Have you priced flights lately?

<This a long and boring post.  Feel free to skip to the end to see Perry playing hide and seek on the aircraft.>

My original ticket to Guam was booked using Frequent Flyer Miles.  I began stalking miles tickets in January hoping to find that random day a first class ticket is appearing for way fewer miles than it should. (This has happened on a couple of occasions in the past.  I seriously check every single day from January until I actually purchase.)  On March 6 that miracle ticket appeared!  I actually had no idea whether I was going at the time because a mask mandate was still in place.  (I was not flying 26+ hours in a mask.)  But I snagged it anyway.

When I tried to change my flight online, it wouldn't let me because I had "insufficient miles."  (First class tickets were now 300K miles!)  Surely a ticketing agent could help.  I spent forever on the phone--twice.  Nada.  At that very last second--just hours before my flight--I pushed the "cancel" button.  And then I slept for two days.  

When I woke from my Covid nap a few days later, I began obsessively checking tickets.  However, an economy class ticket (those are the little seats--not the Cadillac I had reserved) were going from $3500-$5000....ONE WAY! I couldn't do that.  I probably spent 3-5 hours a day trying ticket combinations for a week (I was banned for 10 days from flying due to Covid, so I had time to play with the combinations)...miles...non-rev (that's flying on my brother's passes)...flying out of other cities outside of Oklahoma....buying a round trip ticket.  They just kept staying ridiculous prices!   

On the Friday after I was a free woman from Covid (yet not free to fly for 4 more days), I had lunch with Pastor Dave & Helen Ann--my Saipan pastor who just happened to be in my hometown that day.  He mentioned putting in all the way to Saipan.  Duh! Why didn't I think of that!?

I rush home after our lunch just knowing that was the magic combination.  Nope. Still a million dollars.  Sigh.  So basically that afternoon, I had given up.  I decided I would probably go with my back-up plan (a girl always has a back-up plan), and meet the Global NYI Team (youth leaders in the Nazarene church) in Puerto Rico for meetings.  I start looking at those tickets and hotels and even try to convince my brother to steal someone's flight and fly me to (or from) Puerto Rico.  

But on Saturday night, I had this overwhelming desire to go to Saipan. I couldn't imagine waiting another year.  Plus several of my friends/youth in Saipan are leaving island soon to the mainland.  So I prayed.  I prayed a lot. And I reminded God that he had until the end of Sunday night to open something up because I had to confirm if I was coming to Puerto Rico on Monday morning.  (Isn't it funny how we feel the need to remind God what he obviously already knows?)

On Sunday I jump out of bed and think "Multiple Cities!"  (That is an advanced search option on the United Website.)  I type in Tulsa to Guam on one day and then Guam to Saipan on another day. BAM! I found a first class ticket CHEAPER than an economy class tickets to Guam!  So, I asked God to hold it for me until after church so I could pray about it.  (It was still more than most of the round trip tickets I have ever bought to the islands.)  When I got home from church, the ticket I wanted was no longer available.  But a ticket leaving just one day different was...and it was cheaper! (And even thought it was cheaper, it was still more than most of my round trip tickets. I'm telling ya....it's expensive out there!) Ticket was purchased, and on Wednesday, June 15 (11 days late), Perry and I took off. 

I was pretty sure Perry was not going to share my seat.

Check out this hiding place. I can even see me!

And here's another hiding place!

I am very sad here because I found out AS I WAS GETTING ON THE PLANE that
they still required a mask from US to Japan.  :/  I nearly walked away. 
Then I almost got up more than once until we took off.  It was awful. I almost cried.

So I buried myself under my pillow and blanket and they didn't know my mask was off.
(If you look closely, Perry is in there too.)

Remember that trip to Puerto Rico I mentioned earlier. (Well, unless you are one that skipped down to the pictures.)  It was a such a tempting trip because my Filipina cousin--one of my best friends--would be there. She lives in Japan and would pass through the Narita airport right after me.  I hid some sticky notes with messages for her to find! :) 

For example, the note is hidden under the middle chair facing 
this store. (She had terminal info and other landmarks.)

Eventually, after 26 miserable, miserable hours, I arrived in Guahan (Guam)--where America's Day Begins.