This week’s adventures entailed hopping on a plane, finally! It was my third time on a plane since the pandemic started. Having grown up in Southern California, I’m used to bodies of water only west of me, so I am absolutely enchanted by seeing bodies of water on both sides of the road. My travels took me to what I like to call “lake country” in Minnesota, three hours north of Minneapolis, just past Brainerd. We were so close to Canada, we smelled some of the smoke from wildfires there, and it made for a beautiful sunset.

We spent most of the time on the water, enjoying nature to the fullest. I even learned the term “crick,” which we traversed to make our way to another lake and explore one tiny island. We had great fun making s’mores and cooking dinners on the grill, with the calling of the loons in the distance serenading us.

My boyfriend and I love visiting local shops and attractions, so we made a couple trips to Crosslake to enjoy local coffee at Crosslake Coffee and local ice cream at Lake Country Crafts & Cones; and we attempted to visit Crosslake Train Club, but they’re only open on Saturday right now.

I do need to comment on what a great experience going through Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport was. Having flown out of LAX, where renovations are in full swing, it was quite serene (as far as airports go) to walk into a travel hub that made it feel so easy to get where we needed to be. As part of its 2040 plan, the airport has had a great facelift; everything is so clean. I am a big fan of the art installations and PPE vending machines! Masks are required throughout the airport premises; so if you’ve misplaced yours, you can quickly replace it here.

Speaking of replacing things, I lost my driver’s license along the way somewhere and, unfortunately, didn’t realize until we’d arrived at the airport for our trip home. I have yet to figure out where we parted ways, but I made it through security. I have TSA PreCheck and headed to that line, handing them all my credit cards. They informed me they’d take me to the regular security line and go through all my belongings. So that’s exactly what we did, and I got through security just fine. It was crazy busy, but having TSA PreCheck pushed me to the front of the line of standard security checks where you have to separate electronics, liquids from your belongings and take your shoes off and everything. I have not missed that part of traveling and am so thankful I have TSA PreCheck.

Replacing my driver’s license was a breeze. This is the first time I had to do it, but this is one of those services the California DMV has made available online. Before our Delta flight left MSP I had finished my request. Hopefully, despite the pandemic, the glacial process at the DMV will get my I.D. replacement in my hands before the end of August for the FXExpress awards in Washington, D.C.!

— Maria Angeles, account executive