4:30 a.m. came way too quickly, but somehow we all made it out of bed in time to quickly change, brush our teeth, and pack the rest of our stuff in time to be in the lobby for our 4:30 pick up time. I even had time to make a cup of coffee to help me wake up, but I didn't have enough time to drink it.
We headed straight for the airport, which was about 20 minutes away. We made it through security pretty quickly, and then we stopped at two stores to buy the souvenirs we didn't have much of a chance to buy during our stay. (We'll definitely make sure that more time to shop gets put into the schedule for next year.)
After we shopped, we went to our gate to leave our luggage and go in shifts to find breakfast. I ended up staying with the luggage while all the kids went with Greicy to find something to eat. As they were looking for a place, a big keychain rack full of keychains fell and knocked them all off. Our kids jumped in to help the poor guy pick them all up. When they finished, he offered them each a keychain for free. Greicy said they all just helped out of the kindness of their hearts, but he insisted. I was happy to hear about their experience of helping someone and then also having something tangible to remember it.
They finally came back with food, and then I walked to a coffee shop to get a good cup of coffee and a ham and cheese croissant breakfast sandwich. My last taste of Puerto Rico.
We soon boarded the plane, got seats all together, and I gladly welcomed the window seat where I could just stare out the window and "disconnect" for awhile. I'm always mesmerized by looking down from high places and seeing how small life really is.
I especially love flying over the ocean and seeing the islands below us. It's so neat to see how the water color looks so different around them.
I also love watching the flight tracker to know exactly where we are.
Our first flight went quite smoothly, and they made the announcement that we were arriving in Orlando and would be landing soon, ahead of schedule. I almost texted the parents to say we were about to land in Orlando, but then we seemed to go higher, not lower. We circled around Orlando for quite some time before the pilot said that Mother Nature had other plans for us and we couldn't land during the thunderstorm. So we took a detour and flew south to West Palm Beach to land, refuel, and wait out the storm in Orlando. We got to West Palm Beach within about 20 minutes and sat there for probably another 20-30 minutes more to wait our turn on the runway. The weather in Orlando cleared, so we finally took off and landed in the right place about two hours off schedule. Thankfully we had a long layover, anyway, so it didn't affect our connecting flight. We got to Atlanta and had plenty of time to eat a good lunch, shop a little more, and board our plane. (The earlier storms did affect the entire schedule for the day, so that plane was slightly delayed for take-off.) So now I guess I can say that I've also been to West Palm Beach!
We all finally boarded the plane, just in time for another storm to pass through, so we couldn't take off for about an hour until it stopped lightning. Once we eventually got in the air, we pulled out the cards to entertain us.
This flight I sat with two of the kids for one last Phase 10 tournament. I love how a deck of cards can be so much fun and make the time pass so much more quickly. We played a whole game of Phase 10, then a game of Skipbo, and still had a little bit of time left to just talk.
The other girls fell asleep and slept for most of the flight.
The pilot came on saying that we'd be landing in about 15 minutes, and then they all woke up and acted super giddy. Everyone was more than ready to see their families, and their families were anxiously awaiting them at the airport after all the delays from the day.
When we got off the plane and met up with their families, they all gave big hugs to both me and Greicy, as well, thanking us for all we did to take care of their children.
Though only a five day trip, I watched each child grow and mature in different ways. I think the independence gave them a new confidence, they tried new things, they learned a new kind of flexibility, and they learned the importance of being a team. With all of the rushing, packing and repacking, and then waiting through unexpected delays, they never once complained. I couldn't have asked for a better group of troopers, just going with the flow and cooperating at every turn. It was a life-changing opportunity that will impact them forever. I'm so thankful I got to be part of the original 7. They will always have a very special place in my heart, and traveling with them gave me a better glimpse into their world outside the classroom, which can only help me better connect with future students.
But I'm also super thankful to be home and settled for the summer. This girl is ready to put on the brakes and stay grounded for awhile. Boots and I have a few front porch dates on our agenda.
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