It's official: I love flying! So much fun! I'm getting ahead of myself though. I was planning on posting updates every night, but it was $10 a day for wifi in the hotel room and I wasn't about to pay that. So, you get it all in one big post! 4:45am I awoke and started my adventure. Our trip started out with a total God thing. For those who haven't flown before, you're not allowed to bring liquids past security. Because of my health conditions I can't just get water willy-nilly, so I was planning on locating Aquafina as soon as we got through. It's a safe brand and it's one that can be found beyond just the midwest. Wouldn't you know it, there wasn't any to be found. Anywhere. I also happened to forget to bring water with me for the ride to the airport in the morning. Brilliant. My boss went off to search some more (I couldn't because of open restaurants) and he came back with a woman. Apparently she was a stewardess who also had serious Celiac Disease (usually when I meet others with Celiac it's not nearly as serious), and not only was she on our flight, but she also had a safe source of water with her and offered me some. I had just enough time to call my mum and get information on whether it was safe or not. And it seemed to be! So I was able to get some on the flight with peace of mind that it would be okay to at least try. And by golly, the bottle was HUGE. How neat is it how God orchestrated that? I've only met one other person other than my family who is super sensitive/really takes it seriously, and there happens to be one on my flight who knew about the different bottled waters. God.Is.Faithful. That's a theme that has been coming up more and more lately, so it was really neat to have that happen. I also had the chance to talk to a dude who drills wells in Georgia about it and explain it a bit. A man who, apparently, has family members with Celiac (though not as sensitive). How crazy is that? I think I've watched The Terminal (with Tom Hanks) too many times, because I kept on envisioning security taking my supplements out of my bag and I would have to convince them with a goat.But everything went quite smoothly. I got the window seat, which I was totally stoked for! And of course, with any big adventure, I had Gerald up my sleeve, and was holding onto him as we departed. Until we actually took off, then I threw my hands up in the air. 33,000 feet up in the air, to be precise. The flight itself was wonderful, full of coloring, music, and I got to write an encouragement letter to the stewardess' =D Other than the screaming, tantrum-throwing child that wouldn't shut up for the first 1/2 hour, and the numbness that eventually took over my rear end, it was an absolute joy! ^.^ As soon as we landed in Georgia they started playing Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles. Which was great, cause it was raining.All else went smoothly. I had to wear my mask walking through the terminal because of all the open restaurants and bagel shops. I can't even tell you how many stares I got . . . and not the good kind of stares. The hotel. I realized that day that I'm definitely a small town girl. One who was in the big city. A big, super nice, swank hotel to me is the Shiloh Inn: This is where I was staying: Just slightly bigger. They also had two faucets. How fancy is that?! It confused the heck out of me until my bosses wife told me that one was for drinking water. Which really explained why sometimes the water smelled funky and sometimes it didn't . . . Also, they folded the toilet paper all fancy-like. How swank is that?! Almost every female I saw in that hotel was casually dressed in heels with their hair all done up nice, dressed to the nines as they call it. Then I walked in, in my man-sweats and mens Star Wars T-shirt, all wide-eyed like. That place was HUGE. And not just the hotel, but the city. I felt like I was going to get stepped on or stolen any minute there. But it left me with a greater sense of dependency on God, which is wonderful. I gotta say something about my own hotel room though, cause that was definitely one of the main highlights of the trip for me. All my life I've wanted a hotel room to myself. And now, not only did I have a hotel room to myself, but it was a two room suite. I didn't realize there was no wifi in the rooms without paying until I got there, but I decided to call that a blessing. While I wasn't able to watch Jurassic Park II or Thor: The Dark World, I got more uninterrupted time with God, which is really what I needed. I was pretty excited about that, guys. Just in case any of you were wondering, let me give you a brief look at what it's like for a traveling Celiac once arrived at the hotel. 1) Quickly unpacked all of my food from my suitcase and loaded up the fridge 2) Wiped down every counter top surface with Clorox wipes 3) Because these Clorox wipes are citrus, I took a wet paper towel and wiped down every surface again afterwards 4) I took my pants off (cause lets be real, being alone in a hotel room is significantly better in boxer shorts - with freshly shaved legs ^.