Traveling

I love to travel.  I love going places, and I don’t really care how I’m getting there.  I love to fly, but I’m happy in the car on a long road trip, or on a train (although I haven’t done that since college).  I even like to travel alone (it’s fun to try to figure out who everyone else thinks you are, what you’re doing, where you’re going, why, and fun to make up stories you could tell people if they were to ask), but I hate leaving John behind, and I don’t like it when he leaves me behind (even though I usually enjoy the time alone).  We both associate me leaving without him with when I was in the Navy.  Then we’d have to say goodbye for two weeks, or two months, or (worst case for us) six months.  Now, even though we know it’s just for a few days, that initial sense of impending separation comes with the same anxiety that upcoming deployments used to bring.  It doesn’t last (or we’d both be miserable the whole time), but it makes the night before a trip a little difficult.

I sat next to the skinniest girl in the world on my first flight.  She’s a college student going home for Spring Break (another thing I had forgotten – I’m traveling during Spring Break season).  She was shorter than me, maybe a little taller than Jess, and she was twig thin.  Probably wears a size 0 or 2 jeans.  Anyway, our row only had 5 seats, and we were in the two on the right side of the plane. I had the aisle seat.  She folded herself into her seat. It was like watching an accordion close up.  Looked unreal.

Traveling with my laptop is SO cool.  Well, traveling with it and actually using it while traveling is cool.  Just lugging it around is not so cool.  I’m aware that Mom and Dad have at least two, probably three laptops in their house, but I wanted to play with mine en route.  Plus, I wanted to test out my new bag, which I bought specifically so I could have a nice looking, work-ready bag for my laptop and other things.  And it’s a nice carry-on.  Anyway, I wrote the first paragraph up there around 6:15 this morning in the terminal at Dulles.  The rest of this is being written (by some mystery person who likes passive voice, apparently) as we’re flying along at cruising altitude on our way to Pensacola.  I like my laptop.  🙂  Plus I wanted to get this written before I get there so I can just post it.

Update: I made it safe and sound, and in the four or so hours I’ve been here, I’ve been to Lowe’s, had a picnic lunch with Mom, Dad, and Corey, picked Gaby up from school, and read her a story before her nap.  Now, the three of us (Corey went back to work) are all on our laptops, doing whatever.  I think we may go for a walk soon.

3 Comments

  1. momma betty

    I’m so glad you’re here. I recognize those pre-trip anxieties, especially when it means being separated. Too many of those separations in both our marriages–for the same reason: US Navy!

  2. Jessica

    Down with Navy. Although I suppose I shouldn’t say that since it’s still providing me with a paycheck technically. Some day I’ll finish one of the many stories I’ve started and get published and won’t have to depend on the Navy for anything more than Chuck’s retirement. 🙂

    I hate the concept of “size 0 jeans.” How can anything be size ZERO? ZERO is nothing, nonexistence, the lack of anything at all. It bugs me.

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