The lead-up to our trip was a blur of excitement, exhaustion, and overplanning in true Carrie fashion. I spent three straight days packing and re-packing, averaging about four hours of sleep a night. I used ChatGPT to help me build a smart capsule wardrobe that would last through three weeks abroad, including Paris and Spain, and I may have unpacked and reorganized it more times than I care to admit.
While packing, I binged Emily in Paris—I had seen a few episodes before, but this time I went all in. It set the mood and added just the right amount of glitter and fantasy to the final prep. Between packing cubes, vitamins, Nozin, Acteev masks, outfits that mix/match and my carefully chosen shoes, I was ready for anything… or so I thought.
Then came the weather.
The day before we left, Paris was hit with a freak hailstorm. Videos poured into my I Love Paris Facebook group showing golf ball-sized hail pounding the streets in a quick, dramatic burst. The beautiful 70s and 80s weather the city had been enjoying came to a crashing halt, and a chilly front rolled in behind it. I immediately tossed my puffer jacket into the suitcase and texted Mom: “Grab yours too—it’s turning cold.” We figured they could double as flight pillows if nothing else.
Same day as the hail, I heard on the news that Savannah’s airport was evacuated due to a bomb threat! I started to wonder if I needed to just get in the car and drive to Atlanta. I wasn’t exactly ready to go and decided to keep packing & unpacking until 4am.
The next morning I woke up groggy; Tim took me to the airport, it was VERY packed, even the TSA Precheck line! I assumed it was still feeling the ripple effects of a bomb threat from the day before. My flight to Atlanta was delayed 40 minutes. Everything felt chaotic, but it seemed like my flight was going to be fine.
Mom was flying out of Columbia, and actually beat me to the airport. She was as so excited she rushed to the brand new Delta Sky Club sending me texts about how great it is! Our plan was to meet there.
I hopped off the plane looking for the Delta Sky Club.
I was so glad it was practically across the hall from my gate where I just landed. I call mom and say “where are you?” . She said she was watching the planes take off and land from one of the high top tables along the window. I walk the edge of the lounge along the windows and no mom. I spotted two lounge chairs together and said come find me. I told her to “look for the guy in the white hat at the bar,” only to later realize she was in Concourse D and I was in Concourse E. With very little sleep I wasn’t operating on all cylinder’s, it felt like a sitcom moment—but eventually, we found each other, laughing and relieved.
Then we got a goodbye FaceTime from Jack and Hunter it was so sweet telling us to have a good trip!
Then we safely board our Delta One flight to Paris in side-by-side middle seats. From the moment we sat down, it felt like we were being spoiled.
We were greeted with champagne, warm towels, and cozy slippers, and handed amenity kits with socks, lip balm, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and an eye mask. We had a full bar menu, warm nuts, and a multi-course dinner that included wine, entrées, and dessert.
After dinner, the cabin dimmed, and we settled into our lie-flat beds under plush down comforters with real pillows. It felt luxurious and peaceful—everything we’d hoped for. Mom turned to me and saying, “Are we really doing this.” And then, at long last, I drifted off to sleep somewhere high above the Atlantic as mom watched the Joy Luck club at 9PM old time 3am New time.
Happiness is Possible 