Taking Flight...

In celebration of his 3rd birthday next week, Owen got to take his first ever ride in Grandpa's airplane this morning. Now, this was a monumental event for a couple of reasons. First, Owen was (obviously) very excited for this little adventure. His older cousins have all gotten to ride before, so this was a bit of a milestone in his little life. And, just as expected, he LOVED it. Secondly, this was also a big milestone for his Mama. As a little girl, my dad would take us for rides in his airplane quite frequently. It was something that I totally cherished...soaring in the sky with my dad, doing "weeeeeeeeees", getting to float out of my seat, and just having a plain old good time. To me, going on rides in the airplane was a wonderful part of my childhood and I am (in theory) thrilled that my boys will get to do the same. However, as many of you know, my dad's plane crashed in 1999. And ever since the accident, I haven't been able to view flying for recreation quite the same. I know that the chances of a plane crashing are very slim, but there was just a little part of me that was hesitant to send my child up just for fun. But...I also really wanted Owen to get to build memories with his Grandpa and enjoy the wonderful things about flying. After all, not all kids get to go flying with their Grandpa and I wanted him to be able to enjoy that wonderful privilege. So, we did it. And you know what? He's just fine. They are back on the ground safely. He had a great time. And he thoroughly enjoyed his special birthday date with Daddy and Grandpa. So Grandpa Saint, thank you so much for taking him up! I know he'll be looking forward to next time.