Funny Things Happen When You Live in the Miami Airport For a Day

We pulled back into the Miami port as the sun came up on Saturday...seven days after leaving on our first cruise together.

 We finished packing our bags and took our final picture...

 They wanted everyone off the ship immediately, so about 9 in the morning, we had to stack up our suitcases and head for the bus area. We boarded a bus that would take us to our home for the day: the Miami airport.

 Okay. Here are a few things you should know.

I had just been on a cruise ship for an entire week, which was {as you've just endured reading about for the past many days} much fun! But as everyone knows, being away from home isn't the same kind of rest as being AT home, so I was a bit tired.

I hadn't slept for a good chunk of the week because of the aforementioned fan debacle.

I had only had one cup of coffee. {For you non-coffee-holics, this is a bad thing.}

I knew that when I arrived home at the end of the evening, I would be arriving home to NO hot water {this story yet to come in its entirety}, which, of course meant no shower and no laundry could be accomplished.

And while I wouldn't ordinarily tell you this on the blog, it did factor in significantly, so I will also tell you I had a nasty case of PMS.

You sort of get my frame of mind at this point, right?

So we settled in for the first part of our day in the lobby of a hotel in the airport. I was scared to sit there, knowing we weren't paying customers, but we were going to be in the airport for EIGHT HOURS, which meant I thought a little bit of time in a comfy chair might be okay.

Ryan played games.

 I worked on editing my over 800 pictures.

 And that's when the lady from the hotel came over and asked if we were ready to eat in the lounge. When Ryan told her no...we were okay...she said, "Well this lobby is for customers of the hotel and lounge, so if you're not either of those, you'll need to move to the real comfortable chairs around the corner."

I had just been kicked out of a hotel lobby {please keep in mind all of the aforementioned issues} which brought the ultimate in embarrassment. I made mental notes to never patronize THIS hotel. {HA. As if I could even afford it. They had concierge. I can't afford anything with concierge.}

We went around the corner to the "real comfortable chairs" {that lady is a liar!!!!} and settled in for the rest of the day.

We actually were pretty fortunate. The chairs could have been worse {though I would not stoop to call them comfortable} and we had an outlet right there to keep our phones and laptops going. Ryan was sweet to purchase the 24 hour internet plan so we could both log on and catch up on blogs, Facebook, email, and all that. He watched a movie in his computer and I worked on various tasks on mine. We ate pizza and drank Starbucks and all in all, the day spent in the Miami airport wasn't so bad after all.

And to prove it:

Two hours before our flight, we packed up and headed toward security and I thought to myself, Bekah, you've done a great job in not panicking today. You're calm, you're ready to get through security, you're ready to fly, you're not panicking, you're GROWING UP.

Oh how pride goes before a big. fat. fall.

So we got in line for security and got through the boarding pass/ID check with no issue. And therein came the first issue. I thought our gate was much farther down than it was when we began this adventure, so I had not yet pulled aside to drag my bag of liquids out of my carry-on to put them through the x ray belt.

I rounded the corner toward the belt and signaled to Ryan that I needed a minute to get into the suitcase to get out my bag...when I saw her.

The little girl {ten or so??} doing a face plant into a trash can.

Oh my word, people. My stomach is churning even TYPING this story to you.

One thing I cannot handle is the sight, sound, and/or smell of vomit. I mean seriously. Any one of those three and I am done. Absolutely done. Pull me up a trash can because I am next.

Apparently I was super fortunate that Ryan was walking first because he caught the whole show before she even got TO the trash can. He {in his ever helpful state} was trying to flag down someone to help the girl because evidently her mother was consumed with holding her hair back and her dad was not doing a thing besides taking up space.

And I, if you can even picture this, was trying to keep the eye closest to the girl shut, plug the ear closest to her, not breathe, talk to Ryan, AND dig in a suitcase while carrying a jacket and a purse.

I don't care how good you are. This cannot be done. It just can't.

He was still trying to flag down help and I was baffled as to why he wasn't pulling out some cape to shield me from the entire scene. {I'm nothing if not irrational in emergencies.}

I hauled everything onto the conveyor belt {literally shaking by this point from all the chaos and the newly-birthed fear that I am one step away from throwing up in the Miami airport}, unearthed my liquids, threw them and my shoes into a doggie dish and went through security.

As I'm still shaking and trying to reassemble all my belongings, I see the TSA agent say to another, "Can you help me get this suitcase? We have to search it."

Oh yeah.

It was mine.

The two of them - TWO of them - proceeded to haul that thing like it weighed 800 pounds. Oh please, ladies. I carry more weight than that to WORK every day. You do not need two people for this suitcase.

