#Like no checked bag I'm TSA pre-checked

[jtl-fics]

Fluent Freshman - Part 44

PREV

The flight up to New York is a pleasant one.

The time in the airport itself had been less pleasant. Matt, as it turns out, is a firm believer in arriving with just enough time to check a bag, get through security, and get to the gate. He had claimed up, down, left, and right that he had it down to a science.

No matter how many times Smith had wondered about the scientific rigor of this 'science' he still kept it to himself. There was no need for Smith to voice his uncertainty with this plan because Kevin well and truly had it covered.

"You're giving us only an hour to check bags, get through security, and get to our gate?!" Kevin demands.

"Kevin, if you wanted to be there earlier then you could have asked Andrew to give yo a ride." Matt says. "We'll be fine."

"You know what Neil and Andrew get like when they have a long roadtrip ahead of them." Kevin argues.

"All lovey-dovey?" Nicky asks as Aaron makes a gagging sound.

"No, well yes, but no they always stop and buy all of the worst food too." Kevin reminds. "I'm just concerned about us missing our flight! We have barely enough time!" Kevin huffs crossing his arms.

"You're wrong anyways." Aaron says idly as he continues to text with Katelyn.

"How am I wrong?!" Kevin demands.

"We also have to park within that hour that Matt has left us with." Aaron says looking up from his phone.

"Matt!" Kevin squawks.

"It'll be fine." Matt reassures for the 2nd time.

"We all have checked bags!" Kevin exclaims, "What if we miss our flight?!" he wails.

"It'll be fine!" Matt repeats.

"No it won't!" Kevin exclaims.

---

It was fine.

The only real delays they met were at security.

Smith prided himself on being efficient in the security line. He has his watch off, his phone and ID secured in a zipped jacket pocket, his backpack and electronics in separate trays, and his shoes ready to be slipped off.

So he was shamed to have been the cause of the first delay when the TSA agent wouldn't wave Smith through the metal detector since she didn't realize he was there. That had been a whole anxiety attack and a half as the line had formed up behind him all wondering what the hold-up was.

Finally she seemed to startle as she realized that Smith had been standing there waiting and waved him through.

The other delay was that Kevin got patted down after he had forgotten to empty his 'emergency' water bottle.

It was probably for the best that they didn't have to be in the airport for that long. Every announcement that it was very important to not leave your bag unattended made him worry that with every blink somehow someone had slipped a bomb into his backpack.

While it was on his back.

As he was running with the rest of his friends to their gate.

"It just had to be the gate on the other end of the terminal." Aaron huffs.

"It would have been 100% perfect if someone hadn't left their water bottle in their bag despite the, let me check, 3,820 signs that said remove all liquids from your carry-ons!" Matt says as they continues to run.

"I said I forgot!" Kevin yells back from his spot at the front of the pack. Smith was under the distinct impression that Kevin was keeping pace with them since he had seen the Striker move much faster on the court and during warm-ups.

"We could have forgiven that!" Nicky pants, "Why did you have to slam the whole thing to prove that it was 'just water'?" he asks.

"Because I wanted to prove I wasn't a national security threat!" Kevin says. "I'll be going to the Olympics in a couple years and I can't have that on my record." he continues as he rounds a corner.

"What record?!" Smith asks suddenly worried that there was a record.

"Smithy, there's no record Kevin's just an idiot. An idiot who got patted down, tested for explosives, and had his carry-on searched." Nicky huffs.

"You don't know that there's not a record! The record everything nowadays!" Kevin huffs and their gate is in sight.

"Kevin, just shut up!" Aaron exclaims as they reach the line for their flight.

"Wait why aren't any of you getting shitty with Smiths?!" Kevin asks.

"His delay was like a minute and more importantly NOT HIS FAULT!" Nicky defends.

"He should have just walked through!" Kevin argues.

"Oh it's fine if he gets a record but not you?!" Aaron asks.

"So there is a record?!" Smith asks again.

They reach the line and the largely empty area around their gate is more than enough evidence that this was the final boarding. Smith breathed a sigh of relief as he took his place in line behind Nicky.

"The lines pretty slow, I'm going to go get a water." Kevin says and before any of them can say anything he is off towards a busy looking Newsweek store.

"I cannot believe him." Aaron huffs.

"All that water he just drank and is about to drink? He has lost window seat privileges." Matt pants wiping sweat from his brow.

"Agreed." Nicky says.

Smith laughed between panting breaths. His stomach hurt a bit from the stress of running but it was fine.

They get on the plane without Kevin and head to their seats. Most of the overhead storage is taken up at this point but Smith slides his bag under the middle seat in front of him after Matt

In the end, Kevin barely made it onto the plane in time since he got caught up in deciding on water. "You're in my seat." Kevin says as the only man not yet seated.

"I am not about to spend this flight getting up every 2 minutes because you have to pee." Matt says, "Abby didn't used to need to take all those pitstops when we're on the bus." Matt adds.

"I hate the aisle, the cart could hit my legs." Kevin argues.

