Portland - Day 6. Colorado here we come!

Today is our last day in Oregon. I had packed up everything last night and was pretty much ready to go aside from showering and packing up some small stuff. I was really shocked how quickly this week had gone. I also had to laugh at how little I got done! I had been debating back and forth before I left Colorado about which book to take with me to read. Didn't really matter, I never opened a book while there!! I totally understood now what my friend Terri meant by "you don't have much downtime!" Honestly I didn't really believe it until now. We finished training around 4pm every day and generally Hazel and I would have dinner around 5pm, by the time we got back from the hotel, I was so tired that food network and a shower was about all I could handle!

But now, it was time to get back to my real life, and Hazel was coming too.

Our flight was scheduled to leave Portland just after 2pm. I had to return our rental car to the airport by 11am. So, off for a long walk we went and then breakfast. We didn't have a hugely long travel day ahead of us, flight was to leave Denver at 7pm and we'd be home around 7:45pm.

What I didn't count on (but had been a bit worried about) was the weather in Colorado.

Hazel and I returned the rental car, checked in for our flight and visited the pet relief area multiple times. She was not interested in peeing on concrete, thank you very  much. So around 12pm we decided to head through security since the line was huge. I didn't expect being ushered to the front of the line and given special treatment. Hazel and I got through security easily (although one TSA agent accused her of being "cute as hell" because he couldn't pet her!) and our gate was right around the corner from security.

We got to the gate and waited. Our plane finally arrived and we continued to wait. The airline agents got to the gate desk and told everyone that due to weather in Denver, our flight departure had been delayed by over an hour. Suddenly there was a huge line up at the gate desk haha. People were trying left and right to get on other flights to get to their destinations. Hazel and I just waited and I prayed. I really wanted to get home. I know that financially we would have no issue with another night in Oregon, but I really wanted to be home with my boys!

About 20 minutes after our flight was to leave the airline staff came back over the speakers and said that if could get the airplane fully boarded in the next 15 minutes we could leave and land in Denver almost on time. Mad rush for the plane!!! Thankfully I had booked myself a bulkhead seat (Hazel is not the smallest dog around) and I guess one of the people in line at the gate desk had been sitting in our row because it was just me and a gentleman (very nice guy) in our three row seat. He graciously switched his window seat for my aisle seat so Hazel could curl up against the bulkhead and plane wall, not that she did. Thankfully he really liked Hazel so he didn't mind her sprawling the entire length of the floor in front of us. The flight was uneventful. Hazel laid down the entire time (I was surprised she stayed laying for take off and landing but she did).

Can we please go home now?! Hazel waiting in Denver.

My big concern now was getting home from Denver. I knew it was snowing and windy in  Colorado Springs. I was anxious to get on the ground in Denver to check the boards and see what was going on. Sure enough, my flight home from Denver was delayed an hour. Okay no big deal. Hazel and I curled up at our gate and watch the planes come and go. Met another nice man trying to get home to the Springs, he was a pilot for another flight and was chatted during our wait. well the boarding time comes and goes and no sign of our flight crew or gate crew. Finally our plane arrives and we board almost an hour after our delayed departure time.

We get on the plane, again the passenger next to us (two seats in a row this time) was very kind and really liked Hazel as well. Hazel curled up at my feet (another bulkhead row) and we waited. For over an hour. In a small plane. Yeah everyone's patience was wearing thin by this point. Apparently the plane was overloaded in fuel and so we had to wait for a fuel truck to come take the excess off (about 2000lbs worth - not a little bit overloaded!!) and that took over an hour. Almost two hours after we were supposed to take off (the delayed time) we were finally in the air. Quick flight and we were finally in the Springs.

Hazel is a rockstar on planes! I mean, she's a rockstar in general because she is an amazing dog but I never expected her to be so calm and cool, especially having  no bathroom breaks all day. As soon as we got to the Springs and found Josh, I ran her outside to go to the bathroom. She was not interested. I was shocked.
We got my bag and headed to the truck, again I gave her time to go potty, nope! Not interested.

Got home, took her for a walk. Still not interested in going to the bathroom. I was dumbfounded. I texted Kati and told her that we were home and Hazel wasn't peeing. She told me not to worry and she would when ready.

Hazel got a late dinner and curled up on her bed in our room and slept all night long.