The morning started with a nice send off including sausage biscuits, coffee and juice prepared and provided by Mark and Elaine William’s and a couple of folks from their Sunday School class.  I appreciate their thoughtfulness!  We were also met by a few deacons, Kenny Smithson, Travis Balch and Steve Helms.  

We got off and arrived at XNA without any trouble.  The first stop of the morning was Krispy Kream in Bentonville.  The hot off the press doughnuts were awesome.  A couple of doughnuts and a cup of coffee and we were set for the rest of the morning.  

We unloaded and began checking in at United only to delayed by United network computer crash.  So we waited and waited only to be checked in manually to Chicago.  That meant rather than being checked all the way to Minsk, Belarus we had to go claim our bags in Chicago and re-check them at Lufthansa and go back through security.  It was more of an inconvenience than anything.  Everyone was very flexible and laughed our way through the process again.

After a bite of lunch at Chili’s we moved down to the gate to wait our departure for Frankfurt, Germany.  A few emails, a little shopping and a Starbuck’s Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino (yum) and we were boarding.

Flying from O’Hare we took a north bearing and then over the Great Lakes as we headed east toward the Atlantic.  We just flew over Montreal.  They are serving supper.  Back in a minute.

Dinner, surprisingly, was pretty good.  Chicken, mashed potatoes, rice, green beans and a very hard dinner roll.  Coffee and cake topped it off.  

We have just left the coast of Canada and are now over the Atlantic.  We are at 35,000 ft. flying at 660 mph and it is -65 degrees outside.  I wonder how they keep the plane warm.  Must be some kind of insulation!  We are flying in a 747 model 400.  This is one large bird!

Katie and I are sitting with a very nice young man named Alex from New Zealand.  We have chatted about work, family and faith in between periods of ear-phones and the audio/video channel.  Not much on the in cabin TV yet.  He is Greek Orthodox but told me he has faith in Christ and has asked Jesus to forgive his sins.  Very nice fellow.

Bro. Stuart and Sarah are just in front of us.  They drew they fortunate straw and ended up with an empty seat in their row.  Frances Headley and Micah Gregory are in front of them while Bro. Danny, Mark Headley, Emily, and Christy Williams are all in the middle section sitting together.  At least no one is sitting alone.  I am happy.

It is 6:45 Central time.  They have just asked us to close the widow blinds all over the plane.  They also turned down the in cabin lights.  I think they are trying to make us think it is night.  It is not, it’s almost time for Lost!  But we have to remember it will be 7:00 AM in Frankfurt when we land.  We will feel like it is time for bed and they will be beginning their new day, Friday.  So, I guess I will try and follow their lead and get some sleep.  If I don’t I know I will hate myself tomorrow or Friday or whatever day it will be!