30

Well, it looks like I made it another year around the sun and finally reached the big 3-0. Commence the joke fest in the comments below. I am continually blessed in life and was particularly blessed with the ability to visit family in North Carolina to celebrate. Several folks have asked me what it feels like to turn 30. The same? The same but not really. I’ve hit my third round of double digits and it still has not hit me. I’ll circle back and answer that when/if I figure it out.

It was very refreshing to leave New Orleans and be somewhere. Being home was definitely a plus. Side Note: If you follow my Debt Free Journey series, then you know that I am on a very tight budget until Spring 2021. Don’t worry, people! This trip was budgeted. I ended up flying to North Carolina and really did not have any major issues. The biggest change in flying was the face mask requirement for the duration of the trip. Unfortunately my flights to North Carolina did get rescheduled a couple weeks prior so that messed up my original leave request. That rescheduling also included a 55 minute layover in Dallas. Of course that particular flight was the only flight that was delayed and I ended up booking it over on foot to Terminal D from C. Felt like a ruck run (minus the running). I chose to go by foot vice the Sky Link because last time I used the Sky Link I took the one going the opposite direction by accident. Wasn’t risking it this time.

Being in North Carolina again was a much needed, refreshing break from the city. I most enjoyed visiting with people and being in a completely different environment void of high rise buildings and emergency service sirens at every hour. My family and I even got to go the beach to enjoy the sun and the waves. No visit would be complete without a trip out to Mike’s Farm. Their dinner is excellent and the atmosphere is very enjoyable. We ate dinner there and even checked out their brand new offering which is a barn/store that sells strictly North Carolina made products. The products sold include coffee, wine, handbags, natural detergents, Burt’s Bees, and a variety of food items (just to name a few). I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the area! Later in the week we had a neighborhood birthday celebration with a couple of neighbors. Not only was there Eastern North Carolina BBQ, but there was cheesecake!

This trip came to a close where I flew back to New Orleans on a different airline. Delta is still blocking off seats for physical distancing which worked out perfect for me. I used miles to purchase the cheapest ticket possible and forfeit the ability to choose my own seat. On both legs of the journey I had space and was no further back than row 14. What a deal! Delta also made sure that only a set number of rows boarded at a time to limit the amount of people at the gate scanning tickets (seating back to front). Of course the face mask was required for the duration of the trip. Overall I was impressed with Delta’s handling of the new guidelines during these times. Flying is still possible, people! If you want to go somewhere and you’re healthy, I recommend flying domestically.

So after a week of work we wait to see what these two hurricanes are up to. The forecast shows that New Orleans is due to meet Marco on Monday. Laura is due to arrive around Wednesday. As of now both are only to be Category 1 hurricanes. Category 1 is nothing too worrisome, but my concern lies with rainfall and flooding. I’ve seen my street flood during a typical thunderstorm as if it was a river. There are no evacuation orders in place, but they could come if anything changes.

What a year! Prayers for everyone in the path of the storms are most appreciated. If evacuation is needed, please pray for everyone hitting the road. Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday and to those who have reached out about these storms inbound. Until next time: Be strong. Love God. Love others.

rejoice.always