Life is Beautiful: The Terminals: 21 June 2014

You know that movie with Tom Hanks, The Terminal? Well, we have lived it for the past 26 hours—and counting. Except this thrilling sequel is titled The Terminals. Count them: one, two, three, four.

We have already gone a little crazy, and we have even learned a new language: emoji. Our text messages to each other have been banned from containing any words. And yes, it has come to this: we are texting each other while sitting next to each other. Don’t worry though, we haven’t started tiling any fountains or making friends with handsome single pilots. We have done plenty of sleeping and waiting and waiting and waiting. And stressing. I have decided that flying standby isn’t a compatible match with my poor nerves. And it has been quite some time since I have offered so many prayers in one day.

Actually this has been one of the most enjoyable airport waits I’ve ever had. Jenny taught us how to play the card game 10s and 2s (we bought some Utah-picturesque face cards). We have taken a number of brisk walks around the airport. And we treated ourselves to Café Rio and Jamba Juice while beginning Anne of Green Gables. We are reading that delightful book—the inspiration for our Canadian adventure—out loud to each other. If my posts start getting a little imaginative and flowery, you’ll know why. Blame Anne.

The short of it is we got to the SLC airport at 6:15 a.m. (thanks, Jocey, for taking us so early). And then we stayed in the airport until we boarded the 8:20 p.m. flight to Phoenix. After much additional stressing and not making the flight we wanted and then almost missing the flight we miraculously got (my fault—I stopped to help some airport workers talk to an old woman an route to Guadalajara who didn’t speak a lick of Spanish), we made it on the 11:50 red eye to Philly. And now we’re going to get on the 9:50 a.m. flight to Halifax. Easy as pie. And for those of you who have never made pie, pie is noteasy to make. But I suppose it is easy to eat.