I’ve been keeping my own notes. So, I’ll give you a bit of MY perspective on the first day! We all arrived by the designated time of 4:45PM for check in! We made it through TSA security (some with TSA PreCheck) with only a full size can of shaving cream confiscated. That member will remain anonymous. (She knows not what she does…) Can’t say for the people in FIRST CLASS, but those in the back of the plane stayed pretty occupied with books, on board movies, and sharing of sugary snacks. All arrived in Atlanta, GA approximately 8:30PM. The next step was finding a shuttle…for twelve people…without others getting on first. Although our Mission Group seems small and mighty, they are BIG with lots of baggage. While waiting for one to be acquired, Julian and Alec treated us to some rap entertainment regarding our Atlanta arrival and their rising excitement to get to California! Finding a shuttle to Embassy Suites took us a bit of time before a shuttle could be found for all of us. Jenna got the tiniest of seats (think jump seat), Laura had Lia on her lap and I used core muscles I didn’t know I possessed to hover between seats occupied by Aiden and Cam! We arrived at Embassy Suites quickly and all headed for our rooms for showers and BED! For the record, I hit over 10,000 steps today!
Day #2 (8/2/25)
For Mike, Debby, Cam, and the Nanni family, we were up at 5AM (maybe earlier…) and leaving Embassy Suites at 5:50AM for our 8:30ish flights. I say FLIGHTS because Mike, Debby, and Cam headed straight to San Francisco. The Nanni family took a more scenic route. They stopped in Minneapolis and then on to San Francisco! Mike was right – it did add A LOT of SkyMiles to our accounts. If anyone is going to Aruba it’ll be Jay and me! Sorry, Lia! The remaining Mission Members took a later flight starting at 12:30PM. While waiting for the Nanni family to arrive in San Francisco, Mike, Debby and Cam picked up the rental vehicles. At Avis, Mike and Debby secured a pristine Chevy 12 passenger van with a mere 39 miles traveled as well as an immaculate Honda Ridgeline truck with only 1997 miles on it. They are BEAUTS! A far cry from last year’s pick up that needed to be returned due to lack of air conditioning in the truck and a faulty door on the van! After that task, they needed to go on an emergency task! Operation: Suitcase! Unfortunately, Alec’s suitcase seemed to have a run in with that gorilla from the 70s American Tourister commercial. Remember the primate jumping up and down on the suitcases behind the scenes?? The suitcase did not win. Hence, Operation Suitcase! Luckily, approximately .4 miles away from the airport was a Goodwill and lo and behold… a red rolling suitcase at 50% off! Woot! Woot! Alec was pleased with his new acquisition. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Suitcase? Check! Back to the airport for the Nanni family! No lost or damaged suitcases. Two legs of the trip went well and after first having no assigned seats, everyone was able to sit together! Jenna enjoyed her two window seat experiences, Lia tuned everything out to finish a can’t-put-it-down novel, Jay was involved in watching two movies and stayed awake throughout! That’s testimony, I tell you! The first two groups caught each other up on our individual experiences as we waited for the last flight to come in! Laura and Kirsten headed up the final group of Aiden, Alec, and Julian. After they got through TSA, Alec led the group in prayer for all of the members on the three different flight plans as well as our mission in helping Tiny Pine Foundation. The remaining boys were placed together while Laura and Kirsten had their own seats elsewhere on the plane. Laura attests that the seats were smaller on the longer leg of the trip to San Francisco than the ones to Atlanta from Bradley.
At this point, stomachs were rumbling and we headed out for a very delayed meal. Originally we were scheduled for lunch with Christina and Alex (Mike’s daughter and grandson) at Horn’s Barbecue restaurant. It was DELICIOUS! If you left hungry, it was your own fault! Delicious, tender pulled pork and brisket along with collard greens, mac and cheese and coleslaw! It was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. We then traveled in the amazing rentals to Chico. Mike drove all the teens plus one pre-teen in the passenger van along with Kirsten. Was that an earbud one eagle-eyed adult noticed in his ear? Debby drove the remaining adults in the truck.
Next up is the run to Winco for food supplies for the next few days. Did I mention it’s 8:30PM! That’s 11:30PM Eastern! Yawn! As a first timer on this trip, these seasoned mission members have regaled me of past trips. I am proud to be a part of this team brought together by Faith, Love, and Goodness. Until tomorrow… By the way, I was close to the 10,000 steps mark after the shopping trip!
