Day 10 - Travelling Home

The news has been filled with stories of long lines at the TSA due to the current government shut down.  And last night certainly proved difficult by the lines we saw wrapped through the lobby area near the entrance of our hotel.  But the staff here has shared that the lines in the mornings are quite normal but the backups build throughout the day.  Even so, we wake up a little early to give ourselves the extra time.

We decided to eat in the terminal AFTER we made it through security.  So we hopped a bus to Terminal E and checked our bags. Yup, we had six coming home because I always pack a duffle.  It allows me to be a little messier on the way home and leaves plenty of room for souveniers and dirty clothes.

Security was a breeze... we were first in line.  Once we made it through we separated so Scott and Sam could get a breakfast sandwich while I went in search of a Starbucks and Tyler scoped out cinnamon pretzels.  We met back at the gate for our 9:50 am departure.

It was a smooth flight to Atlanta. Tyler was sitting with a stranger and the two of them shared in conversation the entire flight.  It made me giggle remembering how as a kid he used to talk his seat mates' ear off. His neighbor this time seemed to be enjoying herself as well!

We grabbed lunch from a food court - Qdoba and pizza - and then headed to our next gate.

The flight was smooth all the way back to GR.  Because we flew out of Detroit, we didn't have a car waiting so we ordered an Uber and arrived home right around 6:00 pm.  Its been a busy week but we've experienced so much - and so many different things too!

Day 1 - Off We Go

Alarms went off at 3:20 am.  It was rough crawling out of bed but we are just so excited.  We met up at the American check in desk at the airport at 4:20.  Made it through security with only Annie having a quick tap down.  We sat down at our gate and settled in to wait for boarding.  Scott put together a Starbucks order and the boys went to pick up.  

While we waited, we heard from Luke that he was boarding his plane in Sioux Falls, SD.

The week before the trip, we received a phone call that there was issues with our seats.  Although 8 of us were ticketed first class, they only had 3 available seats on the plane.  Rather than switching to a different flight altogether, we agreed for Todd, Cole, Tyler, Sammy and I to flying coach instead.  

The five of us were split up.  Sammy and I in the bulkhead, Tyler and Cole a few rows behind and Todd in the exit from.  It was a three hours flight to Miami but only Cole and I got a nap.  Todd struck up a conversation with his seatmate who happened to be a childhood friend of Chuck Snoap.

Once in Miami, it started to settle in that we were actually on vacation.  We grabbed bathrooms and then sat at our gate.  We had a little under two hrs in Miami so it wasn’t long before we boarded. 

It was a 3-hour flight to St Thomas… this time all of us in first class.  This is a fun airport to land at.  Because the runway was extended out into the ocean, as you are coming down, it looks like you are landing on water.  As we approached, the sunglasses came out!

We had a decent want on the tarmac waiting for a gate.  Luke’s plane arrived only about 20 minutes after us but then he had a long wait on the tarmac as well.

As we de-boarded the plane, we walked down the steps into the beautiful 80* air.  Suns out, cool breeze blowing.  It honestly is the perfect temp for vacation!

Big Love was waiting for us with the van. So we loaded up and waited in the air conditioning until Luke’s bag was available.  Then we were whisked off to our hotel.  It was fun driving through town and recognizing the places we visited two years ago. We are staying at a new hotel this time and the Marriott Frenchman’s Cove Resort did not disappoint.

After check in, the bellhop took us and our bags to the room.   

There was a slight delay as the lock on our door wasn’t working but someone came quickly to fix it.  Then we took 15 minutes to change, and headed down to find the restaurant.  

It’s not far to the pool but because the resort sits on the side of a steep hill, we took three elevators down to finally make it pool side.  There were some great views along the way.

After we placed our order, the kids headed over to the pool.  The girls swam and the boys just talked.  Back at the table, the adults did too and I cant tell you how great it was just to relax, share stories and laugh together.  

