I just returned from North Carolina, and I must say, travel was an adventure! Everything started out just fine on Saturday as we boarded the plane exactly on time. I found my seat, settled in, and had a lovely conversation with the woman sitting next to me. Two and a half hours later, we finally took off. Yes, that's right. Two and a half hours.
The captain was very good about keeping us informed, and I appreciated him keeping us in the know! From power failure to engines not starting to faulty air pressurization, we had a wide variety of problems that had to be dealt with. Personally, my favorite part of the wait was when the captain came over the loudspeaker and said "Thank you for your patience. Our technicians are on the phone with headquarters in Phoenix. They are looking through the Boeing manuals to see if they can solve this problem."
What about that statement is supposed to make an airplane full of people feel better about things? Imagine going to the doctor and having him say, "Wow, we've never seen anything like this before. Let me get back to you on that." That's a little bit what it felt like.
Aside from that, the A/C kept being turned on and off, people were getting cranky, and the sweet flight attendant was racing up and down the aisle, answering frustrated questions as best she could. I was very impressed with the smile she kept on her face!
The good news is, the passengers were forced to bond with each other. The lady next to me was very nice, and I made friends with her 5-year-old little boy. We spent much of the time playing our own version of the Dot Game, connecting the dots, playing "Guess Which Animal I'm Drawing", and coloring pictures in his coloring book.
Needless to say, I missed my connecting flight in Charlotte, so I arrived in Durham closer to midnight than nine like originally planned. Julie and Flynn picked me up at the airport, and it was so fun seeing Julie's belly in her last hours of being pregnant! She looked beautiful, as always, but she was ready to meet her sweet daughter.
The week was amazing. We spent Sunday at church, eating a wonderful meal, watching High School Musical, and playing with the dog. I cannot tell you how amazing it was to feel Julie's baby moving inside her Sunday night, and then to be woken up at 5:45 Monday morning by the phrase "We're going to the hospital!". What an incredible transition into motherhood!
Julie did so well during labor, and the nurses were continually impressed with how she handled it. Flynn was a solid support through it all. At 8:40 p.m. Monday night, Lara Eleos was born.
Lara means "protected one", fitting because of the Lord's protection during pregnancy. Eleos is the Greek word for "mercy". The Lord, in His great mercy, blessed them with this beautiful child. Praise God from whom all blessings flow - every good and perfect gift is from above!
While Julie recovered in the hospital, her mom and I spent time preparing for their homecoming. We cleaned, cooked, made trips to the hospital and store, and prayed for sweet Lara and her parents. God's timing was perfect, as always, and I was immensely blessed by being there with Julie and her family during this time in her life!