"Then you can sit in the middle if Smith's willing to move." Matt says.

"You can have the middle Kevin." Smith offers actually preferring the aisle seat since then he doesn't have to ask anyone to move for him.

"I hate the middle seat, there is no room." Kevin crosses his arms.

"Smith is like only 3 inches shorter than you and he's not complaining." Matt continues.

"It's an important 3 inches."

"I bet it is."

"Nicky, are you serious?"

"What?!"

"There is an uninvolved member of the public, right there."

"He's wearing headphones it's fine!"

---

It's fine.

Eventually Kevin takes the middle seat if for no other reason than Matt stubbornly pretends to go to sleep but absolutely does not want the aisle seat either.

Smith gives it up and ends up with his own preferred seat while Kevin pointedly takes both of the arm rests, as is his right. The plane ride progresses smoothly from there. Smith has always liked flying. There is always a sense that the second that he gets onto the plane and the door closes he has absolutely zero control over what happens afterwards.

That is a nice comfort.

He pays attention to the safety briefing, finds his nearest exit, and that he should secure the bag over his own face before securing it on Kevin's.

He puts his headphones on and tries not to think about the anxiety of meeting the 'girls'.

He has heard much about the 'girls'.

Allison Reynolds. Allison was someone who's legacy existed even outside of the team. Smith didn't know much about fashion but a Reynolds bet remained a solid practice within Palmetto. She was, undeniably, absolutely gorgeous and if Kevin was to be believed 'kind of a bitch'. Nicky had swatted his arm but had said that it was not entirely inaccurate but like 'in the best way'.

Dan Wilds. He met Dan. Dan was nice. Also, if Matt was to be believed, the best human to ever walk the planet earth. The reason the sun rose in the east and set in the west. The gravitational pull that held the universe together. If Andrew is to be believed, she's fine.

Renee Walker. Renee was the one who taught Andrew how to use knives. His friend has talked warmly of her, in the way that Andrew talks warmly about anyone which is mentioning them at all. She was the one that Smith was the most anxious about meeting.

Kevin turns his nose up at the ginger ale that Smith gets but he's allowed these now per his actual doctors orders.

1 hour left until arriving at JFK.

He hopes this ginger ale is enough to calm his stomach since he's still not allowed Pepto.

MASTERPOST FOR ALL PARTS OF FLUENT FRESHMAN AU

NEXT

[sighthounds-and-sketches]

Let's talk about flying to pick up a puppy by yourself

And some ways to make it easier on you.

Your prep starts honestly, about a week before baby actually comes home. Maybe 2 weeks.

For my pre-flight prep, I first picked out a flight carrier. I went with the one my breeder recommended.

It has expandable sides, and a little storage pocket. And it's resistant to chewing. I'm really glad I didn't buy a cheaper one, and I can't stress enough that it's cheaper to buy a quality one the first time than have a zipper break or a tear in the middle of your trip. My trip in total was 4 flights and 4 hours in the car, with him being with me for half of it and having the longest layover of my day. I could only really let him out a couple times, so this next part was incredibly helpful.

I mailed the carrier to my breeder,

at her behest. This was *huge* because the siblings got their scent on it and he was acclimated to being in it before I got to him. It acted as a secure place for him to ride in the car and for his first few nights here, he slept in there through the night.

And now that he's in his crate, the removable pad with scents on it has been instrumental in establishing the crate as a safe place for him.

Video of why I'm really glad I got the durable carrier.

Please consider what you're wearing that day.

Wear clothes you don't need to fuss with *at all* that's normal airport protocol- but I can't stress this enough, you're carrying the puppy in your arms through the TSA checkpoint and other people will be fussing over him. Make sure your appearance and personal bag is no fuss.

See: jeans, hoodie, puppy treat and potty bag that can be shoved into my personal Item, and a no fuss backpack.

In my personal travel bag I kept:

Pee pads, his food from the breeder, a change of clothes in case of incidents, a portable battery to charge my phone, collapsible food and water bowls, collar and leash incase one wasn't provided, and SEVERAL toys in there.

The toys were great for waiting in the terminal. I'd expand the sides of the crate and introduce a new toy to him to help him run a bit of energy out before we had to board.

Peepads: Even though airports have animal relief areas, chances are they're either kind of gross or your dog may be a little too young for it to be safe. I was traveling through one of the busiest airports in the world, and nobody was checking jack shit so I opted for potty breaks to occur in bathrooms with pee pads. He didn't end up going but it's better to be prepared.

I flew Delta and used Skymiles accumulated from our credit card with them that we pay off monthly, so the only thing I paid for out of pocket was 95.00 to bring Argos on board. My flight only costed 20k miles total, and that was only a small portion of what we'd accumulated over the 6 months we've been using the card. I think it's worth considering if you're planning to fly to a breeder. It enabled me to go anywhere in the country that Delta flies and not worry about costs.

Day of hack: double check your flights on the airlines app and switch your seat if possible. I swapped one of my return flight seats to an empty row for 15.00, which meant I could have my carryon and him with me at the same time and that was very nice for readjusting where my stuff was and taking a damn nap. Because at this point, I'd been up for about 18 hours and still had 7 hours of traveling before I'd get home.

