or canceled.

Day 9 (Monday)
Just like the previous Monday, we have to wake up pretty early in order to get out to the airport. So we thought. After standing in line to print our boarding passes, I overhear the American Airlines agent saying that our plane was diverted to Salt Lake City last night and hasn't left yet. Are you kidding me?? Why can't we get out of this place?!?

We grab some food and wait - we're pretty good at that game now. This time we got a flight connection in D/FW instead of Chicago because of all the weather nonsense that had prevented us before. So we wait around to hear any news from Salt Lake City. About 1:30 PM we hear that the plane will be arriving in Jackson shortly. However, we had to push back our connection flight. So instead of being home by 1:30 PM, we would be lucky to make it home by 7:00 PM. At the rate things were going, we didn't have high hopes. However, the plane arrived close to their adjusted time and we boarded the plane without any problems.

The plane touches down in D/FW around 5:30 PM and again, we have some more wait time for our final flight. We peruse through a bookstore and then sit down and watch as a bird flies around aimlessly inside the terminal. Yes, you read that correctly--we were not hallucinating. The plane arrives and we board again without any problems. The flight home seems to last forever (at least to me) but we arrive in Houston around 7:15 PM.

Since our luggage traveled ahead of us we thought we might have some difficulty locating it, but the American Airlines luggage man was very helpful and we picked up our bags without any problems. Now we have to get back to our car in the Parking Spot and thankfully Kacy had the ticket in her purse that tells you what spot you're in. Usually I would hold onto such things in my wallet. However, God knew what was going to happen so Kacy kept it :+)

Finally, we get back to our car and begin the trip back to our apartment. It was a wonderful feeling to be back in our own car, in our own town, and see urban and suburban areas not covered by snow and ice. Almost brought me to tears. Not really, but it was nice to know that we can get around much easier without all those blizzard-like conditions.

So we made it home safe and sound, folks. It was a trip for the books. Definitely never thought our honeymoon would include so many "un-fun" things, but it is what it is. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. We do feel like we weathered the storm pretty well and were just happy to be together, even if it was difficult. We're gonna try and save up for a "honeymoon do-over" later this year (to some place with sand and sun.) Pray for us... :+)