Al aeropuerto

It's so hard to believe... 10 months of planning, taking care of logistics, vaccines, and packing and we've finally made it to today. We've gotten our bags checked in, successfully passed airport security, and now we're officially at the gate, thirty minutes from boarding our first flight! We're REALLY going to Quito!
Of course, the excitement is only yet to come. Passing the time in the Birmingham airport can be akin to watching paint dry if you don't have a slew of stuff to take your mind off the Muzak. So Jennifer's cramming in some Rosetta Stone and I discovered that the Birmingham airport does have internet access (welcome to the 21st century, BHM!), so I figured I'd write my first blog post. If you'll notice in the picture above, Jennifer's wearing an Alabama sweatshirt, and the large A that you can see on my shirt is really 1/3 of a huge "UAB" so apparently we're both going down to Quito with the intention of representing the home state from day one. Hopefully it'll make us easier to find in the Quito airport, should someone indeed be waiting to pick us up (that's our hope!).
Unless I get the urge to post in Houston, the next time you'll hear from me is after I get to Ecuador. We have 2 hours in Houston, so we'll probably scour the airport for a bite to eat... of course, that's assuming that the half-ton of pancakes and eggs and lingonberries (try them if you haven't) that we ate at the Original Panckae House this morning clear out in time...