Time flies.. and so did I

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. I am home already and while so much has happened in the past 8 days, I feel like I posted that last entry just yesterday.

I've been recovering really well so far and my teeth are nice now which makes me extremely happy. I finally accomplished a goal that I have been working on for 6 years and within the next two years, I will reach my goal weight and then finally accomplish a goal I have had since I can remember.

One of my favourite things about Brasil was the people. Not only the Brazillians but also the North Americans I met while down there. It is incredible how the support and encouragement you recieve from complete strangers can make them feel like a family away from home.

I had a lot of anxiety about the trip back. I thought about it every day and it was one of the first things on my mind when I woke up and the last thing on my mind when I went to bed. I hate flying and I know that now better than ever!

We spent the last week in Brasil finishing up some sightseeing but mostly shopping and getting all the souvenirs to bring home. Ana was amazing and I really enjoyed spending time with her learning about the city.

We had our laundry done before we left as well and even though it wasn't as nicely done as the previous place we used, it was nice to know we could go home and have clean clothes.

I also enjoyed spending some time with Tanya before I left and meeting her sister. Such a sweetie!

So the trip home was definitely stressful. We were dropped off at the airport very early and we quickly discovered that our plane was almost an hour late. We had a bite to eat in the food court (I managed to find a neutral grilled cheese type sandwich) and went to check in for the plane. Sitting behind security was a lot nicer than being in the main airport area.

I think we ended up waiting 3 hours or so but we finally boarded and took the trip to Sao Paulo. Although I didn't want to use the wheelchair service, after seeing the lineup at the American Airlines counter at GRU, I decided that the wheelchair would be a necessary move, so we went to the AA office and they quickly had a wheelchair and attendant there for me.

By using the wheelchair we bypassed the line and were able to check in very quickly. The wheelchair attendant also got us through security faster and took me all the way to the gate.
We decided to go to duty free where I ended up using all my Brazillian money (not realizing the food places only took Reais :/) Alecia was nice enough to do the running around and got us some water and crackers for the few Reais we had left.

At duty free we bought cigarettes and alcohol which we carried on the plane with us.

The flight to New York was long. Long and exhausting and although I managed to get some sleep in, I was annoyed by the food. I had booked a diabetic meal which would have been ideal but somehow at last minute it was changed to vegetarian which would not have worked for me. The only thing they could do was switch me to Kosher which was ok but left me with a lot of wasted food I couldn't eat. I ended up snacking on crackers the rest of the way. I was lucky though, the Kosher meal gave me an omelete for breakfast which was a lot more appropriate than the regular breakfast meal.

We got to JFK on time or even a little early and I took full advantage of the wheelchair. As a result, we got through immigration, customs and everything while being at the front of the line. We checked in with Air Canada and that was by far the worst customer service ever! That lady was not nice!

When we finally went through security to head to our gate, we ended up losing our alcohol we bought at duty free in Sao Paulo not realizing that even though it was still sealed, they wouldn't allow it. Alecia tried to get it checked but again the service at Air Canada sucked. They said the luggage was already on board. Ironic since we ended up with half of our luggage delayed for 2 days.

I have to say that spending as much time at JFK airport as I have makes me extremely happy and proud to be Canadian!

We made it to the gate with only 20 mins to spare before takeoff and although the plane ended up leaving New York late, we were relieved that we made the flight.

The flight from NYC to Calgary was what solidified the fact that I HATE to fly. The trip was only supposed to be 4 hours and a bit, but it felt longer than the 9 hour flight! The turbulence got so bad at one point that the plane dropped about a foot straight down and that was terrifying. A teenager in the back started screaming and people started to get that look in their eyes.. you know when someone looks to you with this fear of death searching for reassurance that today was not the day they were going to die. I wish I could say I didn't have that look myself. That turbulence was the worst I have ever experienced!

But we made it to Calgary only a little late. Aside from the lost luggage, the trip home was far better than the trip to Brazil and a relief for sure.

As much as I was worried my Laptop was lost forever, I am just thankful I made it home safe.

So this week I am relaxing, catching up with my kitties and getting back to normal life. I am learning about my new digestive system every time I eat and I have realized that my tastes have changed. I don't really enjoy eating anymore and almost get annoyed when the hunger starts to set in. I haven't gotten my vitamins yet so that is on my list of priorities but I certainly have a lot to do. I have money to get back from American Airlines, I have damaged luggage and I have some travel insurance to claim.

And then, I get to dig into my garden and do some weeding and get back to normal. I can't wait for the normal to finally settle in.

So thats it for now. I think I am caught up!