Kicking it

Special to Village News

As the days creep closer to lift off for my big birthday celebration departing March 20, my trainer Kellen has amped up my workout program. We meet Fridays and weigh in twice a month. While my last weigh in showed I’d lost over 3 pounds of body fat, yeah! I’d picked up about the same in water weight, boo! I’m guessing it’s my after-supper snack – salted, buttered popcorn. After seeing so much water retention, I’ve reduced my popcorn portion by half.

The good news is all I need now to work out is me. This new program is an “athletic one,” Kellen said. Athletic? Never before has it been a descriptor in reference to me. I am sedentary. Seems like everything is changing. My new routine is 10 situps, 10 pushups, 10 squats and 10 jumping jacks. And the goal is 50 of each. Oh, yeah, that is less than half of my new routine which he is gonna put me through, and he will be timing it. Add me to your prayers.

Here’s is what happened after my new Friday program. Saturday morning two weeks ago, I could barely move. I felt every achy muscle. My shoulder sockets were locked up. My back muscles were on fire, and my thigh muscles were a reminder of how many deep squats I’d done.

I promised to tell you about the rest of my birthday trip. Here is something you probably didn’t know. Every time you change an airline ticket, it is reticketed. Didn’t know, didn’t care. That is until my flight to Europe was canceled.

Right. American Airlines canceled my roundtrip business class trip to Europe that I booked and paid for Aug. 5, 2019. Shocker, huh?

It was a blessing to discover the screw-up weeks before I left. I am still haunted by the nightmare of discovering the worst the night before when I went to print my tickets.

Here is what happened. I agreed to pay $500 to change a nonrefundable, nonchangeable ticket because my plans adjusted. I didn’t need to go to Zurich because the bridge program at Lake Como moved from March to May. Therefore, I figured to spend that time in Paris.

Last November when I contacted AARP travel by Expedia, the agent agreed to charge the reticketing fee of $500 using my new credit card number. It has been my custom to cancel my Mastercard after an extensive trip so I don’t worry about unlawful charges.

I gave her the new number but as it turned out, she charged the old number which triggered the cancellation in November. So, for over two months I didn’t know all of my flights with American Airlines had been canceled, because of course, the old card was declined. Gobs of money lost. The worst – I didn’t know about it. I was never notified.

Long story short, I spent 5 and a half hours with an AARP travel manager to recreate my flights. He couldn’t rebook my flights on American but did book me business class on Delta flying directly into Paris just 45 minutes after my granddaughter lands.

I left off in the last article talking about my plan for March 28, when I catch the Orient Express train to London. I have a single cabin with a wash basin but everything else is outside of my room. We will be delivered to the train platform as part of the journey in time for a morning refreshment, followed by lunch, tea time and a Roaring Twenties party during the dinner time.

I plan to wear a flowery, yellow Asian pajama set with frogs and yellow slippers. I still need to find a glittery headband, and I am even thinking of carrying a long cigarette holder for effect. What you think? Too much?

I am unclear about the train route. I do not have all of the travel information, yet it is my belief this train does not go farther north than Paris. When the paperwork arrives, I will know more.

Arriving Sunday, March 29, into London’s central station, it’s only a short ride over to the Paddington station to catch a train south to Paignton, England, for a four-day bridge excursion overlooking the sea.

We’ll head back to London, April 2, in time to see “The Mouse Trap” Thursday and leave Friday open to explore London. On Saturday, I fly home completing my 15-day 75th birthday celebration.