Lasts and Firsts

I have made it safely across the pond and am currently sitting at the airport in Warsaw, Poland…! I think I even caught a few glimpses of it out the window before it got too dark. Part one of the journey is complete. Now for a slight recap and examples of how God perfectly provides for his children and that prayer works.

So that hair appointment that I talked about—so fabulous. Cut and colored and oh so fresh. Haha. I just love it. After that my mom and I went and picked up a couple Hot ‘n Readys from Litter Ceasers and took them to Donna’s to have lunch and catch up. I hadn’t told Donna about Austria yet, so I was excited to explain everything and get all excited all over again, which is exactly what happened. Once we got back home, I seriously had to get back to business. That business of course being packing. I barely had my first case packed, and as it turned out I did indeed empty it and start all over with the help of my lovely and gracious sister. She had the brilliant idea to pack both at the same time to try and distribute the weight a bit more evenly, which worked. Brilliant! We had a nice dinner together that mom prepared and just talked for a while before I said goodbye to my sister. A little fun fact here, I drank two cups of coffee after dinner, so I was flying high. Oh my word…I was shaking from all the caffeine and my nerves and excitement, but I needed the boost to keep me going.

As Rachel and I were outside sharing our last hugs for a while, Caroline pulled up to have one last evening together. We went inside and I put her to work rolling my last few clothing items, what a friend! It was during this time that I realized there was no way I was going to be able to only take two suitcases. Granted, I am fully certain that it could have been done, but with my desire for variety in clothing options and for not wanting to have to buy a TON of stuff while I’m there, I was basically like, whatever…I’ll just pay a bit more now. Let’s hope it was worth it.

I said goodbye to Caroline and thanked her for an awesome summer in P-town and then got back to packing and weighing suitcases and a few other odds and ends. I think it was about 1:45 am, once the coffee wore off a smidge, that I decided I had done enough and the rest would be finished when I got up.  I took some time before bed to journal and pray. There were (and still are) so many thoughts racing through my head as I sat on my bed, journal and pen in hand. There were so many times last week that I just wanted to stay home and be all roots, no wings. And then there were the few times I had completely alone when I felt I wanted to be all wings, no roots. Extremes are rarely good, so naturally I had to flush out those thoughts and need somewhere in the middle. So I focused my attention on trees. They need those deep strong roots in order to grow tall and strong; the roots set that foundation so that later its branches will be able to spread out and hold their weight. It is the same with us as people. We need our roots,  that firm foundation, so that we can have the support to grow and become strong. I think I said something similar to this in the very first post, but that’s okay, I needed to be reminded of this again apparently.

We left our house at 11:00 am, one hour later than originally “planned,” but that is still pretty good for my family. I was trying to decide where I wanted to grab lunch before the airport, and then I had the great idea to stop at the Chipotle in downtown Naperville. I figured that I would also maybe get so see some people that I knew were on campus as well. My last vegetarian burrito bowl with chips and guac on the side was as delicious as ever—I am truly going to miss that place! I walked a few meters up the sidewalk and slipped in the Starbucks there to see the remodeling that was done to one of my favorite study and coffee date places. I was greeted with two perky and friendly hellos, one being from the older gentleman that works there who you can tell is just lovin’ life! I explain why I don’t want a drink, and then he gets all excited about the remodeling all over again. He says, “Yeah, they even gave me shelves for all my mugs.” At which I look at him, the mugs and am a bit confused. He explained that they are mugs from all over the world that customers bring back for him. He buys the mug from them, and puts a little note in each one about whom and where it came from. How cool! I explained a bit about what I am doing and he got so excited. He was like, “Yeah, I only have one Austria mug, so if you see a new one, you’ll have to bring it back for me!” Literally he was beaming with joy. After that lovely encounter, we drove up to campus, and I hopped out by WAC to steal Nikki and Alexis away from an RA training session. Haha. It was just a quick chat and lots of hugs, but it was so worth it.

I got to O’Hare and immediately got on the check-in line for LOT, which was pretty long. It’s finally my turn, and I inform the attendant that I have three bags to check. She sort of looks at me funny, verifies that I am the only one travelling, and then proceeds to tell me that third bag is going to cost me…a LOT. She explains, but then goes off to check with someone. Mind you, this was probably the one thing I was even slightly worried about; I just wanted to get those three cases out of my hair! She comes back and, by the grace of God, says, “I can make you a deal.” Hallelujah. She didn’t even charge me for the third bag, so I ended up paying less than what I had originally thought. Praise Jesus!

The security line was long as well, so mom and dad and stood in it together until I got to that red line and they couldn’t come any further. We said goodbye, I passed through the gate, looked back and blew them kisses, and got in line again. I found my gate just fine and sat down to wait until row 11 was allowed to board. In the meantime I made my last phone calls and text messages to my nearest and dearest. Once on the plane, I found my seat, a window seat, but the person on the aisle was already there. He was a older gentleman and looked as though he didn’t really want to be messed with. Great. I walk up to him and tell him I’m in the seat next to him, to which he motions to row 10 and tells me to just sit there. Seriously…?! I knew full well those seats were accounted for because when I checked in online at home, they were shown as taken! However, he didn’t speak very good English and I didn’t want to make scene, so I just sat in row 10 and decided to wait for their rightful owners to arrive to force me out. And they did. It was a mother and her cute little boy, who I play peek-a-boo with during part of the flight.

So I sat down, looked at the guy with a playful I-told-you-so look, and got out my iPod and book. Turned out, he was a very kind gentleman. We shared several confusing conversations, but I did find out he likes lakes and sunrises (a couple of the words he knew really well). Apparently I made an impression on him because, upon filing out of the plane, asked me to give him a kiss on the cheek. I said no, thanks.

So now I’m in Poland. I called my parents and chatted for awhile. All is well, and God has already shown his grace and mercy to me. Thanks for all your prayers; keep them coming because they obviously work.

~Sarah