I think my last thing is that if you're like me and you do have an invisible disability- ask if you can preboard. Dont be afraid to say "hey, i have this problem and standing in the heat while carrying a bunch of stuff is potentially going to cause an episode. " The employees were extremely nice, and willing to work with me. Ultimately, I went through all of this because he's a service dog prospect and will hopefully help.

Small things for me specifically prior: ate in the morning and right before I picked him up, he was able to chill in his carrier while I ate dinner at a restaurant in the airport- didn't make any sounds. He slept the whole time. I don't think I couldve eaten in the food court, too much to carry between him and my main bag.

I think that's it. I may add to this if I remember anything I forgot.

Edited to add: for my besties with miscellaneous illnesses-

A baggie with your medicines is IMPORTANT. Do not forget some dramamine, advil, Tylenol, whatever, pack it if there's a small chance you'll need it!

I ended up getting migraine symptoms like 5 hours into travel, and that was not a day I could afford to have blurred vision. <3 remember to take care of YOU on the journey.

[queenlua]

ill-advisedly asking tumblr a question:

ok so i have an international flight tomorrow

and Official Guidance says you should show up at the airport 3hrs in advance

however

i'm flying from the US to Canada (e.g. barely international)

2) i'm not checking any bags

3) i have TSA pre

do i really need. the whole 3hrs. like seriously normally i show up at the airport 1hr15min in advance and that's plenty of time...

[piratefishmama]

Soooo. I love your fics. Love love love them.

Fake it till you make it - that's still set in the 80's, right?

Did you know that Canada had the most stringent security/regulations in the 80's? I couldn't find a detailed list of what their requirements were. But based on my research, and considering that growing up in the 90's we could just cross the border into Canada with minimal security and identification, I'm guessing that Steve and Eddie wouldn't run into any issues/rules to board a flight to Canada.

I digress - not sure how 'in depth' you're going to be on the airport side of the fic but here's some facts you didn't ask for (provided on my own experiences, previous research, and reading of this timeline Transportation Security Timeline | Transportation Security Administration (tsa.gov)I did NOT highlight all of these new measures but it's a good read imo!)

The US was more lax; security on the background (and security were contracted groups - not the TSA we see today). You didn't need to scan a boarding pass or show ID. You literally walked up and through a quick metal detector and walked up to your gate and on the plane.

They didn't have rules about 3oz or less for liquids. Technically the first thing that was implemented was a complete liquid ban in August 2006. In September they (thankfully) amended the rule to the 3-1-1 rule (3.1oz or less in 1 quart size bag or smaller).

It wasn't until November 2001 that 100% of luggage was screened. Like.

December 2002 they implemented measures to screen for explosives - prompted by a shoe bomb attempt in December 2001. Removing shoes to go through security checkpoint started in April 2006.

September 2006 they increased more security measures (dogs, etc), identity procedures, more RANDOM screening of employees, and implemented more training.

March 2008 the canines were deployed to sniff and search 100% of luggage. Eddie's weed would DEF be fine lol).

If you're a flyer today you might notice that we have the enhanced screening machines in airports (the ones that you stand, feet spread, arms up and the machine whirls around you in a half circle - right?). That happened because of an attempted underwear bomb in December 2009. You probably thought that those machines weren't really 'special' or that they're just annoying. I was once stopped because my shirt had some a few of those gem things on it - literally just a couple but it catches the scan and is a flag for a pat down. My bf's sister got stopped this last year because she was a 'little warm' down there. I just learned TODAY that she got flagged because of an underwear bomb attempt so that brought a whole new light to that pat down.

TSA Pre-Check. God, it makes security that much quicker when you have it. But is it really safe? Anyone can go off the deep end. The process was put in place to give more focus to unknown flyers (aka non-frequent flyers) and higher risk passengers. But even if someone flies 20 times a year, they could still have a total break down and be a risk? These people don't have to take off their shoes and they go through a standard metal detector. Uh. Like, okay. Their baggage is screened the same. TSA Pre-Check started in December 2011. And today you have to pay extra, do a screening, etc. (the first application center opened in Indianapolis International in Dec 2013). Back in the early days I booked a flight, and it was part of my ticket. I didn't choose pre-check. It was an automatic thing. It was my 4th time flying in my whole life, so I wasn't a frequent-frequent flyer. Kind of freaky to think about who else got a random ticket with pre-check.

Did you know that today, each airport has to do a certain percentage of random person searches/pat downs? They wipe your hands for residues, your shoes, give you a good ol' pat down. I found that out because of when I flew out of a small local airport that serviced 3 flights a day with a max of 8 passengers per flight. I was the lucky 'random' person, several times. The odds are good when it's that small of an airport that you'll get picked.

There are so many more constant improvements being implemented. it's incredibly interesting to me. <3 Sorry for the big 'you didn't even ask for this' ask and the ramblings.