The group ordered a variety of meals - Ribs, Burgers, Nachos, Jerk Chicken Pasta - Everyone seemed satisfied!  After we finished, the kids headed back to the pool.  While we waited for the check, we noticed them slink by like a line of shivering little ducklings as they made their way past the restaurant to the hot tub.  We joined shortly after.

It didn’t take long before the effects of a full tummy, warm water, and a big travel day took effect and we headed up to our rooms.  I don’t know about the Schmidts, but the Breens were full on pjs and snuggles by 8:30 pm.

Then Tyler had the idea to go for ice cream.  So he and Scott got dressed, texted the Schmidts and five of them headed back down by the pool for dessert.

I’m not certain when lights went out but I know we were all asleep before 10 pm.  

It was a fabulous day.  I’m just so thankful to be here!

2025 Blue Pepper with the Schmidts - The Plan

This year we asked the kids what they wanted to do for our big trip. Both were pretty quick to say they wanted to travel with the Schmidts.  So after some planning and consideration, we asked Todd and Annie if they’d be open to it.  We asked if they would consider a week aboard a catamaran in the US and British Virgin Islands.  And they agreed!

With Luke in college out of state, we really only had the week of his spring break to consider.  So we got to work finding a boat/crew that would accommodate us and our dates.  We found the Blue Pepper, a 60’ Fountaine Pajot Catamaran.  

This boat has a layout that offers 6 staterooms to accommodate up to 10 guests (the crew needs one).  This is slightly different than the boat we had two years ago and puts the galley on the main bridge so we can hopefully watch all the cooking magic!

The boat is crewed by B & K - Captain Brendan and Chef Karen.  We have already had some communication with them via text, phone and video chat and they seem delightful.

We’ll fly out of GRR with a 6:00 am flight on Saturday, March 1.  We’ll meet Luke, who departs from South Dakota in St Thomas, around 4:00 pm.  Then we’ll stay one night on the island before boarding the boat at noon on Sunday.  After our time aboard, we’ll spend another night on land and then fly home (our separate ways) on Monday March 10.

Day 7 - Heading Home

Well, we were able to get flights home today and everyone has stayed healthy.  However, they can only get us as far as Detroit and we had to split up.  The boys grabbed an early flight which will get them into Michigan around supper time, just in time for Tyler’s class tonight (which he’ll do at the airport).  Then Sammy and I will leave around noon which gets us to Detroit around 10:00 pm (the end of Tyler’s class).  Scott will rent us a car and we’ll drive home yet tonight.  That is if everything goes to plan and the expected snow storm doesn’t interrupt our flights.

I walked Scott and Tyler down to their car and said our goodbyes.  For some reason, sending them off without Sam and I feels really ominous.  But we are all ready to get home.  

On the walk back up to our room, my phone dings and I am notified that Sammy and my flight will be delayed.  Argh.  

But our car is already scheduled and I really don’t want to be stuck here any longer than we’ve been already, so we continue on with our plan to go to the airport.  

We had a decently long wait but we were a few miles closer to home.  Eventually we boarded and took off less than an hour after the scheduled time.  

Tyler and Scott made it to Detroit while we were in the air.  Tyler ended up finding a little corner to hunker down in and attended in class in AI/Machine Learning.  Scott headed out to rent an SUV, grab dinner and find some snacks for us on the ride home.  

The delay in our flight caused us to be coming in right as the storm was hitting but we landed without issue.  Tyler was in a separate terminal so after his class, Scott picked him up at the curb and then headed to our terminal to grab Sam and I.  Thankfully we sent the bags with the guys so we didn’t have as long to wait. 

It was almost 11:30 pm when we left the airport.  No one felt great but we were ready to get home.  Thank goodness Scott is confident driving in snow.  We pulled into the garage and walked in just after 2 am

It didn’t take long to find our pillows that night.  We were exhausted.  As Scott and I lay there in the dark, we took what felt like our first exhale in days.  And in that moment, we both just started laughing.  I’m not exactly sure what was so funny in that moment, or in the days prior, but it was just what we needed.

