If you know me, you know I love airports. Even when I was stuck at one for seven hours this week, I still made the most of my time. If you can't relate, I'll give you a little sneak peak of the world through my lenses:

I land at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. It's 6 pm. I think about the three hours I have before my 9:30 flight back to Grand Rapids, and I get excited. Three hours to walk around. Three hours to gift shop hop. Three hours to explore.

I turn my phone off airplane mode and it buzzes to life with notifications. One in particular catches my eye: a text from United Airlines telling me my flight is delayed to 10:30. That's fine with me! I have even more time to wander now. Maybe I'll even take a nap.

I'm pretty hungry by the time I find my text terminal and gate, so I walk around in search of food. There's Wolfgang Puck which advertises its decadent pizzas, but I look at my wallet and decide that $14 for a small pizza is not worth it. Jamba Juice is inviting and reminiscent of the warmth of California, so I step in. I order an acai bowl with fruit and granola. It doesn't disappoint.

I get another buzz from my phone. It's United again, telling me that my flight is now delayed to 1 in the morning. That's fine with me, I guess. I know I'll probably be napping at some point now.

Next, I move onto a different terminal. There's a sign hinting that I will walk into a "Children's Museum" if I keep following the path. I do. I find the Children's Museum; it's stocked full of play areas and airplane-shaped slides. Kids are all over it, weaving in and out of brightly-colored tunnels. Laughter fills the hall.

I walk past a fancy-looking sushi bar and see many businesslike people dining. They have intent looks on their faces, and some had phones to their ears as if they were in a business call.

I walk past the iconic O'Hare underground tunnel of lights that connects Concourse B and Concourse C. As I emerge from the escalator to face gate C18, I feel a rush of memories. These gates were the ones I always used to fly to China, and I could map this terminal like the back of my hand. I know that if I turned around, I would see a hot dog stand. On my right was Nuts On Clark, and across the hall was the food court. A little ways down was an Auntie Anne's, and the terminal had Starbucks on each end. I could feel my love for the airport rise in me. I felt the thrill of going to China without the actual ticket to get across the Earth.

I go to the bathroom and get excited when I see the high tech sinks. Not only does each sink have an automatic water and soap dispenser, they also have individual mini hand driers at each station. I am stunned by the coolness of airport technology.

With every step, I breathe in my feeling of happiness. I am so lucky to have all the time in the world at the airport. I love the feeling of excitement that comes with flying. I love the anticipation of a new destination. I love the warmth of reunion -- or the unknown of adventure.

I venture back to Concourse B, where my flight to Grand Rapids is waiting. Another text from United tells me the flight has been delayed even later. In addition, the aircraft has been switched because a flight to Kansas City needs the one that was originally ours. The people back at my gate are furious. The impatience can be felt in the air. I, however, am calm. This just means I will have more time to explore each nook and cranny of the airport that I love.