August 4

Today was so much longer than I originally expected it to be.

First off,

I am so thankful for my week with Bess. It was so nice to get to just be together and eat delicious food and watch movies and go on adventures! Thanks Bess for letting me stay with you for the past couple of days!! I miss you already!

*Anecdote for the day*

Not the smoothest day of flight travel that I've ever had.

My carry-on got hand searched because the coins in my wallet put up a red flag on the monitor.

I decided to wear cute new shoes that my feet didn't really agree with for traveling. (ouch!)

My second flight of the day out of Charlotte was delayed because they didn't know when it would get in from the hanger. (Then thoroughly checked and prepped before we could board almost an hour later)

15 minutes into the 56 minute flight the captain said there was a crack in the windshield and we were going back to Charlotte.

Every little bump feels like something terrible is about to happen.

I hear the flight attendant say the words "Emergency Landing" from her seat that she's strapped into*.

As we land we are greeted with a swarm of emergency vehicles on the runway with lights and sirens running as they chase after us.

We are told to get off the plane and wait in the gate area for further information.

People take pictures of the crack, it's spider-webby and shattered looking.

A new plane with new pilots is located for us and we only have to shift over two gates where we wait for further instruction.

This new plane just landed from the Bahamas so it has to be thoroughly checked and inspected before it can travel again. The new crew also has to get paperwork approved and other flights in the area need to be adjusted.

We re-board a little under two hours after our Emergency Landing and eventually take off about half an hour after pulling out of the gate later. (After having to pull off of the runway and wait for more numbers to be sent in from the tower, we're finally cleared for take off again and can get back in line on the runway)

Around 50 or so minutes into the trip we begin our initial decent.

As we dip back under the clouds entering the Washington, D.C. area I am in awe of this crazy city from above. It's so vast and historic and perfectly grid-like. The neighborhoods melting into the high-rise complexes. Georgetown, the Potomac, and the city look incredible.

The sun was setting with sun burst shooting through the clouds. It was truly amazing.

It feels as if out of nowhere, I look out and see this:

It was captivatingly beautiful and so eye-opening to see it all from the sky.

Everything looks so small and it's so easy to forget how small we actually are in the grand plan of the world.

But you know what was the coolest part of all of it?

I was completely calm. I mean, I guess I was going through the motions in my head, but I didn't let any of it get to me (until later that night when I was safe and back home).

It was totally a God thing.

*I assume she was strapped in because of the circumstances, I couldn't actually see her all the way, but it was pretty intense and she was incredibly serious.