On April 15th, 2016 my best friends headed to Miami in celebration of one of our bachelorette parties. No, it was not my bach party. It was Katelyn’s. Don’t worry – I didn’t get engaged without sharing all the news with you. One day, hopefully. Anyhoo, It was a beautiful weekend of weather and girl bonding. Just what the bride-to-be wanted.
WHAT I WORE:
BLOUSE by Forever 21 – SHORTS by Forever 21 – SHOES by Accessorize – BAG by Accessorize– BRACELETS by Accessorize – RINGS by Accessorize – SUNGLASSES by Street Shopping Find – EARRINGS from Chloe & Isabel – NECKLACE by Chloe & Isabel – HAIRBAND by Dina Braids & Jewels
Although the weekend was nice, getting there was another story. Layne and I decided to travel to Miami together since we were the only two leaving on the same day and basically coming from the same direction. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:30pm from JFK to MIA. Trying to avoid any traffic that may have occurred and wanting to grab a bite to eat for dinner in the air port before boarding, I left my house 4 hours before our scheduled flight. Keep in mind it takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour without traffic to arrive at JFK from my house in New Jersey. Long story short, My dad and I were stuck in 3.5 hours of traffic heading to the airport because of construction that wasn’t even active. I think Layne was only stuck in 1 hour of traffic coming from Manhattan. The amount of stress my body was undergoing in the car with the constant stopping for 20 minutes to then driving slowly for 5 minutes was through the roof. I just needed to get to the airport. When I finally arrived to my gates curb with 45 minutes to spare, I popped out of the car grabbed my bags and tried to find an attendant. I was in sheer panic. No one was there to curbside-check by luggage. Finally someone showed up what seamed like 10 minutes later but was only probably 30 seconds later and told me that curbside check in was closed. At this point Layne is already through security and is sitting waiting for me at our terminal. I ran into the airport and found another attendant who was speaking and moving at the most glacial pace one has even seen. He was the only one there to speak with, too. Just my luck. I had already checked into my flight online so all I had to do was check my very large suitcase. When I asked him where to go, he told me very slowly, “Oh, you can’t check your bag anymore!” I go, “What do you mean? There is fifty minutes left till my flight leaves! I have plenty of time to make it there!” He responds, Well your bag isn’t going to make it on the flight! I respond, “What are you talking about? Why can’t my bag make it on the flight?” He replies, “It’s too late for that!” (at this point he is being so unclear as to why by bag wont make it onto the flight that I thought my head was going to pop off and with all this time being wasted wasted…well you’ll see what happens next) The airport attendant then in the most glacial pace tells me, “Miss, ad this rate you wont be making it on to the flight either! It is too late!” I started to get a bit testy with him and say, “Well why the hell no?? My flight doesn’t leave for 45 minutes!! First you tell me my bag wont make it onto the flight without any explanation as to why and now you are telling me that I wont make it into the flight with 45 minutes to spare to get through security, which is empty right now, my friend just told me! Why are you saying this!??” YOU KNOW WHAT? JUST TELL ME WHERE TO GO TO CHECK BY BAG!!!” So, he points and says just go over there which was the most nondescript description I’ve ever been given. I figured out where to go and when I get there there was only 4 people in front of me all going to the same place. When I arrived to the counter to check my bag, I lifted it onto the scale and she then tells me, “Oh ma’am, you can’t check this!” Now, Layne called me asking what was talking so long since the airport was basically empty. Our flight was the last one to leave. I told her I’d call her back when I had more information. I proceed to ask the attendant why my bag wont make it into the flight and told her what just happened with the other attendant for the past few minutes. She began to tell me that the TSA closed the security check or bags… Well I flipped out, “I am here 50 minutes before the flight and you just told me that I needed to be here an hour to fourty-five minutes before the flight. Well, Here I am! Check my bag!” she replies “I’m sorry Ma’am, there’s nothing I can do! They closed it early!” I yelled, “WELL OPEN IT BACK UP! There was no reason to have closed it early, there are still people here waiting to get into the flight! Who in their right mind would close security five minutes early when there are still people waiting to check in and board?” I then asked her if she could send my bag along and I’d pick it up later or if the airline could send it along on another flight and they could deliver it to my hotel which would be before I would get there. But at least it would be there. While all of this was going on Layne was begging the flight attendants at our gate to hold the plane and open up security all while fifteen to twenty more people who were also stuck in traffic and in a total panic filled up in line behind me. It was like a total stampede. They were fighting each other in line, trying to get in front of one another, it was total chaos! As I was speaking with the attendant a TSA member took five people that were on my flight through. Well I flipped out. The attendant made it look like she did not see what just happened, but she was looking at them when it happened. This just made me so irate. I had to get on that flight! In the middle of all of this upset, she asked me if getting on this flight was an emergency and I told her it was. She then proceeded to tell me about flights I could take the following day. I laughed and expressed, “How could taking a flight tomorrow help me get there tonight?” At this time there was about 25 minutes till my flight was taking off. Yes, I was speaking with her for about thirty minutes on trying to figure all of this out and asking every single question imaginable. I then asked her to look up flights departing that night from LGA or Newark. There was nothing available. All of the last flights leaving were at 7:30pm or 7:53 PM and I wouldn’t make them. She then tells me about a flight leaving from JFK on Saturday morning at 8:03am – I told her to book it. She then asked me for my credit card to process payment of cancellation and re-booking for only $50.00 for all of my trouble. I just looked at her and laughed saying there is no way in hell I am paying Delta anything more. This whole ordeal was your mess-up. Discounting me to $50.00 is an insult. So she then proceeded to wave the fee, rightfully so. She also pre-checked me in as well so all I had to do was show up. I was very frazzled and very upset, crying on the phone with Layne how I can’t believe all of this happened. I had never missed a flight in my life, I had two hours of sleep the night before, I left my house at 3:30pm to be at the airport by 5:00pm. I now would only have most of Saturday and Sunday in Miami. I also felt terrible that Layne was flying on her own when it was supposed to be us going together. As I got into the car and hung up with Layne, her mom called me asking what happened. She was concerned and upset for me and offed me to stay longer in Florida if my flight was to leave on Sunday, which was so wonderful. We spoke for a while and she helped calm me down as did Layne’s mother in law, too. It was really nice to know that there were others looking out for me, too!
