Emily’s Musings

We made it home a few hours ago. We had front row seats in the plane, so David got some great shots of Saba and the Saba landing. This plane ride is only 12 minutes from Sint Maarten, but it feels like 12 HOURS to someone like me who doesn’t like hot cramped spaces. I blame Brian, my twin, on my claustrophobia issues. This death defying exhilarating plane ride is one you will remember forever. It will haunt you at night. You come so close to death, you actually start to think maybe you had a secret death wish you forgot to tell yourself. For those of you who have never been to Saba, this is what you have to look forward to when you visit. A landing you will always remember:

This is what Saba looks like from the cockpit of the plane.

Okay, so it’s almost impossible to see, but the arrow is indeed pointing to our house. Living on this cliff gives us a great view.

The runway is now in sight. It is surrounded by ocean on three sides . . . there is no room for error. It is about this time I really start to panic. WHAT IF WE CRASH? WHAT IF I AM ON THE FIRST FLIGHT TO SABA EVER TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT? But then, I just have to look at the pilots chillin’ in the cockpit and I know that BOTH of them have a 100% success rate at landing on Saba. If it was anything less than 100%, they would be dead. Always a comforting thought.

Now you can see the strip. This is the SHORTEST COMMERCIAL RUNWAY IN THE WORLD. I am not exaggerating, and I am NOT MAKING THAT UP. I know I have a reputation for “enhancing the truth” when it comes to my personal opinion about stuff, but seriously, this is the TRUTH!

It’s about this time I start to hyperventilate (in my mind only) and my life flashes before me. Did I say my prayers? Are all my affairs in order? Will I live if we actually CRASH? I do all of this while sporting a very serious face for Hannah. I wouldn’t want to make her nervous! She always looks at me like, “Hey, do I need to hold your hand? I’ve done this 30 times in 20 months.” And no, that is not an exaggeration either.

So now that we have touched the ground, I realize I JUST MIGHT IN FACT LIVE. That is always a nice thought. Especially since I want to kiss my little boy’s face off!

We had a very relaxing time and Hannah loved going “swinging” (swimming) every day. Look forward to more pictures soon!