An exception to this is waiting for airplanes. I don’t mind arriving an hour or even two earlier
than I should at an airport, partially because there is plenty of
people-watching I can amuse myself with and partially because I love flying and
anything that has to do with airplanes, airports, and travel. There is also that small caveat worth
mentioning where missing my plane sounds like a little nightmare.
Isn’t missing your flight something every traveler fears? Okay, well maybe at least those who are on a
schedule or budget, which I was. I was
headed last minute to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for my friends’ commitment ceremony
in October.
Dan and Scott are two wonderful people with 3 boys
each. It’s easy to do the math (3+3=6)
but a lot harder to wrap your mind around all the hidden, abstract variables
and what that must entail daily and accumulatively – especially for someone
like me who has already capped out at having zero legitimate children save for
an honor child in the form of a rather independent cat. As it turns out, Dan and Scott quietly and
humbly belong to an elite group of “super dads”, and they make raising 6 boys
look not only effortless, but fun. I
keep half expecting them to write a manual on the subject complete with Dan’s
fabulous photography and recipes, and Scott’s witty commentary italicized
throughout. If they ever were to embark
on such a worthy endeavor, the world should pay close attention.
I met Dan in Costa Rica about 5 years ago while on a Sunset
Sailing Tour. There were a few of us on
that sailing trip who had a great time on a boat together and exchanged numbers
and information before parting ways. As
any traveler knows, this can mean nothing or everything regardless of good
intentions. We kept in touch and ended
up meeting up again a year later, which became an informal annual event every
January with different people joining in or being met along the way adding to a
growing group of some of the most amazing people I have met in my life.
I met Scott for the first time during an annual January trip
and, later in the year on a separate October trip, had a chance to spend some more
quality time with Dan, Scott, plus 4 of their boys and their friend, Mike. Being a woman with no kids of her own nor any
desire to have them for years now, I was a touch nervous with juvenile
insecurity about meeting their boys. All
of that dissipated within moments as I realized how absolutely adorable,
well-behaved, fun-loving, accepting, unique, mature, and intelligent each and
every one of them were. It also helped
that when it comes down to it, I’m a bit of a kid myself and love playing in
the world the way kids do. It was pure
joy to play in the sand and water and have races along the beach. Of course there’s nothing quite like face-planting
in the sand to bring you back to reality that no, you aren’t as fast, limber, or
coordinated as you used to be 20 years ago, and it certainly isn’t going to
look elegant, cute or endearing. Luckily,
as an adult you can administer the embarrassment salve that is in some
countries called, “cerveza”.
NOTE: “Cerveza”
can lead to moments of extreme awkwardness, non-cuteness, furthered embarrassment,
other ailments not appropriate for a public blog, falsely thinking you are 20
years younger, and face-planting in the sand.
It really shouldn’t have been a surprise their boys were so excellent
in light of who their parents are. Dan
is a sweetheart. He is incredibly kind,
sincere, and lovable. He is also very
intelligent and one of those people that comes across as a super modest,
laid-back, chill guy while in the background he is super chef and dad of the
year with 3 amazing boys. Scott is also
incredibly kind, sweet, and full of witty snippets and dry humor that entertain
and amuse. He also happens to be really good at home
renovations and dad of the year with 3 amazing boys as well.
Getting to know Dan, Scott, and their family and friends has
been a special experience, so when I heard about their commitment ceremony I
knew that somehow, I needed to make it to Wisconsin despite financial and other
personal concerns after a ridiculously difficult year. Dan suggested I talk to Mike, and Mike graciously
helped me with a flight at the last minute despite having only met me once
before.
Over my years of travelling relatively often, I have had no flight
mishaps born of stupidity and only one close call back in 1998. Enter 2013, a year of many memorable personal disasters,
and I finally have the dreaded traveler’s experience of unintentionally missing
my flight. I’m fairly certain the word “vicarious”
was invented to dispel the myth that you have to experience something bad to
appreciate the good and to give us all the perfect “out”. A domino effect of delays, longer connecting
flights, and impatiently waiting provided plenty of time to contemplate my
screw up and what an irresponsible friend I was. This was punctuated by my own stench from
having ran out the door in a frenzy without showering and then stress-sweating
into the layers of clothing I had slept in or thrown on last minute the entire
1 ½ hour drive to the airport. I was not feeling, looking, or smelling so
much like the Beautiful Naomi that Dan warmly calls me. Feeling like the ultimate schmuck, I agonized
over telling everyone of my delay. Despite any shock or reasonable disappointment
that may have been felt, everyone handled the news with grace and kindness,
which is just one small reason in an exponentially increasing list of reasons why
I love these people so much.
Dan and Scott chose the Iron Horse Hotel as the location for
their ceremony and festivities that followed and, in an act of defiance against
my bank account frustrations and with several lame justifications in tow (I’ll
save taxi money and time travelling to another less expensive hotel), I impulsively
booked a one-night stay at the Boutique Hotel. I am terrible at patience but
boy, do I excel at convincing myself to impulsively splurge! It happened to be an inadvertently wise or,
at the very least, convenient choice.
