Sunday, August 19, 2012

Charlotte Olympics Party, Friday, 8/17


Shortly after my nephew Ricky scored Gold and Silver Olympic medals (for the 4 X 200 and 4 X 100 relays, respectively), the family announced a celebration for him in Charlotte on August 18.  I figured that, with 60,000 USAirways miles I'd carefully saved from expiring over the years, Ron and I would get there free.  Well, not exactly.  After forking over 42,500 miles plus $80 for me, plus regular airfare for Ron, plus a couple of fees for "Premium" seats so Ron could stretch his legs a little in Aisle seats, we had nonstops booked to and from Charlotte.  Fortunately, the charge for the seat upgrade also gave Ron early boarding, ensuring overhead bin space for our small rollaboard.

By a happy coincidence, my employer declared that the office would close at 1 PM as a reward for meeting our goals in a recent charitable drive.  Still, it felt like a full work day.  A call I'd been waiting for came in with a verbal offer from a company where I'd first interviewed 2 months ago, getting more excited at the prospects of working there as our discussion continued.  I happily accepted the offer, then e-mailed my boss in Zurich, and spent some time discussing transition plans before a much-needed workout in the pool and departure for the airport. 
Our flight pushed back almost 15 minutes before the scheduled time, we were shortly first for takeoff, and were in the air before the scheduled departure time. Murphy's Law, of course.  If we'd been frantic to make a transatlantic connection, it would have been 4 hours late.  Instead, we landed 45 minutes early after a fligt made even more pleasant by the glass of wine I ordered en route.

We got our rental car, a Crown Victoria that got less than 20 mpg, but gave us a comfortable ride for the weekend.  After checking into the Residence Inn Piper Glen (free on Marriott points), we headed over to the house of John and Les, my brother- and sister-in law.  The official party wasn't till the next night, but their house was already open and welcoming a succession of family:  my parents, a brother and sister-in-law, and of course Ricky and his brother and sister.  Ricky was a little jet-lagged, having gotten home only a couple of days before after checking out Paris with his friend Rebecca Soni. 


The medals were very heavy- 400 grams of pure silver, plus gold electroplate on the gold one.
The obverse sides.


As we talked, hugged and caught up on each others' news, I realized I still marveled at how blessed we are that we can join family for occasions such as this without worrying about it making a dent in the budget, and how I can get a half-days work done in Kansas and be visiting with family in Charlotte by dinner time.  When the airlines do it right, it still feels a little miraculous.

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