Well this is it.
The Race has officially started.
This morning I went to bed. Then later this morning I woke up. I went to bed at 2am and woke up at 5am, getting only three hours of sleep, which was obviously plenty to start the next chapter of my life!
I said tearful goodbye to family members, had one last Starbucks stop and a much needed mocha.
And then the excitement began…
My mom and I pulled up to the airport. Curbside check in was a must. When you have a pack that looks like this…
you try and cut every corner you can. I actually wasn't all that worried. The day before with only a few things missing, my pack was weighing in at 37 lbs!
I fit my pack into the airporter (bag that covers the pack to protect it) and then proceeded to drag the pack from the car to the curb. I wasn't even going to try and put it on my back.
Then I placed the bag on the scale; the moment of truth. The bag was so large and heavy the airline personal could not get a solid, steady weight on it, but to say the least it was fluxuating between 53.5 and 57 pounds. All I could think was, "Oh, Lord, help me now. This is going to be a long 11 months." In a panic, I asked the man if I could remove a few items to make it the correct weight. After he glanced at me and saw that I was already loaded down with a seriously oversized tote and regular sized school backpack, he said that it wasn't a problem.
There was literally a weight off my shoulders to get rid of that bag! I walked into the Austin Bergstrum International Airport. I approached security where the friendly TSA agent told me I was headed to the beach. I quickly let him know, I was in fact headed to Chicago, not the beach. The TSA politely reminded me that there was indeed a lake and lakefront in Chicago, which obviously constitued a beach. I was indeed going to the beach.
His perspective brought a smile to my already excited face. He was right. He gave me a very humbling reminder: always look for the silver lining! What a great lesson to start off launch with!
The flight was pretty nice from Austin to Chicago, no major mishaps or bumps in the road. PRAISE THE LORD.
I dawned my world race armor again putting on the school sized backpack and putting the far too over stuffed tote on my shoulder. Just walking through the airport, I thought my arm was going to fall off; and I didn't even have my large pack. I hadn't even left the country and already I was already regretting my packing choices.
After looking at what seemed like every single baggage carousel there was, there in the distance, I saw my large pack circling the far carousel. Hurray!
I took the pack out of the airporter and began clipping my tent and other necessities on the outside. Piece by piece, I was putting everything in its place, knowing with every clip, the bag was getting heavier. Doom was looming.
I learned at training camp it is best to put your pack on while sitting down. So I decided to give it a go. I lined all my belongs up there on a cold metal bench, in the middle of baggage claim in the Chicago airport. I positioned my backpack and sat down infront of it putting the straps over my shoulders. And then I began to stand. And with all my might, I wasn't going anywhere.
Not only was I not going anywhere, my shoes were simply sliding on the floor as I pushed and pushed to stand. The awkward stares were everywhere. Who was this girl who had a backpack twice her size and what was she doing with all this camping gear in Chicago?
The Lord must have pulled the pack from the top because suddenly I wobbled to a standing position. Okay, I thought, you can do this. So I grabbed my smaller backpack and tote and put them both on and began to feel like an old wobbly coat rack. I made my way out the doors trying desperately to find the shuttle/bus station as soon as possible. I wasn't sure how long or how far I was going to make it with all the ornaments strung on my body.
People of the airport continued to stare at the girl who hobbled when she stepped and might fall over at any point. I found it weird that no one offered to help. But what I didnt realize was that that was what the Lord had for me. He had something else!
I was ready to give up and collapse when I saw it. There, sitting a mere 10 yards away, was an unused luggage cart!
It seemed to glow as if it was heaven sent. It shined like gold in all its gloriousness. It was like approaching the finish line as I my pace quicked to claim my prize! Like forrest gump kicking off his leg braces, my hobbling steadyed as my pace quickened. The cart must be mine; I would have refused help from someone else, but an unused cart was perfectly acceptable! He is so good to us!
I quickly dumped my pack off onto the cart and was overjoyed with relief! Finally moving at a normal pacespeed I was able to start making my way to the shuttle station…
More on my journey through launch to come!
Love,
Brittany