I wish the extra days would have been spent exploring and enjoying SanFran.  But am so thankful we could so easily stay back, and give Sam the space and time she needed to recover.

It was a great trip!  I’m so thankful we could share it together.

 

Day 1 - Welcome to New York!

 It was an early morning for me as the alarm rung just after 4:00 am.  I was up and ready to bring Tyler to church at the crack of dawn.  The church vans pulled out just after 6:00 am.  Then I wrapped up a meeting at church and headed home to finish packing.  Sam was up already.  

We headed off to the airport just after 9:00 am.  Everything with check in and security went smoothly.  I was pulled for a random search so that was something!

We hung out at the gate… Sammy has been drawing some characters for the book she is writing, so that filled her time well.  I wrapped up an email for church which felt so good to get finished.

It was a smooth flight direct to LaGuardia - pretty bumpy on approach but otherwise uneventful.  Only 5-6 people from our flight were staying in NY so the baggage claim was pretty empty.  It took a bit for our bags to arrive so we grabbed some snacks because we were pushing 2:00 pm and still hadn’t had lunch.

Our driver Raj was waiting for us and whisked us away for the 30 minute drive to our hotel right by Time Square.  Our room is at the Hyatt Centric Time Square… the same hotel we stayed at 4 years ago.  GREAT LOCATION!

Our room was ready early so we brought up our bags and then ate our snacks.  Sammy wanted a little quiet time so she continued drawing while I took a short nap (honestly, the 4:00 am alarm is coming back to haunt me)

Then we headed out to find an early dinner and settled on Chick-Fil-A!!  We headed the short two blocks and on the way were stopped by a homeless man lying on the sidewalk.  Sammy was drawn in like a moth to a flame.  She is so compassionate!  He asked if we could call him an ambulance.  Clearly he wasn’t in immediate medical need, so I probed a bit to find out more.  Apparently he had a bad itch in a private area, so I told him I would call someone for him.  As we finished our walk, I looked up a non-emergency line and made the call.  A medical response team would arrive within the hour.  

Grabbed our nuggets and shakes and headed back to our hotel.  We climbed into bed to eat and watch some shows.

After dinner we headed over to Time Square and did the loop to check out the sights and see some fo the closer Broadway theaters.  

Then it was back to our room to call it a night.  8:30 pm and snuggled into bed - a perfect way to end our first day!

Day 6 - Heading Home

 The alarm went off early and as I did a quick check of my phone I confirmed we were up on time (check) saw the driver was en route (check) and then an email from the airline (uh oh).  The flights been delayed 45 minutes and they don’t think we’ll make the connection in Dallas.  Shoot.  

Since the driver was already close, we decided to head to the airport anyway and work out options when we arrived.  At checkin, the lady suggested we fly standby on the 8 am flight which would give us extra time in Dallas (sounds great).  So we grabbed some food and proceeded to the gate.  When I approached the podium, the lady said that unfortunately the flight was completely full and that we were 3rd and 4th in line so it wasn’t likely.  Oh well, we went to sit down to eat our donut.  Just then someone shouted out Green, approach the podium.  My ears perked but hearing a different name relaxed.  Then someone else shouted to get our attention.  We are hurried to the podium only to find out there are 3 open seats and they are ready to go NOW.  I tell Tyler to go.  He’s got all of his things in his hands and is shuffled aboard.  Then I realize, they just put him on a completely different flight… this one was scheduled to leave at 6 but was delayed til 7:40.  The flight attendant told me that I was now next in line for the 8:00 am flight if a seat opened up.  If not, I’d be three hours behind Tyler.

