Faces in Airports

I’m currently writing this while I’m sitting at Gate A30 in Newark International Airport. This is the second airport in the past five hours that I’ve mingled in, but that mingling has evoked some interesting thoughts in my head that I felt the need to express and convey to others.

Earlier today, I was at JFK International Airport waiting for my brother to arrive from Germany. Up until yesterday I didn’t even know what airline he would be flying back on due to the Lufthansa strike. You see, the reason I’m in Newark is to fly to Seattle to visit a friend that I met while volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse. He’s been bothering me for a year to come visit so I could meet his daughter, since she always hears stories about us volunteering together. A few weeks ago he bothered me again, but I told him I’d get back to him since I was playing airport chauffeur for my dad and brother. I mentioned to my mom the possibility of going to Seattle and she jokingly told me to search for flights that were leaving the same day my brother was flying back. Low and behold there was a relatively cheap flight from Newark to Seatac, so I made the “plan” to pick up my brother and then make my way to Newark for an evening flight. The thing is, though, that plans don’t always go, well, as planned. And that’s been the story of my life, so I wasn’t surprised that two days ago my brother told me his Lufthansa flight home was already cancelled due to the strike and he wasn’t quite sure what to do. Even though I had my “plan”, everyone in the family joked about how he would get home. My Oma figured he could just swim home, and my mom joked that maybe he would fly home via Australia in case the volcano in Iceland decided to erupt. Neither of those things happened, thankfully, so he booked a flight back on Singapore Airlines, our typical airline when traveling to and from Germany. To stick with the whole God-laughing-in-the-face-of-plans theme, my brother told me over lunch that he almost wasn’t able to fly back today because he accidentally booked for April 3^rd as opposed to the 2^nd, but the booking agent thankfully got him onto the flight today. But I digress.

While waiting in JFK, I did my usual people watching interspersed with reading. I’m currently reading Packing Light by Allison Vesterfelt, which is all about living life with less baggage, both literally and figuratively. What I noticed while I stood around Terminal 4 was, not only are there individuals from all over the world with different styles, religions, and skin colors, but they all have a variety of facial expressions. Without even talking to any of the people who were disembarking flights, I could tell exactly how they felt. Some looked exhausted from their international flights. Others looked exuberant, ready to explore a new found city on their travel itinerary. Then there were my favorite, the joyous reunions between family and friends. You can just watch their faces light up with immense joy to be reunited with those that they loved. Still, there are others who, when you gaze into their eyes, you can sense a low-level panic just beneath the surface. For those individuals, I imagine they either aren’t comfortable traveling alone, or they are starting their lives over and are overwhelmed by all of the unknowns within their future. So many faces surround me, and they all hold their own story.

As I sit at gate A30, though, the faces are still different. Many look serious, probably in an attempt to get some work done while waiting for boarding. Others are kicked back attempting to relax while they wait. Some are sipping on overpriced beverages that they bought at the nearby food court, probably secretly hoping they won’t have to make a bathroom run too close to boarding. Parents entertain young children, while others shut themselves out from the world around them using any means possible, but typically this is in the form of headphones, laptops, or smart phones. Everyone desperate to connect with people, just not with those on the seats adjacent to where they’re at.

I hope that there are others who take the time to be as observant as me, willing to take in their surroundings and not miss anything amid the hustle and bustle of daily life. We are so easily consumed by distractions that we hardly ever take the time to look into someone’s face, let alone their eyes, to truly get a sense of how they’re feeling. The face tells no lies, whereas communications through devices are always deceiving. 

As I close this airport ramble, it is my hope that you will take the time today to not be so selfishly engrossed in your own world, but rather to take a minute to look outside it. Share a friendly smile or head nod with someone, or any other sort of acknowledgement so that you each know you’re not in this daily battle alone.

Galilee Farewells

So my cat is laying at my feet as I type this because she has finally caught onto the fact that I am leaving. I spent most of today packing and getting everything situated for the trip tomorrow morning. I have plenty of clothes, books, and music to stay occupied for a while. I also went over a few last minute details about the route to keep my mind occupied.

My family and I all enjoyed a tasty steak dinner with baked potatoes. The typical Muth humor resonated through the air. My brother, Nick, started things off by saying, "If Matt was a doorman, he could be a doormat." Then my dad chimed in with "You could take a gamble and run the Vegas marathon." After my mother made some comment to packing heat, I finished things off by saying I would carry around my George Foreman grill. Oh how I will miss the awful humor for a month.