^) 5) I remade the bed with sheets and pillowcases that were washed in safe detergent (while watching Johnny English) And, well, yeah. Y'all know how to unpack.I may or may not watch too many crime shows, and therefore checked underneath the beds for dead bodies upon arrival. No dead bodies, but I found a sock! I had another crazy (and sketchy) adventure, and then it was off to bed. That bed = crazy comfy. Day one: complete. Also, I've decided that as a token of my future significant others affection, he should give me a yellow crayon. Because I don't have one (not a Crayola one at least), and I want one. Day 2: SundayI . . . didn't sleep fabulously. But I got to spend the morning in a glorious, peaceful state, with the sun softly beaming through my window as I laid on the (super comfy) bed and spent some time in 1 John. Registration for the convention happened later in the morning (and by later, I mean 8:30), and let me tell you, that building was HUGE. It's the Georgia World Congress Center, and it’s so big that it's separated into building A, B, and C - but it's all one BIG building. It’s the 4th largest convention center in the U.S. at 3.9 million square feet. The convention itself remained in just one of the three buildings, but still, it was huge. (that's just part of one section above) Afterwards, my boss and his wife went sight-seeing while I stayed back at the hotel. I'm not much of a museum person. And after all, it's not every day you get a hotel suite to yourself! I sorted through and filled out some papers for the next few days while watching RED, then sat down at the desk to get some real work done - in my coloring book; while watching some old Scooby Doo then spending time in quiet with Jesus. 3:00pm was the opening ceremony for the convention, and oh my gosh . . . There's no way I could possibly put into words how happy my heart was. Right beforehand I got to meet & shake hands with Torry Martin, who voices Wooton, one of my all-time favorite characters in Adventures in Odyssey. When I introduced myself he was like, "I'm gonna call you Big Lew". And he did, for the entire rest of the week. He emceed throughout the night, and when he was giving away free product, he asked what Wooton’s favorite food is. So I yelled licorice (obviously) and he called me by name up to the stage and gave me some free Adventures In Odyssey! ^.^ Day = made. And it just kept getting better! That night was amazing. The Peter Furler Band performed live, as well as For KING And COUNTRY (who were AMAZING. And super hard to get a good picture of because they were constantly moving), and Alan Powell from Anthem Lights!! A few others spoke and performed as well, making it an incredible night. I was privileged enough to hear Kyle Idleman speak that night as well. He talked about our "Aha!" moments. The moments we realize that we're struggling and what we're struggling with. He also talked about confession and how important it is - it makes it real for us. He asked us what it is we're struggling with and to confess it to somebody, and not just to put it off. God spoke pretty clearly to me what it is that I struggle with and He really convicted me that I need to confess it publicly (pretty sure that's an indication of how tightly I'm holding onto it). So here they are, He actually pointed out three main things that I'm struggling with: Selfishness, pride, and control. It's not easy for me to admit those things. It's also hard to admit that I've noticed that my pride has affected some of my posts. Saying or leaving certain things out to seem cooler (even though I'm pretty sure most of the things I find cool about myself are . . . not that cool haha). And even as I wrote these confessions down, I kept on wanting to add in, "I struggle with pride in some areas, but am humble in others" . . . . I have BEEN HUMBLED in areas of my life that had already been corrupted by pride that aren't as much of a prevalent issue anymore. But I still struggle with it. And it's hard, because it's so subtle that I barely recognize it. And if I do, I deem it as not that big of a deal - I can take care of it. . . . . But pride is pride. And its subtlety is what makes it so dangerous and harmful, both to ourselves and to those around us. And I believe it's from that pride that my struggle for control comes into play. God's really been convicting me of this lately. Kyle admitted what he struggles with, and he said it in summation like this: "I acknowledge what I'm struggling with, but I skip over the confession and being broken over it part and go right to the, "Okay, let’s fix this! Let’s take action. I'm gonna do this, this, and this". I've really been struggling with that lately. I've been