So here we are…Day One. Hours from departure. I’m at home getting all the last minute packing done before I head over to the airport.

I am so unbelievably nervous. If you know me, it’s nothing unusual and par for the course. Do you know how many times I have to “go” before a football game? It’s ridiculous! It’s just who I am; I’m a worrier. I was wake this morning just after 4am and could not fall back asleep. I think everything is ready and I’ve done my best to make sure all the “T’s” are crossed and the “I’s” are dotted. I just need to relax. I’ll check back in once we’re on our way to Toronto…maybe I’ll feel better.

Well, we’re sitting here in the secure area of the Thunder Bay airport, patiently waiting for our flight. The kids are just wired, as I’m sure I was way back in 1992 on my school trip to Europe (and Ms. Caza too). I am feeling a little more relaxed, but I’ll breathe a sigh of relief once we are on the flight to Europe. I’m an impatient person (though I’ve gotten better since I became a parent) and this waiting thing kills me.

Our group, April 2017.

We’re in the air now, on the short flight to Toronto. One down, two to go. One of my biggest concerns of this whole trip is the time between our flights from Thunder Bay to Munich. We have just over an hour (depending on how long this flight takes) to get from gate to gate. It is a bit of a hike, since Pearson Airport is not a small place. My fingers are crossed that it will all be okay and we’ll get to the next gate with time to spare.

It’s funny, I was just thinking I that one thing I didn’t do before we left was to ask if we had any first time flyers. I can’t imagine all the emotions they are feeling. Most of our kids have not been away from home without their parents before, so I’m sure they are nervous. The excitement will take care of that though. Obviously I cannot remember all the feelings I had the first time I was away from home by myself (that was probably when I was in the reserves), but there was a lot going on.

Pearson selfies, April 2017.

Our ride to Europe, April 2017.

Whew! We are on our way to Europe. All 23 students and 3 chaperones are onboard this Airbus 330. Next stop, Munich! Wow, I feel like such a huge weight is off my shoulders, at least for the time being. I’m actually exhausted and want to go to sleep. The stress of the day and making sure we got on this flight on time has wiped me out. I’m sure I’ll perk up in a little while, especially after I get some food in my body. I had a granola bar, but nothing substantial since 1100. I wonder what’s for dinner?

I feel a little weird, since for the first time on an overseas flight I am not sitting in a window seat. I always like taking a shot of the rising sun over the ocean, but those are the breaks. Anyway, I have a nice spot. I’m in the middle section, but there wasn’t another passenger in the other aisle seat, so my next door neighbour moved. That gives us lots of elbow and leg room. Maybe I’ll actually get some sleep tonight, er morning. It’s 1900 eastern, but 0100 in Europe. Whatever.

So that was disappointing. Did I say I was hungry? Well, I was, and the food smelled so good. The choices this evening aboard AC 846 were chicken and pasta, and as is always my luck, they ran out of chicken just as they got to me. So pasta it was. I’m sure it was the chicken that smelled good. The pasta, or what passed for pasta, was definitely not to my liking. I’m not a big pasta person on a good day and if I wasn’t so hungry, I probably wouldn’t have touched it. I ate half and that was it. The coleslaw salad or whatever it was was okay, and I liked the bread and brownie. Thank God I brought snacks; that energy bar hit the spot. Besides, I can stand to lose a few pounds anyway.

Now that dinner is done, I’m going to finish my movie and try to get some sleep. We land in about 6 hours and it will be morning by then, so I don’t want to be too messed up. I’m sure I’ll grab a nap during our Munich layover. Anyway, I think this is enough for today.

I’ll post this as soon as I can and starting working on the Day 2 ramblings. Until then…