Saturday, December 16, 2017

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken on December 5, 2002. It was the first snowfall of the season, but what made it so noteworthy was that Mattie was 8 months old and this was the FIRST time he saw snow. Literally we opened the front door and Mattie moved toward it with his "tot wheels." Mattie's preferred mode of transportation. Mattie was fascinated by the white stuff and seeing the snow actually inspired us to dress Mattie up in a Santa suit and snap photos of him on the deck. These photos generated our first family holiday card.





Quote of the day: I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. ~ Charles Dickens

Despite paying for a direct flight to Ft. Lauderdale, American Airlines had something different planned. They cancelled our flight and directed us on a flight with a stop over in Charlotte, NC. So this is what Charlotte looked like today on our descent. 

When we exited the plane, an airport employee basically said.... welcome to Charlotte, to all the passengers. I was stunned! I can't imagine anyone doing this in DC! In addition, while in the restroom, women were all wishing each other a Merry Christmas. Again, this wouldn't be happening in DC. 

The Charlotte airport has this beautiful atrium, filled with huge windows, wonderful rocking chairs, and a live pianist. He was playing Christmas carols and other wonderful pieces. 

Can you see the rockers? They are white. Getting access to a rocker is hard. They get occupied quickly. So we sat at a table, had our lunch, and got to listen to music and watch people passing by. 

I loved this sun at one of the restaurants inside the airport. Mattie would have appreciated this sighting. 

The atrium also featured this huge tree made out of poinsettias. 

Our second flight was from Charlotte to Ft. Lauderdale. I sat between Peter and a Charlotte resident. She and I struck up a conversation and we chatted for most of the 90 minute flight. I learned about her two boys, her grandchildren, and the cruise she will be taking tomorrow with her cousins. Peter is always amazed how people gravitate to me and tell me their story. I don't ask for it, it just happens. 

This was what we saw when descending into Ft. Lauderdale. If you look closely you can see big cruise ships at Port Everglades. 

My parents arrived in Ft. Lauderdale before us. So now we are all at the hotel safely. This is the view from our room. Tomorrow morning we head to the ship, which will be leaving from Miami. 

Literally from the balcony we could see cruise ships leaving Ft. Lauderdale to start their journey. It is quite a sight to see.