trying to take things into my own hands - trying to take control - and fix things myself; more specifically things in my own walk. And while it's DEFINITELY not wrong to take action, I've been doing it with the wrong heart, mindset, and attitude. I can't fix myself. I can't humble myself. I can't change my heart, mindsets, or attitude. Only God can. I need to submit things to Him. Ask HIM to humble my heart and show me the actions that I can take. He's the only one that can set me free and heal me, working in me HIS character and heart for people. And as for selfishness . . . this is a big one for me. And in a way, it's also connected with being in control, which stems from pride (which, P.S., Galatians 3:3 is the verse that God has been laying on my heart: "How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian life in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human efforts?" Convicting to the core. How many of us REALLY do that on some level?). My selfishness also partially stems from some of my fear issues. My actions may not always be selfish, but my heart and attitude behind them aren't always where they should be. God has worked in me so much when it comes to selfishness. He's really been changing my heart and mindset to glorify Him more inwardly, and He gets all the credit for that growth. But I still struggle with it, and He's got a long way to go. I would love your prayer on those things, guys. I was really excited for the rest of this trip - even more so than before. I knew God was going to do crazy awesome things on this trip, and to be honest, I had kinda been trying to force those things. Not so much in the events, but trying to *cough take control cough* make myself grow in certain areas, or be how I think I should be. Honestly, probably the best parts of the trip so far were the moments when I surrendered myself to God and asked/allowed Him to do the shaping & molding of me. And after that night - after my Aha! moment and confession, and my time spent away from the convention to seek God and talk and process with Him, and write my heart out (I left for the last 2 hours and found the PERFECT little secluded spot. God is good and He knows me well) - I felt like those moments will be much more abundant. My heart and mind were in a better place. A place where God can really get to work in me - without me getting in the way. And it kept getting better throughout the remainder of the week. I was excited to see what the next day held. I got to meet one of my favorite characters, hear one of my favorite singers live, worship with great bands, and win free stuff. But the best thing about that day had been that little hour & a half with God, being real, and being lifted. "Why should I have pride in my good attitude and resilience when it is YOU who have given them to me? And how can I share you with others - how can I show you to others - when my heart and mind are focused on me and what I'M doing?" Day 3: MondayThat day we got down to business. That Monday was when the showroom doors opened and made hundreds of companies and vendors available. Before the doors opened, however, we started off with a moment of worship with one of my favorite songs (Our God Is Greater), followed by an opening word from Alan Robertson (from Duck Commander, Phil Robertson's oldest son) and an opening prayer from Phil Robertson himself! After the ribbon was cut, we entered into the massive showroom and I was able to meet Alan and Phil and Miss Kay at a book signing! Due to time constrictions, we were told no pictures with them, no selfies, just keep the line moving so that everyone could have a chance to get their books signed. Phil was really quiet throughout the signing, but when he got to me he looked up at me and said, "You've got a look about you, girl". I still don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But he didn't say I looked yuppy, so I'm counting it as a compliment! Haha. Maybe it was the Batman hat. From there we went through the showroom, collecting free product as we went. I got to connect with the guys from the JJ Weeks band again, this time getting a signed CD. My boss and I ended up walking out of the convention last night with them and it was great just chatting. They're super chill guys, and apparently, unbeknownst to me at the time, they sing a song that I LOVE. "Let Them See You" { https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgho0_JRetk&feature=kp }. Go check it out! I was also beyond blessed enough to meet Alan Powell and thank him for what God has done through their (Anthem Lights) music. So wonderful to shake his hand and thank him in person! Awesome guy. I continued on my quest for free products after that while scoping out merchandise to purchase for the store, until joining my boss at a vendor to help decide on what to purchase and learn more about the industry and how the ordering