Ryan was still getting through security, and I'm at a side table, puke girl still in my view, shaking from head to toe, with a TSA lady gloving up to pull out my Bible, my underwear, and all my worldly possessions.

She picked up a bag and said, "What's in here?"

I burst into tears "Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd from some beeeeeeeeeeeeeachhhhhhhhhhhhhhhesssssssssssssssssss."

She gave me the same look I would have given me if we'd been flipped, but it was just eight straws past the final one. Ryan came running over, "What's WRONG???"

She gave him a look like, "This your wife? Man you're so outta luck." I said, "It's the saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddddddddd."

He didn't see the same sense of urgency in the situation that I did, which only made me cry more.

Because, you see, I had so carefully gathered that sand for a Pinterest project and one look at that TSA lady told me she did NOT have a Bekah-appropriate appreciation for Pinterest.

She really was sweet, and she did not call over dogs or anyone bearing handcuffs and was kind enough to let me repack my own bag.

And that undid every shred of courage I had gathered within myself. I had hot flashes and stomach churns and had to text back home to some of my prayer warriors to get me through that last flight.

The flight, by the way, was storm-laden and Ryan got to experience the labor-like death grip through some of the turbulence.

I really shouldn't have watched that first season of Lost.

And We're Off!!!!

Sunday morning in Miami was a warm RAINY morning. Yes, rainy. Are you kidding me? I get to take my first ever cruise and you’re going to RAIN on me?? Sigh. 

The hotel recommended a shuttle company to take us to the ship, and y’all, we both thought we were going to die during that ride and never even SEE the ship. It was a 15 passenger van, transporting yours truly and the hot husband known as Ryan, and we were pulling a trailer that carried the luggage. That driver was all OVER the four lanes of the road…speeding, cutting corners…and our prayer lives increased significantly. He was in a HUGE hurry to get us to the ship by 11:15 so we could make it on board for the 4:30 sailing, apparently. LOL!!!!

 The next part was a little hairy for me. I don’t really like crowds all that much…mean security people scare me…and being in situations where I don’t know what’s coming next really unnerves me. So pretty much boarding a cruise ship for the first time is the trifecta of nerves.

After getting yelled at by the suitcase Nazi {we did not want to surrender any of our bags because we’re territorial like that} and having my personal space invaded more than some doctor’s appointments, we made it through security and sat in the waiting room for our chance to board the ship. 

We actually got on the ship fairly quickly and were able to see our room for the first time. Want a little tour? {Just in case you've never been on a cruise and might be curious what their rooms look like!}

I took this picture standing in the hallway looking into the room – the bed and our balcony straight ahead…the closets/TV/refrigerator to the left and the bathroom to the right.

Our bed took me back to the days when my own bed at home was made up of two twin beds pushed together…big ole crack in the center. 

Our couch…not the most comfy thing in the world, but it was really nice for the times we wanted to eat in our room!

Our closet/getting ready space – and our TV!

And the bathroom. {With me. Probably the only time I’ll ever invite you in the bathroom with me. HA!}

And if you don't like the still version - howsabout the video version:




We were hungry, so we grabbed a quick lunch on board the ship and spent the entire afternoon exploring our new home for the next week. 

The water park area. {Where Ryan may or may not have REALLY enjoyed spending time...}

The theater. {Loved the little couch seating option!}

Ryan trying his hand at stand up comedy. {Not really. It was a photo opp.}

 Guy Fieri’s burger joint. {Probably our biggest source of withdrawal, post-cruise.}

The pool.

The adults-only deck. {YES!!!!}

And then after our exploration was complete, it was time to set sail. We discovered, during our exploration, that there was a little open-air deck on our same floor, right at the front of the ship, so when it was time to set sail, we went out there…and enjoyed a great view with just a handful of people. Way better than the masses on the main decks, I’m sure. The view was great – right out of Miami and into the ocean.

And that was how Day One of our cruise came to be!

Miami Bound...For Our First Cruise!

So....I want to tell you about our cruise!

Ryan has been on multiple cruises before, and he said the worst thing ever is to cut the flight too close to the cruise departure time. Well, I hate cutting things too close...so we headed out a whole day early so we could ENJOY our vacation.

I'm not sure if you can enjoy this...but this is the time we got up Saturday morning to leave for our cruise!

We packed up the car, said our goodbyes to Braeya, and met Ryan's mom, who provided our shuttle service to the airport. Here's our really bad departure photo. Sorry. 3:30 is not our finest hour.

See that little speck over on the right side of the picture...on the freezer? Yeah that's a baby frog. So now you know just how fake that smile is on my face. I was freaking out inside. Frogs are so...jumpy!

