We left our house yesterday for Missionary Training/Pre-field Orientation in Springfield, MO. We haven't had much sleep and things have already been pretty busy for us. In fact, it's been so busy that I thought it best to post the first update about our trip before I get too far behind.
Early to Rise
Polly was up at 3:00 am yesterday morning and I was up at 4:00. After getting ready and doing the final packing, we woke Genevieve up at 5:00, packed the car and hit the road.
Get Lost
Our friend Harry drove us to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT. It's a pretty clear-cut driving route to get there...unless you use a GPS apparently. His GPS insisted that we go down these back roads leading only to restricted areas. He finally took my advice, ignored the GPS, got back to the main road and made our way following good, old-fashioned signs.
Over the Limit
Check-in didn't completely go off without a hitch, as one of our bags was 7.5 lbs over the allowable weight limit. Already paying $25/bag, I refused to shell out another dime. After rearranging and finagling some items between our suitcases and carry-ons each suitcase was .5 lb below the limt. I was happy.
Ammie
Getting through security was painless and we didn't wait long to board the plain. To keep Genevieve occupied during boarding (I insisted on boarding early to accommodate our child, much to the airline's apparent displeasure) I let her play with my (turned-off) cell phone. She immediately put it to her ear and said, "Ammie." That's her current version of Grammie. She loves talking to her and Grampie on the phone.
Oma
Let's be honest, you never know who might sit next to you on the plane. And as a traveler with an toddler, you hope it's not someone who doesn't have the patience potentially required to sit next to an toddler. This is why Polly and I were incredibly pleased when the nice woman who sat down next to us immediately told us that she was a grandmother of toddlers who flies with them a bit and that she had no problem with Genevieve invading her personal space. Oma (what her grandkids call her) even offered to walk Genevieve up and down the aisle. We didn't take her up on it, but the gesture was nice. Polly liked her. They talked a little bit.
Tired
As well-behaved as Genevieve was, she had woken up early and had yet to nap. She was tired! I felt so bad for her. When we landed in Chicago for our 2 1/2 hour layover, I decided to push her around in the stroller to get her to fall asleep. Unfortunately, there was too much stimulation in the airport. Which meant...time for Plan B...
"La, La"
"La" is Genevieve's word for "play." And play she did...thanks to the play area at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Every other airport should follow that example. It made the long layover go by so much quicker. Before we knew it we were boarding the tiny plane to Springfield.
Gas Masks
Polly and I got settled into our seats with Genevieve ready for the flight from Chicago to Springfield. That's when the nice flight attendant informed us that we couldn't be in that row with a lap child because there were only 2 gas masks. We had 2 rows to choose from. We swapped seats and were on our way. As it tured out, we sat across the aisle from a Missionary Associate also heading to MT (PFO). Genevieve did a great job on the flight. She's such a good baby.
Doubly Blessed
We were picked up from the airport by my childhood friend Bobby. Genevieve konked out right away. On the ride to CBC, he let me know that they could let us borrow a car for the entire 2 weeks we're here and that his sister-in-law had a fridge for us to borrow for the whole time as well. These were both such huge blessings. God is so good!
Elevators
Polly and I registered and got settled in. Then we went for a reminiscent walk around campus. We walked through Zimmerman (where we officially started dating over 8 years ago). We took the elevator down to the first floor. For the second time of the day (the other being at the airport in Chicago), we were reminded of Genevieve's fear of elevators. As soon as we pulled up to it, she kept saying, "no" as she nearly cried. While inside she wanted her milk and spun herself around in her stroller to see us with great fear in her eyes the whole time. The first time she did that was when we visited her little friend Omi at the hospital last month. Poor little thing :(
In Season & Out
My friend Bobby gave me a call and asked if I'd be able/willing to preach today (Sunday) for his dad who was not feeling well the last couple days. Why not, right? I guess that's just part of being ready to preach in season and out. Just one more thing to do.
Hanging Out
Once Genevieve and Polly went to bed, I went to my friend's (Bobby's dad) house (where I lived my senior year of college) and watch the basketball game and boxing match with the family. It was a great time (until the bogus decision was handed out).
Day or Night
I got back to the room at like 1:00 am (2:00 am Eastern Time) and couldn't tell if it was day or night. As it turned out, our window was right next to a light that stayed on all night by a doorway. Let's just say we bought a curtain today at Walmart.
A Warm Welcome
We were warmly welcomed at my friend's church today. It's the church where I did my internship and where Polly helped out her last couple years at school. It was nice to be back. And it was nice to have the privilege of preaching the Word. The service was followed by a delicious pot luck for my friend's going away, as it was his last Sunday there.
As you can see, it's already been busy, but it's also already been fun!
God bless,
Mike
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