process works. After that I attended a Children's Product Trends seminar with my boss & his wife, followed by more free-product searching. After helping choose apparel for an order, and having my boss try to fix me up with the sales rep (who looked just like Sean Faris), I went back to the hotel to eat while my boss and his wife went out. Here's a moment of full transparency for ya: I was really struggling with eating. Not because of image issues or anything like that. I love food far too much for that. Sometimes when I'm away from home I have a harder time eating for some reason. I don't know if it's because of my surroundings, if I'm distracted, or busy, or what; but every now and then it's just more difficult for me to eat - I don't want to eat and my body rejects it if I try. I didn't think I would have that problem, but I did. Big time. More than usual . . . And it was starting to frustrate me. I really wanted to eat, because my blood sugar was completely shot and I knew that isn't good, but I couldn't. I'm one of those people where, if you try to force yourself to eat something, it's . . . not great. I can only get so far until I gag and then, well, yeah. I was 1/2 way through our trip and I still had 27 meals/snacks left. I started out with 32. That's not okay. And honestly, I was kinda worried. My whole body was shaking, I was dizzy, hungry, tired, and I was trying - and not doing a good job. But dang, what a reminder and testament of God's strength & provision. There's no way I should have had the energy and stamina to go through those days like I did - not with my blood sugar in the crapper. And what a great reminder for me, after the previous night, that I CAN'T be in control over everything. There's really nothing I could do about that, except give it over to God and let Him take care of it and guide me in the actions that I could take. It took me an extended amount of time, and it had to be certain meals, and in moderation, but I was eating. And I was able to tackle each day as it came. And for that, I am grateful. That right there is God's strength at work, people. That night I was able to see a full-movie preview viewing of a film that's coming to theaters September 26th - a film that I heard about months ago and have been wanting to watch ever since. It's called The Song, starring Alan Powell from Anthem Lights. And it was wonderful! It was real. It wasn't cheesed-up, nor was it dumbed down. The acting was fantastic, the music was great, and the message and truth in it made my heart happy. It's inspired by the Song of Solomon, and the beginning of it really reflects that well. The rest of it I believe was inspired by Solomon's life through Ecclesiastes, which was also good, though they portrayed it more as adultery rather than idolatry. Other than that, super great movie. I'm normally not a romance kinda girl, but it was really nice to see it portrayed in a godly way on screen. I think I'm turning soft on you guys. Before the movie showing, Alan Powell and his co-star, Caitlin Nicol-Thomas, came out and played two of the songs from the movie. I may or may not have been in the very front. And I may or may not have been the only one in the front haha. It was nice to just relax and watch the film without anybody around me (there were people there, just not in my row - I don't think people wanted to sit that close haha). I had my space, and I had my stuffed mouse, Gerald. I also got a sample CD with some of the songs from the movie! Which is wonderful, cause that man has a stunning voice. And I happen to love "the" song. Yes, I like some romantic songs. And this one is wonderful. That night I came back to my room and just spent some time with God. We talked about a lie I still struggle with, and we talked about matters of the heart while listening to some music. It was truly lovely to end my day talking about love with my ultimate, true Love. Day 4: TuesdayOnce again, I got to wake up in a lovely hotel bed with soft, feather pillows and a down-comforter (which happens to be my favorite. It's like you're snuggling in a wonderful hug). The day started off in a meeting with a sales rep with my boss, seeing more of how that sort of thing works. After that we attended a Christian Fiction Trends seminar where we not only got to hear about the latest in Christian fiction, but we got to hear about that and much more from a panel of authors; some of the more well-known ones being Karen Witemeyer, Colleen Coble, Melody Carlson, Robin Jones Gunn, and Cindy Woodsmall. I was able to connect with Robin Jones Gunn beforehand, which was lovely. She knows my mum and sister, and I have a book signed by her that she gave to me when I was super little. It has a hot air balloon on the cover ^.