Ready or not...

It's my expedition date! <insert happy dance>
There are not too many things that I'll lose this much sleep over or wake up early for (without hitting the snooze button for at least an hour). Today begins my journey to Oslo, Norway before heading to Svalbard at the end of the week where I will board National Geographic Explorer.
*Shout out to my friend, Brittany, for helping me to pause, take a breath, and realize just how momentous this journey has been and will be.


Besides my family and friends, there's one thing this southern girl is going to miss. After our local chain closed for renovations, I decided to have my farewell breakfast of chicken minis and diet lemonade-breakfast/ nectar of the gods. I. Love. Chic-fil-a.

8:30 AM
Arrive at the airport. Weigh carry-on and checked bag to make sure I'll be able to meet the weight requirement for my flight to Svalbard later this week. Both bags 4 lbs over. <insert eye roll>
Return to car and attempt to "dump" items.
Second attempt. Checked bag = 39.7 lbs / Carry-on bag with electronics= 11.2 lbs (this does not include my purse...I tried.




10:00 AM
Sitting at the airport charging station counting down the 60 minutes until my flight leaves bound for Newark, NJ. I'll eventually meet up with my shipmate, April, from California.

1:33 PM
Never have I ever seen two fully armed officers upon entering an airport terminal. And by fully armed, I’m talking rifle status. Determined to snap a pic next time vs. staring in bewilderment. Using my super long layover to read and snack.

5:55 PM
One more hour to go. Kinda mad I have not been able to locate previously mentioned officers. Afraid April my miss our flight...bless her heart. Making final calls to friends and family. Hoping the next 8 hours “fly” by.