Nick and I then went over to Matt's house for the evening to discuss the trip and how I will be visiting his sister, Julie, in Jackson Hole. We enjoyed some Blue Moon, Bob White's dessert, and the Yankee game on radio before I had to head back home to greet Chrissy. Soon we will be getting some sleep so we can wake up bright and early to begin our epic adventure.

Crossing T's and Dotting I's

The end of this week has been spent finishing up some last minute errands in preparation for the trip. Using the tentative directions that I printed out, I flipped through my brother's Next Exit book and wrote down where numerous 24 hour gas stations are located along our route. I also copied some music from my friend, Lulu, in order to add songs to the playlists that I am creating (even though Chrissy claims that is her job). Other than finishing the playlists, I just have to research a little more about campgrounds and the national parks and whether there are certain hours particular parks are open.

Today, Chrissy got her truck, Connor, inspected. Everything is in tip-top shape and functioning properly. Two new tires were also put on, so we are set to go in that area. We have plenty of food and beverages to keep us nourished for our trip, so that will all get packed up Sunday night before Chrissy treks north to my mountain in Galilee, PA. Following the truck inspection, I went and had Teresa make me nice and blonde for the summer trip. We enjoyed the bonding time whilst watching the Season Five finale of Bones, trying to ignore the fact that we won't see each other for the next month.

This past week I have realized how truly blessed I am with friends and family in my life. I have said my goodbyes to the majority of them already, and they are all very concerned for my safety, along with Chrissy's. I understand where this is coming from. It's a long time for two girls to be traveling on their own and navigating across the country. We have taken into account the possible issues that could potentially arise, but are confident in our abilities and have great faith in God. Chrissy and I have discussed this on numerous occasions and we feel that on the off chance something bad does occur, it is God's will. There is no sense living in fear or else we won't ever experience anything. There is a quote from Bones that outlines my feelings in this situation. It's from when Angela was trying to convince Bones to have a meaningful relationship with Booth and she said, "If you keep living trying to protect yourself, nothing is ever going to touch you." In my mind, if I live within the confines of Northeast Pennsylvania, I may never get the full experience of life. There is also a Bible verse that explains having faith and trusting in the Lord. Proverbs 29:25 states "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." I am not going to rest on my laurels and let everybody else do the exploring in this world. This trip is a once in a lifetime experience, and I am going to take it because I believe that the risk is worth taking and that God will keep both Chrissy and me safe. So, I appreciate everybody's concern and advice in any and all situations, and am truly blessed to know how many people truly care about me, but the best thing for us during the trip is prayer.

T-Minus 9 Days

I have come to realize that our departure on May 24th is fast approaching. After over a year and a half of discussing and outlining the trip, there are now only 9 days until we actually leave. I spent most of today analyzing our itinerary and trying to calculate how long we will actually be gone, instead of the vague answer of about 5 weeks. My rough estimate is now narrowed down to 30-32 days, but it is good to have a few days extra if necessary. That will definitely reduce feeling rushed in certain areas, which will help us both thoroughly enjoy every moment.

I've checked three things off my list of things I need to do before leaving. I have informed my uncle Bob of our impending arrival (whenever that may be), I have informed my grandmother that we will be stopping for a night (again the date is unknown), and I had my hair chopped off so that it will be easier to manage along the way. I think I'll have my friend, Teresa, make me nice and blonde on Tuesday to complete the pre-summer makeover.

I still need to call the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI, to try and set an appointment to do research in their library. My great great grandmother and her sister were famous trapeze artists back in the day: Louise Adele and Lizzie Vaidis. My hope is to find some more information about them or maybe some playbills and posters. I'm also hoping to reach Jackson Hole, WY, by Memorial Day weekend so that we can stay with Julie and Josh during the busy holiday. So much to do in such little time!

Preparations

Now that I have officially graduated from ESU, I can focus more on trip planning. The majority of the itinerary is set with the departure date set for May 24th. I used my uber amounts of flex to stock up on chips, beverages, poptarts, and non-meltable candy so that Chrissy and I don't completely starve. Now I just have to print out a copy of the World Cup schedule so that I can follow the German domination beginning June 11th. We are both really excited for our future endeavor, but we can't discuss any plans until Chrissy finishes her last paper of the semester.