Such a mix of emotions today as the day that was “months away,” has arrived faster than we could ever have imagined.   This morning we finished packing up our final hand carries and action packers, and then started that difficult task of saying good by.   I can’t even begin to express the gratefulness we felt as family just kept arriving at the airport to see us off.  How blessed to look around the circle as we held hands and prayed for safety, not just for us, but for the many lives and families represented by those around the circle.  While we thank God for the tremendously strong family that we have, it also makes days such as this, that much more difficult – we don’t want to leave them behind.

Here are some of the quick highlights of the day.

– We arrived at the airport with our 9 action packers that weighed in at 50 pounds each.  The staff at Alaska Air were fantastic.  Initially they thought that we would only be allowed one bag, with charges of $400.00 for each additional.  This would definitely have been “game stopper.”  After a bit of negotiation and review of policies between the partnering airlines, it was determined that we would only end up paying for three additional pieces of luggage. Only $345.00 total! This was a real praise.

– Once at the airport several of our family members arrived for a send off.

– Just as our flight was preparing to board, a large thunderstorm descended on the Boise Airport with intense lightning and heavy rain. We weren’t too concerned about the resulting flight delay as we have a 4 hour layover in Seattle before the next leg of our trip to Taiwan.

– In flight Update – as I write this post, the lights of Seattle are appearing on the horizon. Looks like we will be safely finishing this first leg of the trip very shortly.

More to come!!!!
Blessings,
Todd