First days in Florida

Hello everybody! This blog is an update of all the wonderful and amazing things I experience during my stay in Florida. Already, I have seen God’s hand displayed in this trip- the way that everything we have done has come together better than we ever could’ve imagined. I call this trip my courageous adventure. For so many years I have been afraid of what might happen, indulging my thoughts to what if’s. But right now, I feel that God is calling me to step out of fear and embrace the excitement that comes with following Him. It’s like bungee jumping. It takes you forever to finally decide to jump off the cliff, and in your head you’re thinking “What if my rope snaps” or “What if the rope is too long”. All the way down you’re regretting that you jumped and hoping, trusting that it will all be ok. But then, to your relief, your rope catches you, and you know that you’re safe. It’s so scary sometimes to just jump out of my comfort zone. But God has called me to be brave, a woman who trusts in Him for everything even when I’m afraid or can’t see what’s ahead. God hasn’t broken my trust. In fact, He’s already exceeded my expectations.

My first few hours in Florida have been filled with excitement, exhaustion, and irritability J Rewind several hours and you’ll know why… Yesterday morning, we did our first “fearless” thing- we flew on an airplane (or several actually) on September 11^th. Some may call us foolish and incautious, but hey, the tickets were way cheaper because apparently all the superstitious people were at home J We left our house at around 5:15 AM (waaay to early, if you ask me!). I was really stressed out for the first flight, especially after my mom was held up at security for bringing Applesauce in her carry-on. After we boarded and everything was settled, I started to relax and even feel excited. Our first flight was to Salt Lake City, Utah. After we arrived there, we had a three hour layover. I took my class online while we were waiting, but seriously, the whole time I was there I was nervous… there were young men in suits everywhere- Mormon missionaries. I knew I had my headset on, so they would probably leave me alone, but still I was a little antsy when Mom and Lizzy left me there alone. Luckily, none of the 50 guys surrounding me ever tried to evangelize to me. I figured out on the plane that all of them were going to Chile to do their Mission.

                                               Lizzy and I on the plane.

Our last flight was from Atlanta, Georgia, to Jacksonville, Florida. Overall, my flying experience was pretty good, despite the cranky flight attendants and the stress of trying to fit my suitcase in the overhead. One thing I was worried about was that my ears would have issues because I’d been having lots of problems before we left. But, not to worry- God answered our prayers. No ear trouble.

It was about 8:00pm Florida time when we finally arrived in Jacksonville. As Mom went to go rent the car, Liz and I waited and sat and waited and sat and waited and… do you get the picture? The point is, Mom was renting the car for a looooong time. We were originally supposed to pick up the car the next day. We were going to get a convertible just for the day because it was so expensive, then return it for a cheaper car. When it was finally time to pick up the car, a miracle happened. The name of that miracle is called an orange Camaro convertible. Here’s what is even better: Mom had gotten a discount so we could have the car the whole week instead of just one day!

The end to our exhausting day was perfect- riding back to the hotel in our hot rig, hair blowing in our tired faces, laughter spilling out into the humidified air, some late night take-out, and a great night’s sleep. Our hotel room is beautiful and comfortable. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my week in this lovely place called Florida.

                                  

                                     Mom, Lizzie, and I with our awesome car.

                                                   Me taking our hot new ride out for a spin… what better place to practice driving than in a place nobody knows you? Just kidding :P