^ Such a wonderful woman. After that things got real. We went to a jewelry vendor and discussed different jewelry options, displays, pricing, ordering, etc. We ended up going with this particular company, of which I'm very glad of. The sales rep was so great! I like her. And she likes me, too, apparently. Which is good, cause apparently I'M the one she's going to be working with. I thought I was just giving my input on the matter, but when we walked away my boss told me that I was the one who made that sale and that I'm now in charge of jewelry. . . . What? How does a 21 year old with no college or special class experience become an ACTUAL merchandiser? That evening I also went through a certain company's gift catalog (which isn't new), but this time I didn't have my boss go through and look at all of the items before going to the sales rep to order them (I did with some things, cause certain categories aren't my strong points and I'm still learning). But . . . what? I love where God has placed me. I love that I'm able to use the gifts He's given me in my work, to bless my work. I found out that night that 75% of what I ordered has sold in the past 2 1/2 months. And we're talking a BIG order. How does that even happen? I think I'm starting to realize that my gifts and abilities are valuable. I mean, I know the encouragement aspect of my gifting is valuable. And other things too. And I know that I myself have value, but it's just different when it comes to a job. When I was little (fun fact time) I wanted to do the displays in shop windows. I wanted to be creative and display things and make them aesthetically pleasing. But I never thought that I would because, well, I didn't think there was much of a job in that. Then I started working at our store and I quickly became the main person for displays (if you've gone to our store recently, PLEASE ignore what's in the front windows!). And I remember thinking, back before my boss (then manager) bought the store, "I want to help choose what we do and don't get". But I never thought I actually would, apart from a few random things here or there. And now I was on a business trip on the other side of the country, in Georgia, purchasing products for our store. What?! I love it. I love how God has shaped me through my job, and all that He's taught me through it. I am blessed beyond what I deserve, and I gotta give props to the Big Guy upstairs, cause He's definitely been the one guiding me on this. I definitely pray over things before I go through and pick stuff out, cause I still don't feel like I know what I'm doing haha. So yes, those were my thoughts for the evening. God is good, people. So, so good. Also, I got to watch old Scooby Doo cartoons while working. Pretty sure I'm living the life. On another note, I met Ted Dekker that day. I also only ate the equivalent of one meal in the span of 12 hours. Day 5: WednesdayI started the day thinking not much excitement would come from it. Krista, my bosses wife, and I walked around collecting more free product for the first 1 1/2 hours and then I was to have a meeting with my boss and a sales rep. As we perused through the different vendors we noticed a long line forming around the New Day booth (New Day primarily focuses on media: music, movies, Duck Commander, etc, as well as a few other things). As we walked past to see who the big commotion was about, I was thinking it would probably be some artist that I didn't really know of or care for (I found out the day before that I missed a free CD signing with Lecrae, one of my favorite artists =[ ). Nope. It was David A.R. White and Shane Harper from the new movie God's Not Dead, signing free copies of the film. Um, yes. My day was made. I was just hoping earlier that I would be able to pick up some free movies, since I'm not much of a book person. But this? Score! Super nice guys, too. Afterwards I met with my boss and a sales rep to make another order. I really had to pee after that, and as I was walking through the massive open building looking at my surroundings and thinking about what my business email would be, I think I really realized that I wasn't playing house anymore. I wasn't a little kid pretending to have a job and be an important part of a company. I'm an adult. I'm in charge of ordering gifts and jewelry for our store. I need my own work email. I went on a business trip. I went to business seminars. Met with sales reps. Am in charge of displays. I have a whole lot of real-life responsibilities in the workplace. Other than a handful of moments when I randomly decided that I felt like a woman, I still think of myself as an 18 year old kid. I still ACT like an 8 year old kid at times. It was neat to solidify that feeling of real adulthood - one with a secure job and future in it (if that be where God keeps me). After that wonderful moment with God (and that wonderful relief that comes after peeing), I headed back into the warehouse and joined my boss for a meeting with another sales rep to buy some of their product. It was kinda nerve-racking