Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Wicked Girls' Trip!!

Coco and I flew up to Kansas City, MO to see the Broadway show "Wicked!" It was a super-short trip (landed in KC at 10:30 on Sunday morning and flew out at 2 pm the next day), but we sure fit a lot of fun and mischief into that short time!

We talked on the phone the majority of the drive up because I was having a hard time staying awake! I had left our house at 4 am after attending a late night party, and I got only 2 hours before starting this adventure...needless to say, I was tired!

We flew out of Dallas Love Field (super-cheap flights!!) and directly into Kansas City. Before we had even left Love Field, we encountered a very creepy guy. We shared some light banter before it soon got weird. He was asking us why we were flying, etc. which was fine, but then he asked us where we were staying! Then, after we both ignored that question, he asked if it was "more urban...or rural?" At this point, Nicole and I are staring, wide-eyed at each other. I said "uh-uh" and that was about the end of it. We figured he got the message when he didn't ask us anymore questions.

Well, then it was time to board the plan - thank goodness, we could get away from Creepy Guy in the trench coat! We flew Southwest, and they do open seating. So....guess who decides to sit beside us the whole way to Kansas City??!! Yes, Creepy Guy! Ugh! He tried to talk to us again, but we said nothing, and he eventually gave up.

We were terrified the whole trip that he would just show up somewhere along the way!

We told everyone we met about him - shuttle drivers, strangers in elevators, taxi drivers, etc. and they all agreed that he did sound pretty creepy.

Alright, enough about Creepy Guy. Let me tell you about the highlight of the trip...

Sunday Brunch at Benton's!!! What? You thought it would be the show? Ha! Coco and I stuffed ourselves at the most amazing brunch buffet either of us had ever experienced! We were working on about plate number four when I thought to ask, "Hey, did you see a price anywhere?" They don't give out menus because the brunch buffett is the only thing they serve, so we had no clue how much the bill would be! This didn't dampen our appettites at all or slow us down one bit!!

At one point, I took a sip of my (amazing) coffee, and Nicole nearly shrieked at me, "Don't drink too much - you'll just waste space!" We laughed until our sides ached and tears rolled down our cheeks! But, honestly, I did avoid drinking too much after that; she had a valid point!

The dessert portion of the buffett was, as usual, my favorite part...we shared 2 plates full of dessert, plus a creme brulee, and a chocolate mousse! Here is our sweet feast:






The only reason we didn't spend the entire trip at this buffett is because they closed at 2pm, and we had a show to catch! We did consider skipping the show, so we could stay and eat more...such gluttonous sows!

The show, however, was fabulous, and we were glad we did, in fact, go! We had amazing seats - only about 6 rows back, and dead center! Here's a real quick (very loud) clip just to show how close we were to the stage!



I was absolutely blown away by all the talent that went into this presentation! The costumes were the first thing to really take my breath away - such imagination these people have to come up with those over-the-rainbow outfits!



The acting/singing/dancing were also so magnificent! The girl who played Galinda/Glinda was so enthralling - I couldn't take my eyes or ears off of her for a second! She nailed every detail of her performance - every syllable of every line, every note of every song, and every step of every dance. The tiny mannerisms and gesstures were consistant throughout the show and caught your attention with their smooth subtleties. Yes, I realize that's an oxymoron, but it's true!

I have read the book, so I was fully prepared for some big differences. Anyone who has ready the book could guess that they would be changing a lot to make this show "family friendly" - the book is not. But, I was astounded at the number of drastic changes - not just leaving details out or omitting side plots, but huge, whopping changes!!

I won't go into the details, but, seriously, it was so very different! Still great though!!!

We also fit alot of shopping into our short trip. We stayed at the Westin in the Hallmark Crown Plaza! So, we never had to go outside to get to tons of restaurants and shops!

I had to take this pic Olivia and Avi - they have been hounding Nicole to make a gingerbread house - why not an entire village??!





