leavin on a jet plane

I'm not sure whether I've mentioned here that I have never flown before. I feel so backwards southern country bumpkin saying that. Most of my family lives in the southeast and my parents always opted for vacation sites close enough to drive to. Thus, besides never flying, I have also never been west of Texas or north of Missourri (save one trip to Pennsylvania/D.C. as an infant which my parents, insanely, also opted to make a road trip). I have, however, been to Disneyworld on several occassions, despite the twelve-hour drive.

The point of this confession is that Best Friend (ex)Roommate is flying me out tonight to visit her and our friend Laura in Atlanta, as they both live there now. I have driven to Atlanta many, many times, and I must say that eight hours in the car has lost its appeal to me after a lifetime of road trips, so I am very excited about getting on a plane tonight in New Orleans and getting off ninety minutes later in Atlanta.

I am also quite comfortable with the actual flying aspect. I am a bit nervous about getting through security and to my gate and everything, since I will be by myself, but I've spent quite a ridiculous amount of time researching security requirements online and asking friends and family about procedures, so I feel pretty confident that everything will work out just fine. My dad, ever supportive, commented "Once you get used to the cavity search at security you'll be just fine." Thanks, Dad. You are the reason I was such a gullible child.

I see this as a beginning step in conquering my ridiculous lack of travel experience. Nick and I have talked about going to New York or the west coast this summer, and we plan on going to Puerto Rico for our honeymoon. His grandmother (Abuela, she prefers to be called) is Puerto Rican and still owns a condo near the beach in Old San Juan. So, hopefully, with a little patience and a little money, within the next few years I'll be able to see more of my nation, and, with a little luck, perhaps even make it out of U.S. Territory. I'm really looking forward to seeing what life is like outside of the southern United States. It's a big world out there, and reading about it in books or watching it on TV is simply no longer enough.

posted by Just Call Me Fabulous @ 12:43 PM