(Painting in my room at the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Arriving somewhere around 9 p.m., I checked in with a
friendly and welcoming woman named Natasha at the front desk, then ducked into
the elevator hoping nobody would see or smell the toxic travel fumes I felt
emanating from me. I walked into the
Custom Deluxe King room, emptied my luggage in a rush, and stripped out of my
clothes while having several “wow” moments at what a great room it was. These boys certainly have good taste in
hotels! The furnishings were modern yet warm, and there was a nice balance of
upscale, rugged, and down-to-earth. The walk-in shower was divine with an
expansive room and rain dome shower head.
I could have stayed in there for hours but had to be reasonably quick
and settled for savouring every second I was being reborn in fabulous, liquefied
luxury.
The reception was still going strong and I was greeted by
one of Dan and Scott’s boys with a big smile and hug fashioned from flinging
arms that melted my heart. Seeing Dan
and Scott looking so happy, peaceful, and dapper was heartwarming and I realized
that, while it would have been wonderful to see the actual ceremony, just
seeing them and being in their presence surpassed all that stinky-flight-and-ceremony-missing-misery,
washing it away like a fabulous rain dome shower head within seconds. It was great to meet their loved ones and to
see a few familiar faces, like Mike and Jeff and Mandy, all of whom I had seen
last in Costa Rica.
At one point towards my arrival, Jeff said to me, “You have
beautiful teeth”, which is a compliment I have unfortunately received far too
often over the years and have grown to detest.
Why couldn’t they say I have a nice smile? I’d even go for a beautiful mouth, but
seriously, teeth?! My dentist is the
only man who can get away with saying I have nice teeth and retain any amount
of credibility. It’s like saying someone
has nice knuckles or really great elbows.
No amount of good intention eases the pain of such a compliment, people!
A look of horror and disdain must have passed over my
not-going-to-win-at-poker face as I searched for some way to respond before I realized
Jeff was joking with me. I had forgotten
I had divulged the “teeth complimenting” story to him years prior in Costa
Rica, making fun of the poor guys who maybe thought they were scoring points
with me with an über awkward compliment.
I may have finished the story by grinning as wide as I could, pulling my
lips in so they disappeared baring maximum teeth, and sarcastically saying, “Thanks!”
Nice one to pull out a few years later,
Jeff!
After the reception we had drinks in the bar/lounge area and
I had a chance to listen to and have some wonderful conversations, which is
really one of the things that I love about spending time with people – getting to
know beautiful people on a deeper level and having those “ah!” moments that further
validate why you felt an instantaneous liking or affinity with them in the
beginning.
The bar area had great ambiance, the kind of mood-lighting
you want every bar/lounge to achieve, and had some fun touches with the art on
the walls. The Iron Horse Hotel is done
in a Harley Davidson theme, but doesn’t overwhelm with the genre, adding in
other fanciful touches and interesting pieces to keep you visually engaged
without feeling bombarded or overly distracted.
It’s the kind of hotel that inspired me to think that perhaps I need to
go back to Wisconsin for a longer stay than a whirlwind overnight flight. It would certainly be fun to be there during
the Harley Davidson Festival amidst a sea of roaring engines and leather.
I was scheduled to leave early the next morning and had a
touch of fear about not waking up and missing my flight again. While I knew staying an extra night would surpass
even my skills with staging a bank account revolt, a part of me wished for it
to accidentally happen so I could spend one more day and night with everyone
semi-guilt free. Of course as the story
goes, I woke up on time, took one last luxurious shower that became a mental visual
addition to my collection of “fantasy bathrooms” that have been accumulating in
my mind over the years, and made my way down the elevator. I sipped coffee listening to a song I
particularly love by the Sneaker Pimps on the outdoor hotel speakers and became
sentimental while waiting for my taxi. While everyone slept, I texted my
good-byes to Dan and Scott not realizing my texts were not being sent.
Let the lovers sleep.
Let the super dads have some quiet moments. It was all perfect simply because seeing them
even for a brief amount of time satisfied my soul and made every moment of mishaps,
waiting, and travel worth it. These are
the kind of genuine people you travel 15 hours to see for a few hours before
turning back home again, which is a precious rarity in life. Missing my flight wasn’t necessary to draw
this conclusion, but I included details of it for two reasons: one being this
is a travel blog and I would be remiss in not mentioning it, and two, it did
drive the point home for me at how much I adore Dan, Scott, their boys, and
friends. The bonus was knowing I would
be able to give them a big hug and kiss on our informal annual tropical rendezvous,
and it is these moments – where any amount that can be had is cherished – that keep
good people in your heart and reaffirm how strong of a presence they have in
your life.
****My congratulations and wishes for life-long happiness to
Dan and Scott and their delightful boys, my special thanks and gratitude to
Mike for his generosity and kindness, a quick all-in-good-fun “I’ll get you
back someday, Jeff”, a “lovely to see you again, gorgeous Mandy”, and my affection
and love to all.
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