Nicole picked up an ornament at a Christmas store and a great fruit decorating kit with all the little tools used to make neat fruit garnishes! It was 50% off, so it was a great deal! I made my own candle - pumpkin pie and looked for a Wicked souvenier with no luck. Wizard of Oz stuff was everywhere, but no Wicked stuff. I guess I missed my chance at the Music Hall, but it was so pricey! Oh, well...maybe I'll find something online...

Well, we managed to get back to the airport on time (anyone who knows Nicole, knows this is quite a feat!) - actually, we were there pretty early due to the shuttle service's scheduling. That was a good thing; otherwise, "The Incident" would have probably made us Nicole late for our her flight (I was going home to my husband and baby girl with or without her)!

So, we make our way up to the security check-point...and that's where it starts. I must say, I am an all-star traveler; I can get through the security check-point in record time. I have my shoes off, jacket off, everything laid in a bin in a way that makes the x-ray tech able to check everything quickly and easily, I have my one quart-sized baggie with 3 oz bottles pulled out and in the bin; I have only my boarding pass in my hand as I swiftly march through the metal detector. On the other side, I have all my belongings gathered up and my shoes back on just as quickly and efficiently.

Then there's Nicole...she's fumbling with her bags; doesn't want to take her shoes off because she's forgotten to wear socks (she waits until last minute and then realizes she doesn't have a bin to put them in - gets the guy behind her to walk back a mile around 300 people to retrieve one for her); liquids are probably scattered throughout her carry-on, and then she forgets to take her purse off her arm before trying to walk through the metal detector, so they send her back for that... She's just asking to be searched!!

And then she was.

So, the security guard takes her suitcase (and the bag of the poor guy right behind her who got the bin for her shoes) to the table where they rifle through your belonging behind the glass partition. First, he asks them both a couple of routine questions about the contents of their bags...anything breakable, sharp, etc., etc. Nicole and Nice Guy dutifully answer...no, no, etc., etc. I sit on a nearby bench and put my shoes back on - shaking my head and tsk-tsking the whole time.

So, the guard opens up Nice Guy's bag and rummages through until he finds a pocket knife - not a itty, bitty pocket knife, but one you could easily skin a deer with (I'm a vegetarian, but I was raised by a good ol' hunter/fisher type)! Nicole takes a step toward me, turns her back on Knife Guy and whipsers to me "That guy had a KNIFE in his bag!! What an idiot!"

My astonished, "What?!!" is interrupted by the TSA guard calling Nicole back to her position. He quickly unzips her bag, moves a couple of things to the side, and pulls out the fruit garnishing kit - the one with a melon baller and other tools...including a big paring KNIFE!!!!

"M'am, this is a knife. You cannot take a knife onto the plane," he says so matter-of-factly as if he has to tell a million idiots a day this very same tidbit. Nicole stands with jaw dropped. My first thought is that they are going to confiscate the kit, and I blurt out to the guard, "Ah man, and that was 50% OFF!" He cuts a glance my way, probably thinking he should have searched my bag, too, then continues castigating the Knife Couple. At this point, he thinks they must be together, since they both missed the newsflash about knives not being allowed on airplanes. Nicole quickly clears that up..."Oh, we're not together!" with a syncronized shake of a finger and her head. The guard seems unconvinced. Knife Guy seems a little insulted.

Well, luckily, the only repercussion was that Nicole had to be escorted out of the gate back to ticketing where she checked her bag, so she got to keep her great buy! Thankfully, the Kansas City airport is quite small, and she had plenty of time to get through again and make the flight.

When she got back, we had quite a laugh..."Why are all the security cameras suddenly turned in our direction?"...and we had a little fun with our husbands by way of some vague texting. We had them envisioning her getting thrown out of the airport for having a Bowie knife in her bag!

We grabbed a couple of drinks and some chips for lunch and continued with some general silliness until it was time for us to board. Unfortunately, we didn't get to sit beside each other on the way home, but we still had little fun with the people who sat beside us and wouldn't switch seats with us (only middle seats were left and no one wanted to trade).






Overall, we had a great time and look forward to making it a more frequent trip!!

1 comment:

Casey said...

looks like you girls had too much fun! :) I'm so glad you enjoyed Wicked! I can't wait to see it again in Dallas!