DAS A LOT OF INFORMATION LMAO,

Yeah i did a little more indepth research into the airport thing cause i've flown through a few american airports in the past and it's been a little touch and go in all of them, they all seem to run by different rules an it's tricky to navigate the little fuckers.

but what i found was shit was lax back then, the only issue they had was the random checked luggage checks, shit was still a thing back then as far as i could find, an yeah it's set in 1988!

could definitely get the weed through in a carry on but checked luggage still carried a risk of it being found and hey, weed can be expensive, an if you dont know any dealers where you're going, you're gonna struggle to get more.

i dont plan on going in depth with the airport stuff though, we'd be on the travelling period for too damn long if i did! gonna whizz through it on the next part :D

[sociallyawkwardsailor]

Home

MAC flight departed 0400 from Bahrain. I did manage to get some sleep, but no beer was offered for the entire flight, which was detrimental to my morale and welfare. My back didn't get spicy! This time I had the airline pillow between the seat and where my vertebrae were fractured, which saved me a lot of pain and grumpiness.

Had 2 commercial flights next day after landing at the Norfolk AMC Terminal, which were better but TSA was extra as fuck. First they didn't want to wand me after my belt buckle set off the detector, so I had to go back through, take my belt off and send it through the machine, and walk back through. Then they got uppity about my safety razor in my carry-on. The agent at one airport let it through after I verified to her there was no blade in it (all those were in their little packs, in my checked bag). The agent at the other was like "NAH either we take it or you check the bag." Per the TSA's own guidelines on their website, safety razors without blades are allowed in carry-on luggage! Make it make sense! I'm active duty, I am going through TSA Pre-Check, which means I am a trusted, known traveler! To quote my most recent department head, there has to be a modicum of common sense. But then, TSA is a government agency so fuck all that, I guess. Not wanting to lose my only safety razor over some dumb shit, I had to then go back and check my backpack. Ma'am I am sleep deprived, travel anxious, and barely functioning do not scold me like a child while tagging my backpack.

But yeah, I'm home now. Had a tension headache that wouldn't quit, but thankfully some BC Powder this morning fixed that. I'm congested af because I'm reminded that pollen exists. Bae got delayed in New York, but as of yesterday was at my regional postal distribution center, so he should be arriving soon!

[puckngrind]

Leave Her Wild: 1.1 - N. MacKinnon

Author's note: This is a parallel to chapter 1 but via Nate's perspective. I started it thinking this was the way I was going to write the entire series but got going and never came back. In honor of the birthday boy, I figured might as release this unedited blurb.

Warnings: swearing

Word count: 900

Series masterlist / Puck ‘n Grind’s masterlist

Swipe.

"Took you long enough!" Tyson groaned as Nathan manages to open and shut Cale's condo door with pizzas in hand.

"What's wrong with you?" Cale emerges from the kitchen.

"Nothin', birthday boy? Really, you jackasses put birthday boy as my pick up name?" Nate lied through his teeth at what was wrong with him. Cale clearly read his face well.

"I'd say it was the best name ever for the birthday boy!" JT chirps from the couch.

The boys eat a piece of pie each before deciding to head out to play spike ball in the park across the street first. Nate nods at the man they passed in the hall then turns when he swears he hears a tiny whistle come from the stranger. Shaking it off they emerge from Tyson and Cale's building. Nathan fishes the game out of his Jeep then looks up before crossing the street.

"You good dude?" Tyson asks.

"Yeah, totally man. Just thought I saw people staring out the window. Must've been nothing." Nate hands the bag to Tyson a tad harder than Tyson was expecting.

"Sure." He coughs out.

The game was intense specially with the unseasonably warm start to September they were having in Denver. The boys were drenched in sweat by the time they crashed back at Cale's. Gaming started after more pizza and drinks. You would never know these were grown men and not teenagers by the trash talking gaming that was being spewed across the living room. Nate was distracted by adding some "Damn dude." comments here and there until finally he didn't start the next game. He retreated to a corner and started tapping on his phone. "Fuck." He thought it was in his head but when all three guys turned around he realized it was not.

"Talk. You have been different since you got here." JT states.

"How the fuck does tinder work? Or I don't know, Bumble?" Nate taps on his phone again.

"Wwwwhhhhyyyy are you all of a sudden interested in dating apps? Nate looking to get some?" Tyson blurted out then got hit with a pillow by JT. "Sorry." He whispered.

"There is a girl I met. She lives here. I this building. So I thought if she was on one of those damn apps I could find her cuz all I know is that she frequents the pizza place, lives here, has the cutest twang but also maybe midwestern voice, and her name is MacKenzie." Nate looks up to see his teammates all with their mouths hanging open.

"Here." Tyson hands over his phone. "And I fucking swear if you swipe left on someone I would totally go for I may in fact hurt you."

"Like you could do that." Cale retorts.

"Fine, I would sent Z after you." Tyson shook his head verifying he meant business.

Nate started swiping. He was looking for any version of her name. Mac, Kenzie, MacKenzie, Kenz... but really he was focused on her hair and that sparkle in her eyes. He did not notice that all three were standing around him.

