Transformation

That's the best term I can come up with for it. Mom was transformed for/by/with this cruise. She was like a little kid! Eager, full of energy, ready for adventure. On Friday morning, Sept. 10, I had arranged to pick Mom up between 6:00 and 6:15 a.m. Dave and I were on our way to her house when she called at 6:07 to see where we were.

Me: We're on our way. We'll be there in about 5 or 10 minutes.

Mom: I'm going out the back door so I can leave the front locked.

Me: Okay. Hey, Mom, we can get your bags for you when we get to your house.

Mom: Oh, they are already out on the sidewalk.

And so was she when we arrived. On the sidewalk. In the early morning dark. With her bags. She had been so excited about the trip that she couldn't sleep. Mom was ready to go on her Alaskan cruise!

Dave got us to the airport in good time, we checked in at a kiosk, and breezed through security. We had time to sit for a cup of coffee before early boarding. We weren't able to sit together on the plane, but I went back midway through the flight and Mom was doing great. She thought the flight seemed short. :)

We quickly found my sister Gayle and sister-in-law Cathy in the Seattle baggage claim, then just as seamlessly found our ride. I'm telling you, Cathy did all the work on the ground, but God planned this trip, no doubt about it. And let me tell you, He is a great travel agent! We zipped over to the pier, checked our bags onto the ship, and began to wind our way through the check-in process. Everything was in order, our birth certificates were sufficient for i.d., and we boarded our beautiful big boat.