Bon Voyage!

So here's the thing. I was sitting at my computer the other day, Wednesday, the fourteenth, to be exact, when my sister in Florida called. She had just bought me a ticket to Miami for May 29th. I cannot begin to explain the shock I felt. I knew I was planning to go to Florida sometime this summer. However I wasn't expecting it this soon. I remembered mumbling that I didn't have a passport in which she promptly told me, "you'd better get one then". I asked her if she had taken out any cancellation insurance in which she reponded with a resounding, "nope". Feeling panicked I started scrambling. After an incredibly stressful evening, I found my way down to the passport office the next day. Surprisingly enough it only took me 15 minutes to get the job done and 2 minutes to pick it up when it was ready. So here I am, getting ready to embark on my lonely journey. What you couldn't see was the tears I was shedding at having to walk away from my husband and go through the scary world of American customs by myself. In case you didn't know this for anyone travelling to the States. Make sure you say your goodbyes downstairs because there's not much room for that upstairs. By the way did I tell you that my sister wants me to stay until July 2nd? These are my wheels! It's a little small but it got me to the first stop over in Boston. I was a little disappointed that there weren't any entertainment but I guess that might be because the flight was only an hour. As you can see Boston was quite busy. With only an hour in between flights, it wasn't long before I was on the next plane heading for Charlotte, North Carolina. Again there wasn't any on board entertainment but they did give me 2 cookies and some herbal tea. I thought that would give me a "worldly traveller" look. I even considered pulling out my laptop but I didn't exactly look business-like in my "Canada" t-shirt and baggy capris. After leaving the relative comfort of a Canadian airline, I was a litte nervous about boarding an American plane. I know that sounds crazy but you don't hear too often about a Canadian plane being hi-jacked or bombed, no offense meant to any of my American friends. As you can see, these wheels are a little bit larger than the last. However it did very little to calm the nerves. Generally speaking, I love to fly. I love airplanes. I would live near an airport just to see the planes take off and land. Yeah I know, weird! I also thought that since I was in Charlotte's airport, I'd take some pictures. This one's for you, Jeff and Kathy. I couldn't resist since you guys love racing so much. I didn't get a chance to eat there since I was running short on time. The seats were made out of tire rims as well as the barstools. It was pretty cool to see. This is another shot of the same cafe.
I didn't take too many pictures because I felt like an idiot standing in the middle of the airport, snapping pictures, while everyone was tearing off to various destinations. With the t-shirt and camera, could you tell I was a tourist? I guess that's why I chose to wear my Canadian t-shirt. I felt safer wearing the "maple leaf". Anyway you know racing is a big thing here when you go into the airport and see a restaurant crammed full of memorabilias totally devoted to the sport. I know Jeff and Kathy would have given this place a go. Too bad it didn't have a little race track that you could try out after a meal. This was the last pitstop for me before reaching Fort Lauderdale. All in all it had been pretty smooth sailing. There really is a different atmosphere when you enter the United States. Maybe it has something to do with so many people all trying to get somewhere in a hurry. Anyway I slept most of the time on the last leg but still manage to get a couple of shots before and after. I was especially pleased with the outcome of the shots from the air. Whenever I am in a plane above the clouds, I always feel a sense of awe at how far "man" has progressed in a "worldly" sense and yet does not always recognize God's Hands in all their achievements. Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be landing in Fort Lauderdale in about 15 minutes. We hope you enjoyed your flight. Thank you for flying with us and welcome to Florida!