now they went...

day one 

(does anyone else launch into singing "it's day one of the rest of my life, it's day one of the best of my life" in their head anytime someone says "day one"??? no? just me? oh well. - if you don't know what i'm talking about, give it a listen here.)

anyway...day one...and it's a long one.

i woke at my normal time (5 a.m.) and did the last day of our pre-trip devotional, aptly titled "the Gospel sends". after dropping my son off at his summer camp, i went and picked up one of the students, Alexus. she is the only student that i knew before signing up for this trip.

we headed to my sister's house who drove us to the airport. our flight wasn't until 11:30. students were supposed to be at the airport by 9:00 and the chaperones by 8:30. Alexus and I were early and the first ones there...possibly the earliest i've ever been to an airport for a flight.

everyone gradually arrived and it was time for a group picture. and a group selfie. when "the other holly" busted out her selfie stick, i was pretty sure we'd be getting along just fine.

we made it easily through security and plenty of time to grab "lunch" before our flight. except that it was still pretty much breakfast time. the group of girls i was wandering with...we got sushi. for breakfast. the first of many firsts on this trip. i may have followed it up with a cinnamon bun. but there's no proof.

during our airport wandering, we came across a circular area and I said "hey we should all get in the floor in a circle and take a picture." and they did...with no hesitation. i knew it was going to be a good week. and it was slight affirmation of what i already knew - i have a inner teenager that just won't grow up (which is why i have gone through a hannah montana phase as a full grown adult).

we eventually loaded on to the plane where our seats were all grouped together. i was a little worried for the sanity of the other folks on the flight, but really our group was pretty well-behaved.

 It was an easy flight - under two hours. This was my first time flying JetBlue and it was a great experience. Uneventful flight...just the way I like them. The employees in the airport were very friendly, as was the on-flight crew (as evidenced by the the pretty hilarious photobomb courtesy of a flight attendant). The best part? I got WINGS. Two thumbs up JetBlue. 

when we arrived, we had some down time because two of the male chaperones had to go pick up our mode of transportation for the week - a 15 passenger van and a Ford Escape. i may have eaten a burrito the size of my head that was labeled "small" on the menu.

my geographical knowledge of boston is limited so pardon my poor descriptions of where we were in some cases (actually, this is true for anything relating to geography and/or directions, not just boston).

we wandered through an area that i believe is known as the financial district and hung out in a quaint little park with a foundation while we waited on the Hartis family.

according to instagram, these photos were taken in Post Office Square

then we met the Hartis family - Chad, Jodi & Brayden. i felt like i was meeting rock stars. after reading about them, praying for them, hearing updates, for over a year...it was super cool to finally meet them face to face.

we walked to Quincy Market and were given some freedom to roam and find some food (keep in mind how much i've eaten already...i opted for a smoothie). apparently we only saw a portion of this (the food part) and there is a lot more to it.

while i "ate" my lunch, i talked to Jodi...it's weird to look back at the first "get to know you" conversation and then just seven short days later, i shed tears as we walked away from their apartment.

anywho...

next up, we took the T to Fenway Park (the T is basically their subway system). i knew this was going to be a long day and wondered how my energy level would be. i despise public transportation because of its lack of efficiency, but appreciate it for the experience. the long-ish T ride gave me an opportunity to sit by myself in the "quiet" while most of the girls were standing up in the back.

i guess i should point this out for anyone reading that might live under a rock... Fenway Park is the baseball field where the Boston Red Sox play. it is iconic and one of the oldest surviving stadiums in the country.

it didn't take long for Brayden to start winning over the hearts of the students.
the "boys" carried him all through the streets of boston. 

as we approached Fenway, i started to get giddy and then there was a turn of events...

of the 20 tickets that we had for the game, about 5 of them did not scan - including mine. it's a long story, but in summary... the majority of the group went into the game. five of us stayed out. it took us a long while to get in the game. it involved a lot of walking. a lot of standing in line. and a lot of stress for our fearless leader. BUT...we got in.

everything that Spencer (my stepson) had told me about the ballpark suddenly made sense. i was in awe of my surroundings. so much history. so much character.

we played the detroit tigers and lost by one run. this is supposed to be the last season for david ortiz (big papi) and he homered...so that was awesome (i even made spencer a little jealous with that!). jackie bradley jr is my favorite player, due to him being a gamecock, and he also homered - just for me, i know it!

see that white dot??? that's JBJ. 

there were a few moments during the game that were just surreal. i was watching the sunset over fenway park. what? and i stopped to think about all of the immense talent that was in that stadium right now. with me. at that moment. craziness. i got to sing sweet caroline in fenway. what???

look it's me. and fenway. we're BFFs. 

the Hartis family

our row of peeps - way up in the right field bleachers

two of our chaperones left the game early and grabbed our vehicles so we did not have to take the T all the way back to the cars. so we had a little time to kill after the game...so i took pictures.

me and wally

we had about an hour and a half drive down to Dartmouth, which is where we'd actually be spending the week. all of our luggage was crammed into the Escape so all of the people were crammed into the van like sardines. i vaguely remember some incident of abby's phone getting lost, then josh & alex carefully planning a well-thought out rescue mission.

by the time we got to the hotel, checked in and settled down for the night...it was 2:30 a.m. i was proud of myself for being an old lady that hung from 5 to 2:30. go me.

one of the things that really stood out to me about day one is that i felt so welcomed and accepted by a group of teens that didn't know me at all. we immediately started meshing and it was the beginning of a beautiful week.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Matthew 28: 16-20

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Praise:
That morning, as part of my written prayer, I asked "Let this be so much more than just a trip."
He answered.

Prayer Prompt:
That all of us would have a disciple's heart in our daily lives...no trips necessary.