Monday Monday...

Now while I have been up since 7:30am I have not quite progressed to dressed, but since that isn't necessary for today having no where to go..  who cares!  But I do plan to get into some walking shorts and a tshirt and go for a 2 mile walk shortly.

What I have been doing today is searching the internet for some how and some way to get to TX to see Ashley before I go back to work.  Now it has been a process for over a week that while searching, searching, and comparing price quotes, could not come up with a price for under $400. and than to rent a car.. yikes, I am on a disability budget don't ya know.. 

So yesterday while showing my parents how to find allegiantair.com for flying to Sioux Falls, I googled "cheap tickets to Austin TX" and came up with cheaptickets.com (hadn't thought of that one) and the price was $264. so this morning, I thought I'd check that website again as I am running out of days before Gregs parents will be here for a visit on Feb. 27th.  And than I will return to work not long after they have gone back home mid March following the next Dr appt and set of xrays should they confirm bone growth has started and the hardware is in the right places during movement photos..

Anyway, I couldn't believe my eyes when the website opened up and the price was $181. + fees but dang, that was excellent.  So Greg had said find what you can (no price range given from him, but I am good enough at this)..  So I will leave from the Long Beach Airport at 9:45am, have a 45 minute layover in Phoenix and than hit the Austin, TX runway at 4:17pm.. Best time frame available for the price. Once I find my rental car shuttle to get to the pick up location, it's about 30-45 minutes roughly to Ashley's town of Killeen north of Austin.  She should be home from the hospital by the time I arrive.

Now the glitch in the cheap ticket was the return flight time of 6am back in Austin on Thursday Feb 25.. Wow, that is an early wakeup call to get to the return lot for the car, shuttle to the airport and checked in on time ~yawn.  Maybe, I should just go to the airport the night before and sleep there so I don't miss my flight.. naw that idea sucks too..  oh well, that's the adventurer side of life to make the fun stuff fit in.. ha ha ha  but again short layover in PHX and arrive back home at 11:35am, so plenty of time for a nap and than prepare for visitors.

It's amazing that the rental car price itself was great, but than you add on the taxes and fees, and the insurance against the worst case scenario and it triples the price.  It's more than my flight to TX, but they "got ya" since what else are you going to do without a car, right?   geez, I hope gas in Texas where it is pumped out of the ground is cheaper than here in CA for the sake of the traveler to a state where OPEN GROUND is everywhere..

But am so glad to be going as the next time to see Ashley will be July 31st at a wedding in MN for a few days.