"Swipe riiiiggg..." Tyson starts looking at Nathan's quick swipes left on his account.

"You aren't important here Tys." JT scolded.

"Check Instagram, Twitter, Facebook." Cale suggests.

"I don't fucking have Facebook." Tyson announces.

"I do." Nate sheepishly admitted. The shocked sounds escaping the group made him laugh quietly.

The boys spent the next hour unsuccessfully sleuthing for MacKenzie with no luck.

"She's our age, right?" JT questions flipping through the multiple results for MacKenzie on Instagram.

"I mean... she looked like she was. You know I'm bad at that shit." Nate blew out in frustration. "I guess..."

"We can keep looking Mac or go to the pizza place..." Cale taps his forehead trying to come up with more ideas.

"Yeah, no. Yeah. It was a good try. Maybe I'll run into here again, but Denver is a big ass city." Nate lays his head back on the couch.

"But this building isn't." Tyson sing-songs out.

Nate threw himself into pre-season training the rest of September. A visit from his mother set mind into work mode. She always had a way of making sure Nate was on track even from thousands of kilometers away.

"I'll see you in a few month, eh?" Kathy MacKinnon hugged her son tight.

"Whenever ya want." Nate squeezed back.

"And whatever is nagging at you, please fix before the season is in full bloom." Kathy placed her hand on his cheek patting it slightly. How she read her son like a book was something Nate only wish he could understand. He nodded not sure exactly what she was speaking of but went with it. "Enjoy the youth event next week, Son." She loosened their embrace to head towards TSA.

"Will do." Nate waves watching fish out her passport.

Nathan and Cale walked out from their locker room area to the sound of about forty kids or so attempt to skate.

"This should be fun." Cale elbowed Nate. "Mac?" He waves his hand over Nathan's face.

"It's her." Nate whispers.

"It's who?" Cale tries to follow his gaze but only sees a very tall, brunette man surrounded by kids.

"Mac... Kenzie." Nate can hardly speak.

"Pizza girl? Where?" Cale almost yells out. Nate ignores him and makes his way to the ice feeling a tug and goosebumps explode over his body.

[didsomeonesaygo]

Scotland, we hardly knew ye 💙

Had some time this morning to explore Linlithgow, which is just outside of Edinburgh. It's a cute little town on Linlithgow Loch, with cobble stone streets and a beautiful park (peel) along the water.

We started at The Cross, a main (but small) intersection that houses the Town Hall, the former court house (now our hotel), and a fountain that served the central well, as well as a gathering place - kind of like a water cooler.

Behind Town Hall is St. Michael's Parish Church, with weird crown of thorns that was added in the 1970s and a churchyard most of the way around. The church was founded before 1138, and the headstones 1500 and later are mostly still upright and legible. We did see an older section down the hill that was not accessible.

Unfortunately, Linlithgow Palace was closed for restoration. This was the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots, and housed royalty at least as far back as 1124 until 1745. We did get to walk around the peel, and it seems like a popular spot with locals. This is the first town where we haven't been surrounded by Americans, so that was nice.

Walked down to see the town icon, the Black Bitch of Linlithgow. The legend is that a criminal was chained to a tree on the island in the loch, left to starve to death. But he didn't die, and didn't die, and didn't die... The townspeople finally figured out that his dog was swimming out to him and taking him food. So they chained her up too, and they both died. (Rude.) But the city eventually came to appreciate her loyalty and bravery; she now features on the town's coat of arms, and is hailed as a symbol of the fighting spirit of the locals.

And then it was time to head to Dublin!

We knew we'd gotten pretty spoiled with TSA pre-check at home, but the EDI airport really put that into focus. Things have relaxed a lot at home, but here, all liquids still need to be put into a separate bag. We were, shall we say, unprepared. After a frantic dig and toss through the bags, we got to the end of the xray to be informed there was still liquid in my backpack. The agent figured it out before I did: "Ezzett whiskay?" It was, in fact, whiskay - 3 little airplane sized bottles that we had bought in Edinburgh. So she pulls out the little bottles and holds them up to some kind of scanner, which beeps, and she tosses them back in my bag and sends us on our way. We have drug dogs; apparently the Scots have a whiskey detector. 😂

Flight was delayed about an hour, which was not all bad because honestly, I'm sad to leave Scotland. Haste we back? I sure hope so.

Tiiiiny plane to Ireland

[our-chaoticwhispers]

What Are The Chances (Pt 4)

Pairing:  Chris Pine x Reader

Warning: Fluffy, maybe a touch of angst

Summary: After dating for over a year, you and Chris run into a road block of sorts. Will you be able to come back from it?

A/N: Sorry this took so long to write this. Life decided to kick me while I was already down. But, here it is, and I hope you like it!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Word Count: 2,236 (Oops..)

The months flew by, and before you knew it, it was your one year anniversary. You can Chris had never been happier. Both of your careers were blooming, and you love life was nothing short of perfect.

