July 9th, 2023

On this day, @s.e.l.z wanted to see me before I went on this adventure, so @loveulieslie and I picked her up to go get coffee at @Philzcoffee. Little did we all know it was going to be more than coffee. We got coffee, went to Target twice, got our hair done, went to get lunch, then went home. They both don’t realize how much I needed all of these events in this trip. You see, I needed things to keep my mind off of the events of the redeye flight that I would be taking later that evening. Without them, I think I would’ve done something I would have regretted and chickened out and not gotten on the redeye flight to go on this life-changing adventure. 

Lindsay sitting in a salon chair.

Three cups of Phiz coffee.

It also didn’t help that the life-changing adventure that I was about to go on was happening on my 13-year brain surgery anniversary, which was an event that not only changed my life forever, but also changed the way I saw the world. After the surgery, I wasn’t able to see everything that I was able to prior to, but I was grateful to be alive.

When I got home, I packed up the last bit of stuff that I needed to and headed to the airport. 

Once at the airport, my dad assisted me in getting my baggage sorted and to my gate. In doing so, we ran into another blind traveler, who happened to be on my flight as well. As a result of a coincidence, we asked if they were going to Guiding Eyes as well, but it just so happened that this person who lived in now Manhattan at one time in their life, was a neighbor of the Guiding Eyes for the blind CEO. In addition to having this wonderful encounter, I also had an amazing flight attendant from Delta by the name of Olivia. It just so happens that when she lived in Michigan one of her teacher’s raised puppies for Leader Dog for the Blind while she was in school, so she realized the impact that this adventure was going to have on my life.