On the way home my dad and I were stuck in about 2-3 hours of traffic. We got back to NJ around 10:30pm then grabbed a bite to eat, picked up my mom from her friends house which was near the restaurant. I didn’t get home till about midnight. I was so concerned about waking up at early to get to the airport at 6:30am that I couldn’t sleep. SO again, I had about 1-2 hours of sleep. I honestly don’t know how I did this. When I arrived to the airport again, it was a z00. my mom came in with me and helped me carry my bags because I was so tired I was shaking and felt like I was going to drop. I walked to the back of the very very very long check in line and then one minute later they called me to come to the front. My mom spoke to someone explaining the situation from yesterday and they had me cut the line! Thank g-d for mom and her magic because I would have probably dropped if I had to wait in line that long just to check my bag. The security check also took about an hour. I just couldn’t wait to get on the plane. I finally made it to my gate with about an hour to spare and relax so I did my makeup.
Three Hours Later I arrived in Miami. I took a taxi to the Crescent Hotel in South Beach. On my ride there the sun started to come out from what was a very cloudy day, just in time for me to relax and enjoy a weekend with my best girlfriends. It was my first time in Miami too so I was excited to see all of the very art-deco architecture. As I got to the hotel I was greeting by my girlfriends who just made a beach bag run from Walgreen’s. I checked in and went up to the room, dropped my bags, put on my bathing suit, ran to Starbucks to get a cup of coffee, and walked with the bachelorette party to Float-topia. (a big float party on the beach). It was really fun splashing around and floating around with everyone. A few hours later we returned to the hotel, showered and got ready for a fun night out on the town. We partied till 5AM. (I do not know who I did that. I was awake for almost 48 hours. I guess it was the adrenaline of just wanting to simply have fun celebrating Katelyn with my best girls) We spent the night bar hopping and dancing the night away at a few night clubs! Katelyn was having such a great time! When we got back to the hotel, we crashed and woke up the next day for brunch around 10:30AM and did it all over again but much more low key! After brunch Kelly shot the photos you see above! Aren’t they great? I keep telling her she needs to take up photography on the side! These were all shot with my iPhone since my SLR wasn’t cooperating for some unknown reason. I think maybe, it too wanted to have some relaxation on the beach! (haha) Sunday was all about the beach! We spent a few hours resting, swimming and tanning for a few hours and I got a pretty nice sun…burn! Oh yes! I was red. It happened after the shoot you see above. After the beach we came back to the hotel and got ready for dinner and a mini celebration of Layne’s birthday which was the next day!
The rest of the night was spent chilling on the porch of the hotel, just relaxing, bonding, and laughing over many funny happenings including how I was given the nickname Milk-Dud for going to Walgreen’s and purchasing water, string cheese, and a box of Milk-Duds. The girls thought it was the most random purchase ever made to be consumed simultaneously. They all were hysterical with laughter. I tried to convince them that this purchase was a multipurpose one, but they weren’t having it. (hahaha) The cheese sticks were for the flight on Monday afternoon and the water and Milk-Duds were for that night! Not to all be eaten together. So, from that point on – I was addressed as Milk-Dud. I mean, the are really good after-all! I hadn’t had them in years and saw them and was like ” HELL YEA!! ” It was just really nice to be all curled up in a shared blanket with Porscha cuddling next to Kelly, Katelyn and the rest of the girls as we watched the ocean from afar, laughing and re-connecting as a group!
The next morning we finished packing, said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways to the airport.
It was a really fun weekend and I hope we all get to have these girls trips more often! They are truly very special.
xoxo Dara Senders – The Style Senders
Photography by Kelly Cox
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