Greetings from the LAX international terminal! Me and three other racers (from left Helen, me, Bev and Carli) are sitting on the floor beside a Chinese restaurant so we can access some free Wi-Fi. We are catching up on the past seven weeks of life apart from one another and I got to eat some amazing Mexican food which put me in a great mood. DId you know that US Airways now charges $2 for a beverage on the plane and $7 for food!?! I thought that was a little outlandish considering the quality of the food…but I have to say that I was tempted because I was hungry. But the Mexican food in LA was worth the wait. And being here with these girls and hanging out has already been so much fun. Around 8pm we’ll meet up with the rest of the racers and around 2am we’ll board a 14 flight to Hong Kong and from there on to Manila. And when we get there I fully expect that we’ll have to hit the ground running. 
ALSO- my pack was over fifty pounds. I have no idea how that happened because the last time I weighed it last night it weighed 38lbs. I am thinking that maybe the entire thing wasn’t on the scale because my pack is a beast. SO I had to carry on more stuff than I anticipated. But the kind gentleman who did a thorough search of my carry on baggage was very nice and even let me keep my liquids! That is the favor of the Lord right there! 
AND a big “THANK YOU” to my dad for encouraging me to get this computer. It has already been a blessing and I’m only 5 hours into my adventure.