I sat down with a bit of head spinning and started to draft a text to Scott…

“Tyler took an earlier flight.  I think he’s good with it, but we didn’t really have a chance to talk…” no 

“Only one seat, sent Tyler on ahead of me.  We’ll connect in Dallas…” no

“Hey honey, just wanted to let you know that I put Tyler on a separate plane…” no

To be clear, I wasn’t concerned about Tyler.  He flies often… he often sits apart from me… it was more an unsettling because we didn’t have a chance to talk, let alone make a plan for once we got there.  So I sent off my text to Scott, trying to sound all confident and would you believe it they shouted my name again.  I stood up and swung around and they said they can get me on if I hurry.  So I scooped up all the things and headed to the plane.

I never scanned my ticket, heck I didn’t even have a ticket for this flight but they shouted 8C and I headed to that seat.  Honestly, I must have looked like a walking yard sale with my donut bags, chai, water bottle, headphones and phone in my arms… a backpack on my back. 

I sat down with a huff and started to look around for Tyler.  Where was he?  Finally I saw his head sticking up from the very back row, smiling ear to ear.  Ah yes.

The lady next to me got up in a tizzy and stormed off the plane.  Not sure what happened there but when a flight attendant came over to take that seat, I asked if she would mind switching with Tyler and she willingly agreed, “you mean the tall guy that got on a few moments ago?  Ah yes, I know where he is!”

So, Tyler and I ended up on the 6 am flight (delayed to 7:45) AND got to sit together.  How crazy is that?

The best part is after all that fuss with now 5 people deboarding the plane and the four of us boarding, they make the following announcements. “Ladies and Gentlemen, because we’ve added some additional passengers here in San Francisco, we will need to complete the safety briefing once again.”  I kid you not, there was an audible sigh and I felt the eyes of SO MANY passengers burning into the back of me.

The flight to Dallas was a bit bumpy but otherwise uneventful.  We had 2.5 hours to grab lunch and rest in a MinuteSuite.  We grabbed our next flight to GR without incident and landed around 7:10 pm.

It took a while for the luggage to finally make the carousel but we were so happy that it finally caught up to us, we didn’t mind the wait.  Our driver Terry was waiting at the curb and was super fun / bubbly as he drove us home.

What an incredible trip!  Planes, Trains, and Automobiles for sure… but also a whole lotta fun and memories with my boy.  I’ll never forget it! 

Day 10 - Preparing for Re-Entry

We met at 9:00 am for breakfast.  By now, Rog and Gretchen had already completed a 2-mile walk as they were up early and on a mission to find some items at the market.  

Unfortunately the restaurant in the hotel was unable to prep any food because of an issue with the gas in the kitchen.  So, we headed toward town to find something to eat.  Adema’s grabbed a meat pie from a local shop, one of the only stores open this Sunday morning.  Otherwise the stores were mostly boarded up and closed for the Sabbath.  Meanwhile the streets were crowded with cars and the sound of hymn-singing could be heard.

We ended up visiting Moe’s, the local grocery store, and got some items for a continental breakfast - charcuterie, fruit, muffins, with chocolate milk.  We brought it back to the hotel courtyard and enjoyed our final few hours together.  Thankfully, the restaurant was still able to serve coffee!  

As we discussed the highlights from the week and how difficult it might be to return to our typical routines, we wondered... what memories will stand out later this week?  What images will come to mind when we reflect in a few years?  What moments will we cherish most as we grow old?  

A little before 11:00 am, we packed up and checked out of our rooms.  Adema’s headed out for the airport and the rest of us waited a few more hours before leaving that spot in the courtyard.

The flights were pretty smooth for all of us.  A few delays along the way but by 11:00p we were all safe at home.  

 

Its a beautiful thing to travel, to learn and grow and to return home a changed person.  

I’ve never experienced a trip like this one.  I felt a deeper level of relaxation than I knew was possible.  I honestly could just take in the beauty all around and experience the emotion and gratitude I felt. 

The trip certainly exceeded any expectations that I had.  But what makes it so extra special is sharing it with people that we love.  Each and every unique personality onboard contributed to the special week that it was and I am forever grateful for those smiles, those laughs, that love!

For me, our time together was Heavenly.