going through and being the one picking out the items to order, especially since they were bigger wall pictures and stuff. After that we headed over to another vendor (one that I was most excited for) and I did the order (asking my boss for opinions on some of it cause I'm still learning). I went through with the sales rep and told him which items I wanted, and what QUANTITY. That's something I hadn't ever really done before - not to that extent at least. I did my research though and I felt confident in my purchasing decisions. The show itself ended at 3:00pm that day, and at about that time we started packing up our booths (we partnered with another company and bought out some of the booths that were on display at the show). It took about 3 hours, though I only helped for about 2 due to a need for food in my tummy. After that the company that we were working with and my boss & his wife went out to eat at Hard Rock Cafe, while I stayed back at the hotel and started packing and unwound for a bit. They had turned off the AC in the warehouse at 3:00pm when the actual show ended, and that combined with being on my feet all day with socks and having poor circulation in my feet, my little footsies were a little swollen. So they got to dangle off the bed sock-free as I read and wrote (this, ha). Later that night we got to go on a little mini adventure. We walked across the park to the Skyview ferris wheel. 20 stories high in a glass pod looking out over Atlanta at sunset. We went at the PERFECT time. It was gorgeous. It was right next to Centennial Olympic Park, where the Olympic games were hosted 18 years ago. You can still see the Olympic rings with the torches and flags still surrounding it. Everything was just amazing. And for a girl who's afraid of heights, it wasn't bad at all. I think I'm starting to get over that little fear of mine. The plane on the way over here, the glass elevator in our hotel (we were on the 7th floor), and that 20 story tall ferris wheel - nailed it. We walked around for a little bit after we got off of the Skyview. The city was so pretty at night - the silhouettes of the giant buildings against the sky, the old buildings and shops lining the streets, the horse-drawn carriages walking past, and just all of the lights. Walking through the park to get back to the hotel was lovely. That night after we got back I began to pack up all my stuff for the trip home the next day. I really didn't want to leave. I liked the element of independence, walking about the HUGE building and the sidewalks of Atlanta, having my own hotel room, meeting sales reps, and making orders. I liked having something to do from morning 'til night that was productive, albeit rather busy, but enjoyable at the same time. Quite honestly, I didn't know what I was gonna do when I got back. I struggled a bit with not feeling productive and having real meaningful things to do for a while, and now that I've gone to Atlanta and have been working and going hard for the past week, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do now . . . But I enjoyed my last night with a hotel room well. As I packed I watched One Nation Under God (again. Even though I've watched it twice quite recently), only because in one of the scenes, when they're introducing the next city they're going to, they very enthusiastically yell multiple times about going to Atlanta, and it's been stuck in my head for the past 1-2 weeks because was/going there. I love those guys. And to cap the night off, I spent another evening without Adventures in Odyssey or other entertainment to lull me to sleep. I simply laid there and spent some time with Jesus. A lovely end to a lovely day. Day 6: ThursdayThe final day of this adventure. I woke up that morning with the light pouring through my window (a lovely way to start the day, I think). I got out of bed, peed (don't worry, I made it to the bathroom), finished packing everything up, ate & spent a little time in the Word, and then tackled getting the rest of my food in my coolers and my lunch box. Another example that I watch too many crime shows: as I was walking back & forth getting ice from the ice machine for my lunch box, I was concerned that people would think that I was getting so much ice because there was a dead body in my bathtub (which there wasn't, just to clarify). We checked out of ours rooms and left our luggage with the hotel as we headed off to take care of our last bit of business - at Americas Mart: Atlanta. Never heard of it? Me either until this trip, but it's HUGE. It’s one of the world’s largest permanent wholesale trade centers, consisting of 4 building connected by sky bridges, totaling seven MILLION square feet. That's just a small part of one of the four buildings. I got this image off the interwebs, so we weren't there for that event, but hopefully it will give you a little taste of how massive it was. I