We went to the airport and got all checked in. Security went better for me this time than it usually does. I'm the kind of girl that something goes wrong for EVERY TIME. I was so nervous - SO nervous - to fly. I don't love it ever, but this time, for whatever reason, I was extra nervous. Soon I'll have to tell you about how God worked in my heart....it was a sweet time we shared there on that plane.

Ryan was good to comfort me...before he fell asleep, that is.

The flights were fairly uneventful - and I enjoyed my first chance ever to fly on a clear day, so I got to see a lot of scenery from above!

Beautiful mountains on our way to Charlotte!

Welcome to Charlotte!!  Well...thank you! It was my first time to be in that fine city!

And just so you know - this is NOT what you want to see when you look out the window. EEEK!

Our wing is broken!!! {Not really. But I was a little freaked.}

I was not even in Charlotte long enough to eat a whole granola bar before we were BACK on a plane - this time bound for Miami, baby!

Saw the Steelers' plane as we were fixin' to leave Charlotte. Hope they made it to their game in time!

Loved flying over the coastline - isn't this pretty?

We arrived in Miami around noon and caught a shuttle to our hotel. It was a GORGEOUS day in Miami...but now I know why they call it the Miami HEAT!

And the rest of the day was filled with lovely lounging. We made our way to the pool...and loved our lounging time.

Sorry I look so mad. It was just bright. :)

After we soaked up some sun {read: fell asleep and got burned to a crisp before the cruise even STARTED....} we headed out for dinner. The hotel recommended a Cuban restaurant across the street, so we went there and ate the massive portions put in front of us. Okay. Half of the massive portions.

My favorite part of the dinner was our waitress. She was SO nice and when Ryan asked her story {because he's nice like that}...she told us her husband came to the States from Cuba two years ago to look for work, found a good job, and a year later sent for her and their daughter to join him. She got a job as a waitress, they found a nice apartment, and she's hoping within a year or so, they can add to their family! Stories like that remind me of how blessed I am to have a nice home and a good job!

This was just not a stellar day in the looks department, but it was a blissfully wonderful day!!

And in case you've not had enough of us...a small video version of today:

The Shafferland Shuffle

And a happy Labor Day Sunday to you!! Did you miss me? {Did you know I was gone?}

Well, remember when last Sunday, I told you I spent the day taking naps and reading a book? I may have forgotten to mention that I did those things in Miami. As in Florida. As in vacation week for the Shaffers! Of course I have much to tell you, but here’s a quick synopsis of our week!

* Last Sunday, we boarded the Carnival Breeze in Miami, and set sail for a week of cruising in the Caribbean. This was Ryan’s 8^th cruise and my first, and we have been eagerly counting down the days to sailing for weeks now! We were up on the 11^th deck of the ship – in a nice room with a balcony, and we got to the ship early that day so we could settle in and explore before it left port shortly before dinner.

* We sailed all night and awakened Monday morning in Key West, Florida – and neither of us had ever been there before, so we enjoyed experiencing that first together. We didn’t sign up for any excursions on shore, so armed with a map and a couple of granola bars, we set out on our own to look around. Among other things that day, a highlight was crossing an item off my bucket list: I got to see a lighthouse in real life…and climb to the top of it, too! This was a big deal for the girl who is both afraid of heights AND claustrophobic.

* Tuesday was one of our at-sea days, so we enjoyed spending the day resting and roaming about the ship – and we took advantage of some of the activities the ship offered for entertainment. One of those was Hasbro the game show, where they did a live game show, and guess which one of the Shaffers crossed off another bucket list item?? NOT THIS ONE!! But Ryan was so excited when he got picked to go on stage and be a contestant!

* Wednesday we watched the sun rise {yes, on vacation…isn’t it WRONG?} over Grand Turk as we pulled into port! This was my first time out of the country {Canada excluded} and I really enjoyed being there, though we were there such a short time. In an event worthy of its own blog post, the highlight of that day was a little activity we like to call The Shaffers Play Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Ride Segways.

* We spent Thursday at sea as well…and while we didn’t attend any shows like we did the first day at sea, we did participate in a digital scavenger hunt and watched an ice sculpture demonstration! We got to be on the big jumbotron for that. This is typical of us: Ryan spends his time waving and I spend my time taking pictures. HA!!

* Friday we docked in Nassau, and we had the BEST TIME on our own private little beach we just happened upon! We got back on the boat about 20 minutes before it POURED, and we just took it easy the rest of the day. Great dinner…met some new friends who were on their honeymoon! And then…sob…we had to pack. We don’t talk about it.

*When we woke up yesterday, we were back in Miami. I was excited to be back in the land of phones and internet – until I logged on and saw all the news…and then I thought it was better when all that was turned off. We had the privilege of spending the entire day in the Miami airport – an activity not on either of our bucket lists!! And there may or may not be MUCH more blog fodder from this day alone!! But until then...