Compassion Trip - Day 1

So it was a late night (12:30 to be exact) as we wrapped up things around the house and finished packing. We also spent some final moments with our house guests from Life Action and shared a few last laughs before we left.

But the bigger problem was the 3:30 am alarm that woke us from a deep sleep (Ugh)

Honestly though, there is so much excitement about this trip that we both perked up pretty well. We arrived the the airport on time and everything with luggage and security went smoothly. We boarded the plane a few minutes before 6:00 am and settled into our seats with a blanket. I have to say, its the first time ever that I've slept through the take-off! It was bumpy getting out of GR as a rain storm had covered the area but soon enough we leveled out and enjoyed a smooth flight to Atlanta, mostly asleep.

We had a fairly short layover in Atlanta so by the time we used a bathroom, took the train and walked to our new gate, they were already boarding. We both picked out a movie and got plugged in for the 3 hr leg of our trip. Around 10:00 am they served us ravioli that was amazing. I filled out our customs form and we soon prepared for landing. We took lots of photos as we flew over Honduras. The approach into Tegucigalpa brings you low to the buildings and then you kind of drop down into a hole. Its actually rated one of the 3 most dangerous landings in the world... so you know, Scott was glued to the window!

We got off the plan and through customs in no time... seriously we waited maybe 6 minutes in line. Our bags were the first off the carousel so we walked right out of the airport in record time (thanks God)

A man in the airport helped us with the bags so we led him out to find our Compassion host. As we walked through the crowd we didn't see her before finding ourselves on the outside curb. So Scott stayed with our bags while I did another pass through the airport lobby. A woman approached and greeted me with a hug. Ah, you must be Scarleth. She introduced her two companions, Ravvy and Noemi. All three would serve as our hosts and translators for the extent of our trip.

We went out to find Scott, our helper and the bags and walked to the car.After we loaded up, we stopped at a gas station for something to drink. Keep in mind its only 12 noon here but we've already been up for 9 hours.

Tegucigalpa is the capitol of Honduras and sits in a hole, so to speak, with tall mountains all around. We drove up on city streets that otherwise reminded me of crowded switch-backs from the western states back home. In the hour drive we saw a number of different terrains... amazing views, farm land, US army base, forests with tall pines, mountains with rocky cliffs, etc. The country is beautiful.

We arrived at our hotel a little after 2:00 pm. We tried to check in but had some difficulty. Hotel Santa Maria had a reservation for us but not for our three translators. Apparently they had accidentally reserved a room at another hotel several blocks away. So they left us to get settled and headed for the other hotel.

This hotel is considered a four-star lodging but not necessarily using the US scale. The biggest difficulty is that there are no English-speaking hotel staff and our translators are blocks away. No matter, its a place to sleep and we are fine!

Scott and I did a quick walk around the hotel and rested by the pool while we waited for our friends to return for lunch. We took them to a nicer restaurant just down the street who claims to have the "best steaks in Honduras".



We shared a great meal and had a chance to get to know one another better.

• Scarleth has several adult children, one still at home. Her husband passed away 17 years ago. 
• Noemi has a beautiful daughter (early 20s) 
• Ravvy is in his 20s and single. He lives at home with his parents and is always smiling. (The other two are constantly looking for a wife for him... LOL) 

All of them are extremely proud of the work Compassion does and enjoys serving the ministry this way.

After our meal, Scott and I sat by the pool to enjoy the breeze and the quiet of the afternoon. The temps are in the mid-70s and very comfortable. I totally fell asleep in the pool lounge chair, listening to my book so when I scared myself awake, I suggested we head back to the room as it was now 4:00 pm. (Hey don't tease, that's 6:00 pm back home). As there are no chairs in our room, Scott and I both settled in on a bed. Within moments Scott was asleep... good thing to because he had been dealing with bad sinus pressure and a headache most of the afternoon.

I flipped through channels most of the evening. There are 90+ available but only 2-3 will have an English-speaking movie at any given time. And the next time through, those same channels will be in Spanish. It was frustrating and I never did find something to watch.