wanted to take a Segway to the halls. It’s not open to the public; only employees and registered guests of businesses are permitted. We made our way past dozens of different vendor lots (pretty much everyone was gone due to a big show in Dallas this week, so most of them were closed/in transition, and there was hardly anyone else there, which was nice) passing window display after window display. This is where my boss wants me to be. I guess the designers that put together these displays make like 100's of 1000's of dollars. Not only is it something that I would LOVE to do, but it pays well too! Bonus. We came to our vendor that we were meeting and walked through the showroom, going back through later to order the items. Again, I took point on the order, getting my boss' advice and input as we went. After that we walked through different floors of different buildings, looking at all the displays (my creativity was inspired beyond measure!). I met one of the merchandising designers and was able to talk with her about how she got into the industry and what it was like. Super helpful! And something I'm going to be praying about for the future. After walking a few blocks (uphill) there, through a handful of stories in Americas Mart, and a few blocks back to the hotel, we got a cab and finally headed to the airport to go home. I must admit, I wasn't ready to go home. Though it was nice to be able to sit down for more than a 1/2 hour at a time, I really enjoyed consistently having something to do. Though I was tired, there was a job to be done and motivation to do it. I got free stuff, learned more about the industry, had meetings, seminars, and got to meet a lot of great people. I didn't want to come home and just be sedentary again. I'm hoping that this trip with up my motivation for productivity. It's funny, when we first arrived in Atlanta, it was raining. When we left Atlanta, it was raining. I think the Oregon rain is following us. It was really funny: while walking back to the hotel from Americas Mart it started sprinkling a little. And by sprinkling, it was really more like a little bit of mist. And I look up and this lady is standing there under an umbrella. We were definitely not in Oregon, haha. We made it to the airport safely (those cab drivers make me nervous . . .) and got everything checked in alright. They actually let me bring my water with me this time! My boss explained my situation and they let it slide (after checking it of course). There was the CUTEST little boy at our gate that was playing on the floor near us. As I kept looking over at him, I realized we were wearing the same socks! Kids got class. My boss and his wife went to go get food while I waited at the gate with our stuff. When they came back, again, my boss came back with somebody. Apparently there was a waiter at the place where they were eating who really likes Batman, and he was wearing one of those thick rubber bracelets with the Bat symbol on it, as well as a really nice Batman watch. I guess my boss had told him that he's with a girl who would love that cause she loves Batman (just in case you aren't tracking, that would be me). So he came over with my boss to our gate and gave me his bracelet! ^.^ Apparently there were some women who were cheering him on to do so hahaha. I approve. The flight back was peaceful. I went through another catalog for work, read a little Harry Potter, dozed off briefly, listened to Adventures in Odyssey (nothing like listening to bombs going off and an airplane going down while experiencing turbulence), and colored while listening to some music (I discovered the .BEST airplane music!). And I finally got my pilot's wings! As we descended into the clouds for landing I felt like Hiccup riding Toothless through the fog to the dragon’s island. I think it goes without saying that that was an epic moment for me. My mum and sister picked me up from the airport (my dad was really bummed that he couldn't come too because of work) and I got to tell them about my adventures on the way home and we came up with some more great ideas for the store. Though I wasn't ready to leave Georgia when we did, I'm glad to be home now for one main reason: This girl. And it was quite the reunion!
My sister said she was moping around the house while I was gone, and my parents said she didn't like going into my room or eating while I was gone either. Fear not, little shadow! I am now home and ready to cuddle. This trip has flown by so fast. But what an adventure! I gained new independence, flew for the first time, almost got hit by a cab, met with sales reps, got free stuff, had my own 2-room hotel suite, met famous peeps, saw great bands perform live, made business purchases, traveled back in time, and hopefully blessed and encouraged a lot of people. Here's looking at Orlando, Florida next year!
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