Day 8 - Back to Dallas

I’m so grateful of that we did decide to make progress up north last night because Scott woke up with a lot of sinus pressure.  He was insistent that he was good to travel. But about an hour into the ride, he asked if I could drive.  We pulled into our hotel in downtown Dallas around 11:30 AM much earlier than a standard check-in time but the front desk clerk pulled some strings and had housekeeping clean our room right away, so we only had about an hour wait.

He settled Scott on a couch in the air conditioned lobby and the kids and I walked to a nearby sandwich shop to grab lunch.  We have a JFK Assassination tour today at 1:15pm which unfortunately can’t be rescheduled.  So the kids and I left Scott on the couch and headed out - just a few blocks to meet the tour guide at the JFK Memorial.  (The room was ready within a half hour so he didn’t have long to wait)

The tour was fantastic. Richard is a photo journalist who has studied the JFK assasination for years.  His van is equipped with a speaker system and tvs so he not only drives and narrates the tour but also runs the multimedia including diagrams, videos and original photos from the various investigations.

It was 2.5 hrs and we visited Deally Plaza, the grassy knoll,  the book depository, the home Oswald lived at the time of the shooting, the theater he was found in, the jail and city building where Oswald was later killed, and the spot where JD Tippit, local policeman, was shot as well. 

 

Left - Deally Plaza, where the parade for JFK was ending.

Right - Book Depository where Oswald work. The shots came from the far right window on the 6th floor. 

After the shooting, Oswald returned to his home to change his clothes and get his revolver. This home was originally a Rooming House that held 17 men. The women who owned it passed it down to her granddaughter who still lives here. She has restored it to its 1960s condition and remembers Oswald helping her with her homework as a child.  She is adamant that Oswald is innocent.

Oswald was separated from his wife at the time and had this room to himself. Here is his bed along with the coat he wore following the assassination.

After he left his home, he walked up the street several blocks and eventually shot a local policeman in the street. An X marks the spot on the road where the officer fell. Here is the memorial left on the side of the road.

Then Oswald walked down the street, hiding his coat behind a gas station and popping in to stores to avoid the increasing police presence.  Eventually he slipped into the Texas Theater which is where the police caught up to him.

The tour was so informative and explored Oswald’s life prior to the shooting, the habits and events that led up to Ruby shooting Oswald, as well as the full week of the Kennedy campaign plus the geopolitical climate post Cuban missile crisis and Vietnam.  

The tour ended at the museum in the book depository but Richard ordered out tickets for tomorrow so Scott can join us.  He dropped us off at our hotel and we headed up to our room.

Our room was amazing!  It was a 2-room suite with spacious bedrooms as well as a large living room, dining room and kitchen.  

Scott needed another hour of so of rest, so the kids and I welcomed some down time.  The tour was phenomenal but was like drinking from a fire hose.  We decided to stay in for dinner and order from Uber.

We had steaks and all the sides in our dining room and then relaxed a while catching up on some shows we’ve missed.  Scott headed back to bed around 8 pm so the kids and I just snuggled up on the couch and relaxed.

Hoping Scott is feeling better tomorrow.  

Today’s high: 72, overcast with a few sprinkles (quite cold outside)

Day 9 - Disembarkment

Its bittersweet to wake up on our final morning aboard the Blue Pepper.  We finished most of the packing last night, so this morning felt relaxed as we woke up, gathered for our final meal from K and then prepped for the 1.5 hr trip back to St Thomas.

We pulled in and docked just before 11:45 am so we had just enough time for some final pics.  Then we said our goodbyes and headed to find Big Love, our driver.

We arrived at the Marriott Westin Resort on Frenchman’s Cove just after noon.  Luckily one of our rooms were ready so we left our bags and headed down to the pool.  We ordered two cabanas so we could rest in the shade for the afternoon. 

Positioned on the point, the hotel offers some incredible views and from our cabanas, we were super relaxed.

The kids spent time in the pool, then played cards and just relaxed.  We had an excellent server who kept us hydrated and brought our lunch.  It was a great way to find off the sea legs we were all feeling.

Once our other two rooms were ready, we headed up to get cleaned up for dinner and then met at the pool side restaurant for a great meal. 

After our steaks and pastas were finished, we headed back to our rooms for an early bedtime.  Scott actually timed it and it took us 12 mins to leave the restaurant, walk to our room, put on PJs and climb into bed.  It was a perfect way to finish the night.

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.

Packed and Ready! - Day 1

It was a busy morning getting packed up and ready for our trip.  Honestly though it was much easier than last year... Now that we've been, we know what to expect and what would be most useful.

Wielhouwers arrived at 3:30 pm sharp.  Although we had planned to take a single vehicle and pull the trailer for luggage, we realized a little late that our trailer was in the neighbor's barn, and our neighbor was in Florida, cuz you know, its Spring Break!  Either way, we decided to drive two vehicles and so the ladies drove in Jen's truck and the gentlemen took Scott's.

I had to enter our passports for the airlines and print our boarding documents for the flights so we didn't actually pull out of the drive until 4:00 pm but we were finally on our way.

Both vehicles took the opportunity to get caught up on the drive!  It was great conversation and made the drive go quickly.

We stopped around 5:00 pm to fill up the gas tanks and then hit AppleBees for supper.  We arrived at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport Hotel at 8:00 pm just as planned.  This is the hotel that is literally IN the airport so we hoped it would make our morning a little smoother.

The guys dropped Mary and I off with all the luggage and kids so we could get checked in and they brought the vehicles to the long-term lot.  Even with all the bags, it didn't take us long to find our room.  It was a 2-room suite with a living room space between.  Perfect for what we needed.  And the best view of all those airplanes.

We grabbed some drinks from the concierge lounge and then got the kids in bed for the night.  Us adults continued with stories til about 11:00 pm and then headed to bed.

We are all very excited to get to the beach tomorrow but I think the alarm will be a rude awakening for us all!

On the road... Day 1

We left the house around 4:50 pm.  We were only just a bit outside of Grand Rapids when the first kid mentioned they were hungry.  It reminded us that we never ate lunch.  Now before you go signing me up for mother of the year, let me explain.  Sammy's been begging to see the movie Paddington since we first saw the previews... And today, as luck would have it, was opening day.  The only way to see the movie was to hit the 11:00 am showing.  After stuffing ourselves with hotdogs, popcorn and tortilla chips (guess who?) we weren't interested in eating again so we skipped lunch.

Anyway, we stopped in Ionia for Applebees.  I can't put my finger on why it took so long but it was at least an hour and 15 minutes before we loaded back in the truck.  But our bellies were full as we got back on route.

We made it to the Holiday Inn Express  around 9:00 pm.  Mary, the kids and I brought the luggage up to our rooms while JC and Scott parked the truck for the week.  We have a 7:00 am flight out of DTW so we have a 4:30 am wake up call.  

We are all settled into bed at 9:30 pm.  Hoping for quality sleep since we won't be here long!