I fell asleep somewhere around 7 pm. Scott struggled with his migraine until around midnight when we got his meds and we both slept the rest of the night.

Day 8 - With Autism

As I mentioned, today was the first time that Sammy flew all day without me by her side.  I realize that I was near... but this is truly a remarkable accomplishment.  Its sometimes easy to take these things for granted or to chalk it up as age-appropriate, but in the deepest corners of my heart, I am inspired by the strength, the perseverance and the determination it has taken her to accomplish this!

Here are the reflections I posted on Facebook...

Its only when you finally conquer something, when you are able to overcome a previous struggle that you truly appreciate how far you've come.  

For those who have prayed for us, prepared with us, read social stories with us, practiced with us, packed special gifts with us and strategized how to successfully conquer a plane ride... I thought you'd like to know, our girl has done it!  

Yet one more goal to mark off the list. Feeling super proud. (PS I love this photo for so many reasons)

Day 1

As soon as my alarm sounded, I rolled over to check my phone.  The kids' passports had still not arrived but were on their way from New York overnight.  We were scheduled to pick them up at 8:00 am at the Fed Ex facility at the airport.

The morning went smoothly as we took showers, got breakfast and packed our final items.

We loaded up around 7:30 am and headed to the airport.  As we passed 8th Avenue, the Wielhouwers were waiting at the corner... we didn't waste a moment.  The morning was running smoothly, thank you Jesus!    Its been a rough few weeks for all of us and what we need, more than ever, is things to go our way.

We arrive at the Fed Ex building as scheduled but wait outside the door because they cannot find the woman who opens.  10 minutes late, she finally emerges.  I kinda chuckle at how nervous I was getting...  Everything is fine.  I almost didn't believe my ears when she said she wouldn't have the package until 10:00 am.  Um, excuse me?  

She was more than sympathetic to our situation and immediately got on the phone with another Fed Ex location to find a solution.  They agreed to pull the package and hold it for us.  It was after 8:35 when we finally found the location and had those passports in hand... Phew.

Let's be honest, it wasn't terrible... but the added stress of these expired passports has taken its toll this week.  I'm ready for a vacation!

We checked in, dropped our luggage, got through security... all without incident.  We sat down at a quiet gate and enjoyed some down time.  It was good to catch up and giggle a bit and it was obvious that the kids were excited!

We shifted down to our gate just prior to boarding.  We settled into our seats in First Class and prepped for the flight.  The kids sat together and did amazing!

We landed in Atlanta about 2 hours later and headed took the train to our terminal.  We stopped for lunch at McDonalds, Villiage Pizza and Arbys before finding our gate.  We boarded our next flight and were on our way.  Both kids did awesome on the trip... I didn't use a timer or small gifts for Samantha and she never had an issue.  I am so proud of how far we've come.

We breezed through immigration, got our luggage and headed through customs.  The process was incredibly smooth.  Then we headed outdoors to find our driver.  Within minutes he had loaded our luggage on a cart and we were headed to our van.  Luis drove us to the Superama grocery store where we found lots of options for food at the condo.  We loaded up on snacks and a few meals and headed back to the van.

We arrived at the condo around 5:00 pm (Cancun is one hour behind home).  We waited a bit to be introduced to Francis, the property manager.  Francis gave us a quick tour the property on the way to ourcondo.  We boarded the elevator (all 7 of us) only to be over the weight limit. So we all chuckled and deboarded.  Unfortunately the elevator wouldn't reset so we had to wait for maintenance to arrive.  

Well, we did wait a bit but our sweet travel party has been on the go all day.  We are tired, and our bodies have not yet adjusted to the 90* temps.  So in order to proceed, we opted to walk the steps up to the condo... 7 floors! 

Once in, Francis showed us around and got us settled.  While we were busy with that, the bellman brought up our groceries and luggage (after the elevator was fixed).

