Whirlwind Week

Thankfully, we were successful in arriving on time for our international flight from London.  In order to arrive at the airport 2 hours before the flight (as the airlines recommend for international flights), we had to catch the very first train at 5:36am, transfer to another train that would get us to Victoria Train Station in Central London, then catch the Gatwick Express train that would eventually take us directly to the airport.  We even had some time to stop at the Duty Free Store in the airport to buy some chocolates (and use up our last few Pounds - ironically, perhaps in exchange for some "pounds."  That horrible joke is James's).

For this flight, sadly, we did not get upgraded to first class or business class - but, considering how much we had eaten on our last flights, this was absolutely fine.  Erin ended up sleeping quite a bit on the 9-hour flight, and James entertained himself by watching 4 movies consecutively.  After a brief layover in Atlanta, we arrived in Detroit at about 5pm Eastern Standard Time (or Eastern Daylight Time to be exact).  Both of us felt pretty good after all of the flying, which could have been due to the "No Jet Lag" pills we took, or it could have just been the placebo effect.  Erin's Dad was kind enough to pick us up at the airport and drive us home, all the while listening to our exhaustive travel stories.  (Thanks Erin's Dad!).

We only had about one day in Michigan before packing up and heading out again.  After doing some laundry and quick shopping, we drove to Stamford, Connecticut for a wedding celebration.  The Italian wedding was wonderful - we really enjoyed ourselves!  Erin especially enjoyed catching up with some of her PA school classmates at the wedding. 


Jenny, the beautiful bride, Janine, and Erin - all former classmates.



Erin and James enjoying the lovely reception.

 
Because we were so close to NYC, we decided to spend some time there before heading to our next stop.  We visited with our old next door neighbor and caught up on the co-op building gossip (Thanks Alysa!).  We also wandered through our old neighborhood and saw the amazing results from the Lincoln Center renovations, and the recent addition of a Trader Joe's just a few blocks from where we lived.  (Erin was more than a touch disappointed this wasn't here when we lived there).  James was also able to catch up with some of his friends and former co-workers while we were in town. 


Tabitha in front of the iconic Empire State Building, the tallest building in New York City.



We stopped in Times Square, where we saw ourselves on the big screen television!

The lunch bunch: Tabber, Lindsey, Michael, and James.

After our brief visit to NYC, Erin drove to Washington, DC for the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants Conference that she is presenting at on October 1.  While Erin is attending her conference, James is briefly visiting with his brother for a few days before we drive back to Michigan.  Once we're back, we'll be packing things up and heading to Paris, France, to start the long portion of our journey.  It really does feel like a whirlwind....