Airport

Airport Goodbyes

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Rarely have my wife or I traveled by plane without the other. In fact today is only the third time since we met in the year 2000 that this is occurring. The first time was about fifteen years ago when I had to travel to Toronto for work and be away for two weeks. The second was my wife taking our middle daughter for a cheerleading competition in Los Angeles a few years ago.

This weekend is also for one of our kids- our son. He is competing in a speed skating competition in Northern BC. My wife has chosen to take him this weekend, and if he is successful- I’ll be taking him to the next one in a couple of weeks.

Today was a quick drop off at the airport. I had barely stopped the car and the two of them had jumped out and were on their way. A quick hug for me and that was it. Their short flight had them flying off in a small plane. They even landed before I had a chance to finish driving home and writing this blog.

I wish I had a longer goodbye, but it wasn’t necessary this time around. They’ll be back home by Sunday. But I’ll still miss them. Wishing I could be there to show support to our son. I can’t wait to hear the results of his meet.

This Flight Tonight

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Holy crap. The day is upon us. Time to hit the skies over the wild blue yonder. My wife’s anxiety and fears have turned to excitement and fun. Now it’s my turn for the stress…

We did online check in yesterday and had an early arrival at the airport today. Our bags were dropped off 3 hours early and our stress level was turned down. I grabbed a candid shot of my wife and son as they waited in line.

We enjoyed a late lunch and we were off to pass through security. We were first at security and my wife got a secondary screening. But it was still quick. We found our departure gate and grabbed a seat by a large chessboard.

Our kids kept themselves occupied without the use of electronic devices (even though we had those with us). Lots of smiles and smack talk as they challenged each other. People watched from the distant sidelines as the games went on.

At one point, I chose to take my shoes came off for a breather before we boarded the plane. No one wants to have smelly feet for ten hours. Only a few minutes remain now until we board. Last chance to use the restroom and wash up. I want the stress feeling to go away.

I’m not worried about the flight- which is good. I’m worried about every other aspect of our trip. Argh! It’s almost time to board! Stress sweats… ugh. No! We can do this. It’ll be fine. It will be fine.

And fun. We have companions. So a bit of silly photo fun is being had. These guys will make a few more appearances during this trip.

Off we go! See you on the other side of the world!