We were all ready to eat so rather than taking the time to cook something we decided to head across the street to this little place called 19.5.  (The Hotel Zone is a peninsula that is appx 7 miles long.  It is essentially a strip of land (appx 100-300 yds wide) with the Gulf of Mexico on the east and with a fresh water bay on the west which separates it from the mainland.  You can only enter the Hotel Zone from the north or south and to discuss location, you use the kilometer markers... like the ferry is at 7 kilometers.  It actually is really useful to us tourists). Our little restaurant is at kilometer 19.5!

We were greeted and brought to our table under the tiki roof and on the deck on the bay.  It was a gorgeous evening and the food was AMAZING.  The service was quick and everyone who came to our table was hospitable and kind.  

We headed home with full bellies and smiles on our faces.  We got unpacked and settled into our rooms.  Shared some stories in the living room and called it a day around 10:30pm.  

Its been a great day!  It is enough.

Heading Home - Day 7

It was 5:14 am when I woke up, just 1 minute before the alarm sounded.   I got myself ready for the day and made sure the kids were up.  Then I went to work finishing the packing job.

We all met downstairs at 6:00 am for our pick up.  The same driver came to get us.

We checked our bags curb-side, making the move into the airport much smoother.  We had less than 20 minutes to get through security and then we boarded the tram again to get to our terminal.

We had only about a 30 minute wait before boarding our plane.

It was a smooth flight arriving a few minutes ahead of schedule.  We had about 1.5 hours in Atlanta, so we used rest rooms and then made it most of the way to our gate before stopping for lunch at Five Guys, Burgers & Fries.  

Then we sat down and enjoyed some quiet time before boarding our next flight.

 

Our next flight was appx 2 hours up to Grand Rapids.  Although we left the gate late because of delayed pilots, they planned to make up the time and arrive as scheduled.  However about 20 minutes out, they came over the loud speaker to announce the runways were shut down for snow removal and they would be slowing down to take up the time.  

You'll notice in the pic that the adults are all sleeping.  Yup, the kids played together while we all slept.  Just goes to show those who can and cannot handle a Disney trip!

We arrived only a few minutes later than planned.  It was great to be home but the snow didn't feel too welcoming to my sandal-clad bare feet.

Our driver was waiting and took us home... first the DeYoungs, then us, and finally Ray & Bev.

It was a great week but boy, is it good to be home!

Second Time Around - Day Nine

It seems like yesterday we were just driving this same route to the airport in Detroit.  But yet, so much has happened in the last week we were home.  Tyler had a fabulous 10th birthday.  We walked around Art Prize, finished our academic year, and were visited by the Tallmadge Fire Department.  Best of all, though, we got to spend time with Dad!

We left around 8:30 am and got on the way.  The drive, park-n-go, and baggage check went smoothly.  We requested handicap assistance through security and were escorted to the front of the line where the TSA Agent spoke directly with Sammy and gave both kids instructions on how to clear the Security Screen quickly.  We had lunch at McDonalds and headed to our gate.

The flight was quick and we landed in MB at 2:15 pm.  We had a short wait for the van and then were back!  Oh that ocean is gorgeous... she never gets old!

We headed down to the ocean for a quick dip and were thrilled with what awaited us... Look at ALL the shells!

Uncle Roger, Aunt Gretchen and Dean joined us for a swim too!  Then it was up to the pool and upstairs to get cleaned up for dinner.  We ordered Pizza Chef and had lots of fun getting caught up again.  We eagerly watched the tide come in.  The waters were higher than I've ever seen...  all the way up to the dunes and beach grass.  Crazy!

Tonight's lunar eclipse caused the higher tides.  We stayed up to get a glimpse but the skies were cloudy and we didn't see it.  However, Dad knew how important it was to us to see so he got some great shots so we wouldn't miss it.

Just beautiful!  Today reminded me of the beauty God's given us in His creation all around us.  As I did my devotions tonight I read about God's power to control the weather, the tides, and the oceans.  Wow.  Thank you Lord!