Well... I survived the trip, but just barely. My family got to the airport 15 min before our scheduled flight. Half of us got left behind parking the cars while the rest ran into the terminal. However, even this smaller group got separated at the security check. I jumped onto the shuttle and left everyone on the wrong side of the airport. I got to the gate and ran up to the plane on the runway. I figured I'd be the only one taking the flight and the rest would catch up on a later flight. But then I looked over at the plane next to ours and my brother was rushing up to it. That plane was going to Chicago. He aparently found this out and ran over to me in the right plane. So I had a bit of company as my uncle was with him. The three of us headed out to Jacksonville and left the rest of the fam in Maryland!

When we landed, we stopped for breakfast and waited for everyone else on the later flight. I noticed a group of black guys carrying musical instruments coming over to our area. When they got to us, I realized I recognized one of the guys from tv. Actually it turned out to be Reuben Studdard the guy that won American Idol. My brother forbid me to get his autograph - mainly because I only knew the guy's name since they had told me - he could have been P. Diddy for all I knew. When I told my sister later that we saw him in Burger King, she asked if he was working there!!!

List of celebrities I've encountered - that I know of

1. Maurice Bernard (General Hospital) - I met him and talked with his wife about homeschooling
2. Michael Bloomberg - long story, but he sent me this amazing vase of roses a while back & a letter recently
3. Cal Ripken - I don't like base ball, but oh well
4. Akiva Goldsmith (screenwriter Beautiful Minds etc) - pictures
5. Josh Harris (Christian author) - he was my pastor
6. Toby Mackeehan (Christian music artist) - came up to me at a concert

I can't put these guys on the list but my dad ran into Senator McCain at a bookstore in Arlington. And my mom saw Dick Cheney in her office bldg in Arlington.

:) I really want to be famous someday.