At Last!

Ben and I are here, safe and sound, in beautiful Charlotte, North Carolina! It truly is a gorgeous city; the weather is unusually warm for this time of year, the sky is a brilliant shade of blue and the bare trees show signs of a hint of winter amongst all the greenery. But, I know you don't want to hear about the scenery... How was the trip? It was... GREAT! Really, Ben and I had 2 wonderful flights. 100x better than I had ever hope or imagined, Ephesians 3:20 realized. The trip to Walmart the night before we left really paid off. My mom and I picked out a bunch of little things to pull out of my bag for Ben every time he got restless and they all came in handy. All of them. The best and most time occupying object? Pipe cleaners! Who would've thought? (Well, me, I guess.) Ben loved the colors, the way they felt in his hands. He liked to pull them out of the package and put them back in. We did that over and over and over for at least 35 minutes, and that's a long time. The stewards were very helpful and sweet with Ben. The best part and greatest answer to prayer was how, on a pretty full flight, the attendant moved my seat to the very back row and kept the two seats next to me open. Ben could walk, roll, jump, pull, and lay down on the entire row! What a blessing! I actually had some tears in my eyes, as Ben fell asleep stretched out on that row, thinking about how God truly took care of me when I was nervous and scared.
We had an hour lay-over in Atlanta, which was a good time for Ben to really run about for a good amount of time. Once we were on the plane Ben was again, amazingly calm. We sat on the runway for at least a half an hour waiting for our turn to take off and he sat still the whole time, playing with the pipe cleaners. The man we sat (very close) to, Carlos from the Dominican Republic, was more than happy to let Ben crawl all over him. At one point during the flight Ben sat on Carlos' lap and listened to him read a book. I was extremely grateful for our new friend. Carlos wasn't a fan of flying. He told me he didn't trust the plane and asked if I did. I said, "no, I don't trust the plane, I trust God, He has much bigger wings." He liked that and said he'd remember that from now on, every time he flies, because he travels a lot for work. We were both blessed to sit next to each other I think.
We came "home" to a steak and potato dinner and a lovely room waiting for us. Ben's pack'n play fits perfectly in the walk in closet, giving him his own - much desired - dark room to sleep in. That little closet is a blessing as well because it is so small and dark, when Ben is in it there is nothing to look at and he knows it is time to sleep. We both slept beautifully last night and he's asleep again for his morning nap. So far things couldn't get any better (unless Mark showed up.)
I'm so thankful for our easy trip yesterday, for the -many- people praying for everything from safety and health, to peace and comfort, we were certainly covered and we felt it. Thank you, sweet friends. We leave on the 19th, so feel free to start praying now for that flight home. :)
In all the stress of packing and leaving I missed posting on a very special day. So to start of my thankful list I must spend time being thankful for one particular person, in honor of his birthday. So, going back to March 2...

Happy Birthday MARK, my Love!

On March 2 I was thankful for...

1. a day to celebrate Mark's birth, and all 28 years he's lived on this earth. Hey, that rhymes!

2. the friends he's had since he was a little guy that he's still friends with today.

3. March 2 also commemorating our first official real date. Before this date, 4 years ago, we had hung out one or two times, not a real date, so to speak. On the second, Mark took me to a very nice Italian restaurant and told me he wanted to date me with the intention of marrying me. He likes to get right to the point. :) We still go to that restaurant for our anniversary every year.

4. Mark appreciating little things, like the Samuel Smiths beer I bought him for his b-day.

5. 28 years of relatively great health.

6. Mark's life with Christ, and his re-birth in Him.

7. his desire to continue growing and challenging himself each year, mentally and spiritually.

8. his easy-to-please (when it comes to his birthday) attitude. We didn't really do much, but he was still happy and felt loved. I would've been crying and pitying myself if we spent my birthday the way we spent Marks. Thanks honey.

9. the gift that I still get to give him when we unpack because somehow it got put in a box and is sitting , just waiting to be opened.

10. my bestest friend in the whole world, the 4 birthday's we've spent together and the (prayerfully) MANY more we'll spend together. I love you, Mark!

Today, March 4, I am thankful for...

1. the amazingly smooth trip Ben and I had yesterday.

2. Mark being willing and able to send us on this vacation, even though we miss him very much.

3. not having to work so that I can just take off for a couple of weeks.

4. (going back to Thursday) seeing Carrie at the perfect moment to catch me at a time when I needed a friend.

5. all the prayers that covered me and Ben as we traveled.

6. the people we came across, Carlos and the fight attendants, who helped me and loved on Ben.

7. Todd and Amy, for opening their house to us and making us feel so comfortable here.

8. the closet that Ben is (still) sleeping in. Without him in there I think naps would be a huge fight and bedtime would be a chore.

9. Michael's hugs. He is such a lover. He just holds onto me and puts his head on my shoulder every time he sees me.

10. the peace Daniel brings into the room. He's so calm and easy going. You can't help but take in a deep breath, sigh and feel more relaxed just by being around him.

11. the answer to prayer in a conversation with an old friend. I see God working and that is a comforting feeling.

12. Amy's wise words. She encourages me and gives me insights into situations that I hadn't thought of before. I look forward to gleaming a lot of knowledge, and house cleaning tips, from her during my stay.

13. the play room here! Wow, it's great! Ben was so excited about the piano and all the toys. He walked in for the first time, stood in the middle of the room, squealed and said "WOooow!" He loves it here.

14. established sleep patterns with Ben that I really think help him adjust even when we're in new places.

15. the gorgeous bedroom and completely stocked bathroom I get to enjoy. There's nothing like a new lufa and body wash to make a girl feel at home. :) I'm also thankful for the thoughtfulness Amy put into each detail of my room. I feel like a queen here!