And They're Off?

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Well today has finally come and we're stoked! Both Candace and I have saw the kids and animals off to her Mom and Dad's and we were finally alone for our last night in Manitoba.
Instead of getting any sleep, we both rushed around the house checking and re-checking our back packs to make sure we didn't forget the little we were both taking.
By the time the alarm went off, I think I had gotten 4 hours sleep. A quick call to my Dad to make sure he was up and on his way to our house to drive us to the airport and the rechecking of the bags began again. I'm not sure what it is about the incessant need to confirm you have underwear but I'm sure someone must have crossed the world on one pair of undies.
After loading my Dad's car, we drove the 35 kilometers to the airport. A ride I make every morning as I work next to Winnipeg International takes about 25 - 30 minutes but when you are nervous and anxious (and your Dad is driving), it seems to take forever. My Dad dropped us off at the door and with that, we checked in and proceeded to wait.
Everyone who travels can tell you all sorts of tales about airports. Good and Bad. Well Winnipeg airport does not really have much to do and its pretty dark and gloomy at 6 in the morning on a cold February morning so we were relegated to doing what we do best.
People watch.
Whenever I travel, I always love to sit back and try and guess where everyone is going or how often they travel. When I get bored of that, I usually make up short stories about them. Candace and I usually have a good laugh.
Now being in Winnipeg when the temperature is -25 in February, its not unusual to see people in the airport in shorts, flip flops and tank tops, heading to Mexico or the Caribbean for an all inclusive holiday. Whats funny is when they come back from sitting in +30 weather and try and leave the airport. There must have been 8 couples saunter past us and head out the doors to the awaiting taxis only to bolt back inside. Hello people, this is Canada in the winter!
We are always amused by the passengers that feel that they must check into the ticket gate to see when the flight will be leaving. They usually run up and accost the gate personnel. These are usually the same people who will go up 3 or 4 more times to ensure that they have the right flight after checking their ticket several times.
Then there are the business travelers. The old pros at traveling that sit back and wait for others to board then casually fold their newspaper and saunter on board. They know that flying for the umpteenth time is not so magical and just want to get where they're going.
I have flown quite a bit and fall into the last class, while my wife still sees the magic in flying and was quite interested in everything going on. I think it took all the effort she could muster to not get up and run to the gate when they called for boarding. I instead opened the next section of the paper and read about the plans for the new airport being built in Winnipeg.
We're off to Vancouver.

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