Taking the leap

That moment when you are standing at the edge of a cliff with a shear drop off and you get this urge to jump. Most humans jump back in fear and wish someone would build a fence around the spot. And then others of us actually take the leap. After the thrill of the jump, there is a second moment that only those who take the leap know about. It's the fear of the unknown. Will it hurt when we hit the bottom? Of course it will! And those standing at the edge of the cliff watching you fall shout that you should have thought of that before you jumped off into oblivion!

There are many painful experiences that go with a move like we have just made. I like to look at it as a growth experience. As the saying goes, no pain no gain! It's all a part of the process of becoming a better you.

We landed in London after a very long 10 hour flight. Anastasia fought sleep for 2 hours, but then finally slept for the remainder of the flight. We had promised Marcus a quick trip out of the airport to see a few sights. Marcus was also excited to get a new stamp in his passport, how could we say no?! We only had a 5 hour layover so we were pushing our luck, but decided to chance it and go see Westminster Abby. We got the express train to Paddington station then bought tickets for the underground to Westminster. What fun it was to see Marcus' eyes light up with how enormous the Abby is, and how tall Big Ben is.

 Pictures just don't do it justice! We had a quick look around then raced back to catch the underground back to Paddington station and then the express back to the airport. All the while praying we wouldn't miss our flight, and regretting making the decision to leave the airport. We hurried through a short line at the security and then they informed us they had to search our carry-on luggage! Of course it would be searched now that we were running late! Apparently the regulations for liquids in the UK are different than the U.S. I had forgotten there was a little water in one of the water bottles, which they told us to take a drink in front of them proving we had not filled it with some explosive or other weapon of mass destruction. We had Marcus do the honors, further proving to them our complete innocence. Then they had to run tests on ALL the other liquids in my bag! I informed the nice lady that we were really worried about missing our flight, but she comforted me by saying she was sure we would be just fine. She really was nice. It was just a stressful situation. Finally we were on our way and arrived at our gate with 15 minutes till boarding! Shew! Note to self...popping out of the airport for a quick sight seeingtour takes way longer than it used to when it was just Seth and me!


Our next flight to Beirut was only 4 hours. So much more doable than 10! After landing, we collected all of our things except for the stroller, which somehow didn't make it (just found out we get to pick it up on Wednesday). We had 8 pieces of luggage, so we stacked it up on three carts. Seth pushed one, I pushed another with Anastasia in the basket, and Marcus pushed the smallest one. I think Mr. Nagi, the ADRA director, was a little worried about how he would fit all our things in his car, but he got it all in! Two pieces had to go on the roof rack, without any straps and not much to hold them in place! I honestly don't know how they didn't slide off. Especially considering the not so smooth road situation. We then, with help, carried all of those 8 50lbs suitcases up 7 flights of stairs! I began wondered if I really needed all this stuff!! Haahaa


We are staying in the girls dorm until such a time as our apartment is ready for us. One must learn with this kind of life, to be flexible. It's not an ideal situation, but really, it's not so bad. We have comfortable beds and air conditioning. We have an amazing panoramic view of the city and the whole campus for the kids to run and play. So, I'm not complaining. We are now on Lebanese time and we must adapt.

The food is absolutely amazing!! Every day we get a chance to taste something new, and let me tell you, if you thought you have had great Lebanese food in the U.S, just come to Beirut and try it! It is out of this world!
 
That is the glowing report for now of our adventure. It's not always going to be glowing, I can tell you that right now. Having already been through this process more than once I know there are many growing moments ahead, some fun, and others not so fun. However, this is all part of taking the leap.