On my way!

So I’m guessing you probably don’t want to hear about going through security and the flight, but I have nothing better to do while I sit in the airport… so I figured I may as well write about it.

I am pretty much a security problem. When we went through security at SLC they had to call a supervisor to look at my passport because it had some suspicious spots on it. Yep, it’s a counterfeit passport. Ok, not really, but they thought so. So, once we made it through security there we got on a small plane that took us to LAX.

Going through security in LA my suitcase had to be checked twice. Fortunately though, I made it through just fine. We had a four hour layover (about 45 minutes to an hour was spent getting to our next gate). We watched the first part of Cranford, a BBC special a lady in our ward let us borrow. It was pretty good. We boarded the plane, a Boeing 777. It was quite a contrast to the tiny plane we were on before. There were 9 seats in each row rather than two, and I would have loved to have flown first class. The seats there were amazing! But, coach wasn’t terrible.

We were on the plane for 10 hours so they provided a dinner and breakfast. For dinner we had our choice of salmon or chicken. It was no ice cold fish head served with a turnip and a spork. It was a delicious, hot meal complete with cheesecake for dessert. Probably the best airplane meal I have had. After they served dinner they gave everyone a little packet that included everything you need for a quiet, dark, “comfortable” sleep.

While it was nice to have earplugs and such, I still had a hard time sleeping. But, when I woke up we had a delightful breakfast, so that helped. About an hour after breakfast we landed in Paris. Oh, the flight attendants all spoke mostly French (as we were flying Air France) so they didn’t seem to appreciate our speaking to them in English. Unfortunately I didn’t brush up on anything French for this trip.

In Paris, we had to go through security yet again. And yes, you guessed it, I caused a delay. Everything went through fine, or so I thought. After I got everything off the x-ray belt they wanted to search my suitcase. So I had to open all the pockets on the suitcase so they could examine what was inside. Then they ran a cloth over everything and tested that. Fortunately they didn’t find anything explosive or flammable or the like.

Fortunately we are through all the security checkpoints for today—who knows what the way home will be like. The only thing I have to worry about now is customs… hopefully they let me through… but until then I have about 45 minutes until we start boarding the plane to Rome. Normally I don't like pictures from the airplane window, but it was a really cool view as we came into Paris, so I thought I would take one anyway. Ciao!

Lucky Charms

My mom, Connor and I were all home on Saturday night, so we decided to eat some Lucky Charms together (but I actually had ice cream...). Kind of random, but fun!

A memorable Memorial Day

Every Memorial Day we have a Linebaugh family breakfast with all Linebaughs invited. All of my Grandpa's brothers and sisters and their families are invited. Usually around 90-100 people will come. We always have it at my Grandma and Grandpa's house (except while they were on their mission and it was at Kinkades). This year it poured rain the night before and the morning of, so we added hot chocolate to the menu and ate in the garage and kitchen (as opposed to outside). It was still just as well attended.

A little while ago, Janet made some charms that had a picture of her Grandma on one side and my grandpa and his brother and sister on the other side. After most people had eaten she gave one to Jean and Jane (my grandpa's sisters). It was a touching experience. They were so excited and, naturally, it brought my Grandpa to tears.

Later on in the day we had a graduation party for Parker and Brady. The rain cleared up for a little bit so we were able to play volleyball and basketball for a little while. As we were leaving Carl and Kathy's house, there was a gorgeous full rainbow. It was a wonderful day!

The quest for the perfect travel journal

Every large vacation we go on (such as the trip to Europe in one week) I make a travel journal. It is always difficult to find just the right thing to use. This time I haven't planned ahead as much so I was left to do it the week before, my own fault of course. But after searching for a while, I found this black journal for $3.99 at Target which I think will work perfectly. I spent a while on Friday working on it -- making a huge mess of course. My mom and Brianna teased me the whole time because their journals didn't require any pulling apart or paint or taping, etc. But that it was fun for me to make it just how I want it. So, I am now set for the vacation as far as keeping a record while I am there. Now for the clothes and other essentials...

I am so excited about how it turned out. Just looking at the front with the cute tabs on the side, flower on the front, and the awesome painted letters makes me so excited to actually use it!

Car Wash

Last Friday I spent a while cleaning my car which was filthy, inside and out. I vaccumed and cleaned the inside and then hosed off and washed the outside. After drying it I decided to wax it. Just before I started, our 4 year old neighbor Christopher came over. He is quite friendly and offered to help me clean my car. So, I waxed on and he waxed off. I thought after a little bit he would realize it wasn't that fun and be done, but he stayed until it was done and then asked if he could clean the lights because they didn't look clean. So, naturally, I let him clean those. He was quite the helper!