The first day
It is exciting, thrilling a coming together of plan I thought I would never see come true and at the same time it is overwhelming. I spent the last few days in Canada trying to finish up some proposals for CILC and FBC- South Gate and trying to track down information on my grandfather's family that lived in Shanghai (one of the cities we will visit). In effort to follow the advice given us to sleep on the way over I have been awake for the last 48 hours. As we say goodbye to family and friends at the airport my mind drifts back to an even earlier memory of going to the Brandon Exhibition as a kid. After a day of foot-long corndogs and tilt-a-whirl rides, my friends decided it would be fun to go to the haunted house. I hated the idea, but went along. Within two minutes of entering a man in a poorly fitting gorilla outfit jumped out – it was enough for me. I turned and ran out. Luckily I was the last of my group to enter so they weren't among the people I knocked over as I went 'out' through the 'in' door. At the end of the day no one was any wiser (I hope my brother doesn't read this blog). At the beginning of big trips and new ventures I still feel like that kid in a cheap haunted house - I always want to at least check for a place to run. But I don't.