Well, almost perfect. Though the two of you had never gotten into a full blown argument, there were a couple bumps here and there. The biggest one being Chris's sex appeal. It seemed like every girl wanted to throw themselves at him. You never thought that you were the jealous type, and to an extent, you weren't. But, there was always that voice inside that questions if you are good enough for him.

Over the last year, you had been doing a damn fine job of ignoring that voice, with the help of Chris, of course. Whenever you were together, he would make sure that you knew he loved you. He'd tell you all the time, he never seemed to stop touching you, and he'd constantly surprise you with new and innovative ways to show that he loved you. Even if it was something small, like playing your favorite music in the car instead of his.

Tonight was no exception. It was your one year anniversary, and he knew exactly how the night would play out. He had the day planned to a T! When you woke up and walked down stairs he was in your kitchen, making your favorite breakfast while listening to the playlist you made of all your favorite songs.

"Good morning, gorgeous." He said when he heard you walk in. He was wearing your favorite outfit, tight khaki jeans, an even tighter white shirt and the cardigan you bought him for his birthday.

"Good morning, baby." You laughed and wipe some flour off his forehead before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Smells amazing." You commented before turning to set the table.

You sat down to eat, talking about your day yesterday, the interviews the two of you had done, and the movies you had coming up. You both were happy to have some time off to spend with each other. Chris seemed anxious, and you could tell why. But, it unnerved you that he kept checking his phone.

"Something wrong?" You asked around a bite of food.

"Hmm?" He seemed caught off guard, and nervous. "No, everything is fine. I gotta run though, babe." He stood, put his dish in the washer, pecked you on the head and left.

Well, that was odd. He didn't even say I love you, Chris always says I love you. You tried not to dwell on it and went about cleaning up the mess he left behind. God love, but the man uses every dish in the house when he cooks. You were just about to put the last dish away when your phone rang. The screen lit up, informing you that Zoe was calling. The two of you had become best friends while filming Star Trek.

"Hey, girl!" You answered brightly!

"Hey, Zach and I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out today. I'm thinking mani/pedi spa day!"

"Oh, my god that sounds amazing. When are you going?"

"About an hour or so. I'll text you the address."

"Perfect, I'll see you then." You hung up and went to get ready.

After a gloriously long, hot shower, you set about to get ready. You walked into the office to get a book to read while you were out and about when you saw Chris's laptop open on his emails. You weren't one to snoop, but the subject line caught your attention.

Can't wait to see you.

Your heart dropped, and you couldn't help but read the email.

Hey Chris,

I would love to talk to you more. Meet me for lunch at Perch on Hill Street at about 12:45. My treat :)

-Linda

Perch? That was your favorite restaurant. Why was he meeting some girl there for lunch? Maybe it's about a new role or something, you tried to rationalize away. But, your heart sank. Was that why he was acting so weird?

You tried to push the thought from your mind, tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. Chris would never cheat on you. You know he loves you. But still...

You arrived at the spa and met up with Zoe and Zach, hugs and kisses on the cheek were exchanged, but Zach noticed you weren't your normal chipper self.

"You okay?" He asked, concern etched in his features.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. It's just been a weird day." You looked at your sandals.

"Well, let's get this party started!" Zoe said, trying to brighten your mood and handing you a flute of champagne.

"Thanks!" You said with a smile, accepting the drink and raising a toast to your friends.

The spa day was amazing, and you did feel better. A fresh set of acrylic nails and a pedicure could do that for a girl like you. You looked over at Zoe who held her rumbling stomach.

"What? It's almost one and I'm hungry. You two want to grab a bite?"

"Yeah! Perch is near by and I know you love that place!" Zach said.

"I'll get an Uber," Zoe said, already calling one up before you could say anything.

The drive to Perch didn't take very long, and you were seated outside almost immediately. You were trying to casually look around for Chris, who should be here by now. When you finally spotted him, your heart sank, he was sitting with a rather attractive woman who was in her mid-thirties and they were laughing and she grabbed his hand.

"I know that look, what's wrong?" Zoe asked.

"Nothing." You said and placed your order.

She let the topic drop, knowing you well enough to let it go. The three of you ate and talked, caught up with each other and were laughing at a story Zach was telling you when Zoe noticed Chris getting up to leave.

"Chris! What are you doing here?"

"Hey, guys. Hey, sweetie." He kissed you on the cheek. "I was just having lunch with a friend. What are you three trouble makers up to?"

You wanted to kick him. Did he have no remorse? You just caught him eating with another woman. Zoe, Zach, and Chris chatted for a bit before Chris checked his watch and said he had to run. Kissing the top of your head as he left. The three of you hung around a little while longer before Zach checked his phone and told you that he and Zoe had to head out, saying they were due at the studio for some pre-production work on the new Star Trek.

"That's weird," Zach said, paying the bill and handing you a piece of paper that had your name on it. "We gotta run. See you later!"

You said your goodbyes and read the piece of paper. You noticed it was in Chris's hand writing.

Aw, so you got my note! My plan is working perfectly. For our one year anniversary, I wanted to do something extra special. I know you love scavenger hunts, so prepare yourself for the best one ever!

