Let me state something from the start – I am not a fan of the Las Vegas airport, nay, I may even use the word hate. I have spent so much time here, they should give me a paycheck. I was a little nervous about how things would go right now. We flew out of Baltimore last night at 9 p.m., arrived just before midnight, Vegas time. I knew we had 8ish hours to kill and I was nervous. I did so much research. I didn’t think I’d want to leave the airport. So I dug down into the store directory of the airport. What I found made my feelings for this airport even worse….pretty much everything in the airport closes by 10 and doesn’t open until 4/5. I even looked into paying for a lounge (not like me!) As we made our way through my old nemesis, my stomach ached. I think it was a combination of poor sleep the last few days, too much caffeine and being hunched over for 6 hours…..or maybe it hurt from clenching every time the baby cried….the baby that cried pretty much the whole flight….I’m surprised my ears don’t hurt from my music being turned up so loud. But I digress.

When we have a normal layover, we check the monitors to see where our next flight is and set up shop near by. I cannot tell you how weird it is to be at the airport 9 hours before your flight….when your flight is not on the departures screen. But looking at the listings, our airline is mostly in one terminal….on the other side of the airport. So we trek, as I’m nearly doubled over in pain, disheartened by the closed gates, the dark stores and the lack of anything open. We settle into our favorite spot next to a moving sidewalk. I sit for a few minutes feeling pretty weak and maybe even a little dizzy. I grab my phone and wallet and head on a journey. A few years back, we ate at The Great Steak Potato and just loved it. I love it to the point that I go there to get my layover food, no matter where we are in the airport. Friends, as I walked down the terminal, my heart alighted, my eyes shone and I almost cried when I saw that this store was open. Not just open but bustling with no signs of closing. I got food, surprised Bret with a beer and ate my fill. This was yesterday’s Christmas miracle.

After eating, I put my head on my little backpack, and hoped I could get some sleep. I have a long history of not being able to sleep while traveling, whether in a car or a plane or in an airport. I mostly get stuck in this awful, dreamlike state where I’m way too tired to read or work but way too awake to sleep. With this layover looming before me, I was nervous. Was I going to completely regret this decision? Should we have driven? Would I be wandering the airport? No! I laid my head down and I slept. I actually slept. I got a good 3 hours of sleep. While no 7-8+ hours like I’m used to….I feel absolutely fantastic!

Even though we still have about 3 hours until we take off (Lord willing….), my flight is on the board now and I am enjoying my first Starbucks Peppermint Mocha of the year. I love my Dunkin, but Starbucks Peppermint Mocha is totally on point.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

Here is my beautiful potato from last night! Seriously, almost cried while eating this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget.
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel