Phoenix 2011, My Diary: Hello, Sky Harbor!

Monday, August 1st, 2011. This day had been long waited for.

On a Sunday morning the band performed two songs ("Excuses", our Phoenix song and "Sing to the King", a song we always do in Youth on Wednesdays) and Nathan, as usual, broke a string. On a Sunday night I set my alarm clock to 3:45 a.m. (but actually woke up fifteen minutes later) so I could show up at the airport on time.

On a Monday morning I woke up at 4 a.m., got dressed, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and got ready to go. Believe it or not, it was a process that only took maybe ten minutes, if not less than that. Then, I got in the car, arrived at the airport, and got ready to be checked , referring to both security and my bag.

Here's an excerpt from my diary entry that day:

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When it comes to airport security, it's all fun and games until someone is questioned about their age. When I gave my boarding pass to a security guard, he asked me how old I was. "Twelve", I responded. He looked shocked. "You're seriously TWELVE??!!" he asked.

     "Yes, I'm twelve."

     "Prove it." (I freaked out there.)

     "Well, you see, I don't exactly have my ID with me (I'm not allowed to carry my military ID because it has my dad's SS number on it), but I really am twelve... I'M NOT LYING!!!"

     Thank God (for real) the man was just kidding. 

The flight to Denver was great. I went almost deaf for a little bit, but it was all good. Now, the flight from there to Phoenix??? Excruciating ear pain. And near-deafness. When I say ear pain, I don't mean pressure. I mean PAIN. A sharp, unbearable pain that turned into a mouth ache and a headache. Not a good feeling, people!

Now, about the whole "almost deaf" thing: it started on the way to Denver, mid-flight. The ear pressure went from mild to extreme very quickly, and I was gradually losing my hearing (temporarily, thank heavens). By the end of the flight, I was whispering because if I used my normal voice, it would be waaay too loud. No wonder Emmet from Switched At Birth doesn't use his voice.

And it was so weird, because I could just barely hear everyone else, but I couldn't hear myself at all, pretty much.

The trip is pretty fun so far.

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Here's a little extra stuff from that day:

So, we were about to get off our plane when we arrived in Phoenix and I was talking about the Kardashians or something, and then Nathan was like, "You keep up with the Kardashians?" And I'm just like, "No, I don't. You see, I know a lot about them because of research---"

   "You did research???" Someone said.

   "Well yeah, because, it started out with a blog post---" They started cracking up.

   "---About Bruce Jenner, and then Kendall was in this magazine and... yeah."

BUT I DO NOT keep up with that family!

Just clearing my name.

August 1st, 2011: My grandmother's would-have-been seventy-sixth birthday. I already know she's having a happy birthday month in heaven, but I wish comfort for everyone in the family.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Phoenix 2011 series. I will post all about Tuesday, the day we performed!