Your task, should you choose to accept it is to go home, and find your favorite book. Your next clue is in there.

Love you,

-C

As luck would have it, you had that book with you. You opened the cover to find another note and read it while climbing into your Uber.

Congratulations! You found the next note! Your next clue is to find something blue where I hide my dirty clothes. The clue is attached to it.

-C

You drove home, still trying not to jump conclusions about the date you caught Chris on. But, it was still playing on your mind. 'something blue where I hide my dirty clothes.'  Under the bed?  You walked into to the bed and look under it. Sure enough, there is a bright blue suit case under there. You pull it out and grab the attached.

DO NOT OPEN THE SUIT CASE!

There will be a car coming to get you at 3. Be ready.

-C

What the fuck is this man up to?! You tried to call him, but it went straight to voicemail. You tried to call Zoe and Zach, but no one answered. You finally broke down and called his dad, Robert, but he said he hasn't heard from Chris today, but whatever he was doing sounded like one hell of a surprise.

You waited around for the car to show up and went outside to meet the driver. He handed you an envelope and said that he was told to tell you not to open it until you got to the airport.

Airport?!

When you arrived, your assistant Elaina was there waiting for you. She smiled and walked up to you with a neck pillow and blanket in tow.

"El, what the hell is going on? Where am I going?"

"I promised Chris I wouldn't tell you. So, I'm not saying anything. But, you are all checked in, I'll take your bag. Your flight leaves in thirty minutes." She grabbed your bag and walked to the desk to have it checked in.

You waved your goodbye and walked to the TSA queue. Fifteen minutes later, you were on a jet to who knows where. The stewardess handed you a tablet with a video queued up.

Hey, baby. By now you are probably wondering what the hell is going on, and who could blame you. But don't worry, it'll all make sense soon, I promise. The plane is stocked with all your favorites, so enjoy the flight. I love you so much and I'll see you when you land.

-C

You don't know how long you had been asleep for when the pilot announced that you were landing. It was too dark to make out where in the world you were currently. Once you got off the plane, you found out that you were in Dublin, Ireland. You had always dreamed of going to Ireland but hadn't got yet, because you wanted it to be special. As you walked to the baggage claim you saw a man holding a sign with your name on it, with your blue suitcase next to him.

"Miss (Y/L/N)?" He said in a wonderfully lilting accent.

"Yep, that's me." You said with a smile. He handed you another note and a garment bag and directed you to his limo.

SURPRISE! You made it to Ireland, finally. Now, the drive should have handed you a bag. Get changed and I'll see you soon.

-C

Changing in the back of a limo was a piece of cake for you now, the dress Chris had for you was amazing. It was a green, A-line cocktail dress that had a white to green ombre lace top, matching shoes and the cardigan he was wearing this morning. The drive took about 30 minutes before the driver knocked on the door to make sure you were dressed. When you opened and stepped out and saw Chris standing on the shore with a bouquet of your favorite flowers, and that million dollar smile.

You were hesitant, but walked over to him and hugged him. He sensed the uneasiness in your hug and pulled back to look at you.

"What's wrong? Aren't you excited to be here? I planned this for months." He said smiling down at you.

"Who was that women you were with? At Perch?" You couldn't stop yourself from asking. "Why was she emailing you?"

Chris looked at you, confusion etched into his stupid, perfect face. "That was Linda, she's an event planner. We were going over everything to make sure this went off without a hitch."

Suddenly you felt so stupid. Of course! Chris couldn't plan something this big all on his own, and not have you notice.

"Were you jealous?" He teased you. But then, his face suddenly turned serious. "(Y/N), I love you. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met, and I would never think about another woman when I have you waiting for me."

"I know, I just.. I saw the email, and then you two were on a date. Well, I thought it was a date. I'm sorry, I love you, too. This is the best anniversary gift ever."

"This isn't the gift." He said looking suddenly nervous. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, and your heart stopped. "The gift i-is me. Forever." You could see the tears welling in his eyes as he looked at you before getting down on one knee.

"(Y/F/M), I love you more than I ever believed I could love another person. I wake up every day with a smile on my face from knowing that you love me, too. You make me a better man, and I can't imagine not having you by my side. You are my best friend and the love of my life. Will you make my life complete by agreeing to mar-"

You cut him off by throwing yourself on him and kissing him with all the love you could muster.

"YES! Oh my god! Yes!!" You couldn't contain the tears that freely flowed down your face. "I love you, too!"

[actuallyservicedogs]

Can you tell me like the proper way to fly with a SD? I'm taking a school trip in about a month or so and I might be taking my SD. I don't know what airline we're taking but her tasks are to help my pain (I have a psychical disability) but it is an invisible disability. I might have my wheelchair but idk about wheelchairs on airplanes either. How would the airline accommodate my wheelchair? And would I have to bring a note for my SD since her tasks are not psych?

Hi! I just recently flew with my SDiT and my wheelchair (two weeks ago) so I may be of some help!

First, no – as your disability is physical, you do not need to have a note for your dog. If you’d like to stay safe just in case you run into any access issues, you can bring vaccination records and a letter from your doctor but it isn’t legally necessary.  I’m gonna go through step by step how this worked for me, okay?

- First, when you buy your ticket (if you’re buying online) there should be an option for you to select that you have a disability. There was when I bought my last plane ticket. I marked that I have my own wheelchair and that I have an assistance animal. Southwest has free seating so this isn’t an issue but it would also be a good idea to call your airline after purchasing your ticket to see if you can get bulkhead seating. This simply allows more foot room. If they cannot give you bulkhead, you can ask if they can reserve a second seat for you to leave more room for you as well. If they can’t, it’s okay. It’ll just be a little squishy. 

- When you get to the airport, your first step is going to be to check in and get your boarding pass. As you’ll have a service dog, you need to go up and physically and check in. You won’t be able to use the kiosks or anything. They’ll mark that you have a dog on your ticket and they’ll likely take the brand, color, etc of your wheelchair. When I did it, the guy asked for my dog’s “papers” and I told him he was not legally allowed to ask me that question. That was the end of it. They took my luggage and checked it (since I was doing that) and put a luggage tag on my wheelchair as well. 

- You will then go to security. Most airlines will allow you one carry on and one personal item. I had my backpack and a bag with my SDiT’s items. I also had a wheelchair cushion that they needed to run through the x-ray too. What happens here completely depends on your situation. With your wheelchair, they will ask you if you can walk or if you need to go through in your chair. I was able to walk this time. If you cannot walk, they will have you wheel through a gate that also has a metal detector and then they will give you a pat down on the other side. They will give you a same-sex TSA agent and they check your pockets, arms, between your legs, under your breasts if you have them. They will also use a thing to check your hands and your chair for chemicals. 

I walked through for mine because I had my SDiT and I wanted to make sure things went smoothly. I took off all my things such as shoes, jackets, etc as you do normally. I also had to take off all of my service dog’s gear. This is something that you may need to work on with your dog: whenever I came in from outside with my dog, I had her sit, wait while I took her gear off, wait while I walked away, and then called her to me. We also worked on her putting her chin on my hand and me guiding her like that. This worked perfect for walking through security. She sat naked and waited for me to walk through, came through when called, and then walked with me to a chair they had waiting for me. They will likely check your hands for chemical residue too. The TSA agent I was working with brought me her collar and leash as soon as we got through security so that was nice.

- Once you’re through security, you’re good to go! If you decide not to bring your own chair, this is a great place to tell TSA you need assistance to your gate. A transfer chair or a wheelchair with someone to push you will be waiting on the other side to take you to your gate. If you brought your own chair, depending on how much time you have, you can just make your way to your gate on your own time!

- Once you get to your gate, you want to find that little desk that every gate has. They likely won’t do anything with your SD but they need to put a tag on your wheelchair to make sure the luggage guys keep it at the plane door and have it ready for you when you get to your destination. You will also be told that you qualify for pre-boarding. You get to board the plane first because you are disabled. They will also ask you if you can walk to your seat or if you need assistance. If you need help, there will be someone waiting for you to have a transfer chair for you to transfer to and they’ll use that to take you to your seat. 

- They’ll tell you that they are starting pre boarding soon. If you are receiving assistance, someone likely will have already approached you. If not, they’ll simply just let you board. I have a mat for my SDiT so I got into our seat first and got her mat. Once her mat was down, I told her to settle and that was it! Your SD cannot be on the seat (I had Cricket hop on for a minute because it was easier to move around in the cramped space but she didn’t stay there). If your dog has never flown before, have treats ready to give them during takeoff and landing. I had dog treats and cheese sticks in my SDiTs bag and they let it go through so that was good. If you like, you can have something quiet and not stinky for your SD to chew on depending on how long your flights are. I had two with a layover between so mine were pretty short. 

And that’s it! Southwest was pretty painless and everyone was very educated on disability and my chair and my dog. I have heard different stories from other people from different airlines. It will definitely help if you make sure they mark that you have an SD on your ticket when you purchase it whether it be through the website or calling the airline afterwards. 

People can feel free to add anything if I missed anything or if they have any other suggestions!

Good luck!

Chelsea

[stellaswallowedthemoon]

There are so many things to try to figure out when preparing for travel by flight. Will it cost the same to check a bag during ticket purchase as it would to check it during pre-flight check in? Would I be able to fit 5 days worth of stuff into a carry on bag when I notoriously overpack? Can I even find a carry on bag that satisfies FAA requirements (so far, the ones I have found are 47", not the 45 Delta claims is up to FAA standards)? How many hours early should I arrive? Should I pay to park my car there while I'm gone or should I have my boyfriend drive me and therefore arrive super hella early because he will have to be at work at 4am and that would mean dropping me off at 3am for my morning flight..... can I bring a water bottle - does it need to be clear or a certain size? How can I bring snacks prepared at home - I've seen people do this but it also seems like a no no woth TSA? So many questions and so few answers.