Just a few hours of sleep and then mom knocked on my door to wake me. I remember waking up and noting the fact it was still dark out. What's going on....?! OH! YEAH! It all came back to me. Melissa's wedding invite, ticket buying, wardrobe restocking, packing, planning. Yes, today was the day I flew out to West. I smiled and quickly finished any last minute things before we headed to the airport.
I remember puzzling on the way and wondering why I wasn't going crazy with excitement. It seemed like a dream and maybe I wasn't willing to believe it quite yet.
Arriving at the airport, I checked in and then after saying goodbye to my parents, I headed across the shuttle to security - always something I dread. My turn came and I took a deep breath before walking into the scanner. I did the "Frozen Jumping Jacks Pose" and whoosh! The scanner swung around me and it was over, I had passed and I was free to go find my gate and a bite to eat. I sighed my usual relief and set out to find my plane.
It wasn't hard to find, seeing as it was the gate closest to security. I had almost an hour to kill so I went to the bathroom to check my hair, then wandered about debating breakfast options. After much thought and pondering I decided on a delicious looking parfait. It was even better than it looked. Creamy vanilla yogurt topped with a fabulous assortment of berries, including raspberries.
I found a seat and settled down to eat my breakfast and read until they called me to board. We all filed on and I found an exceptionally good seat - second row back on the aisle. The middle seat beside me stayed unoccupied and the windows seat was taken by a jolly elderly lady. We ended up having a great conversation on and off the entire flight. She'd laugh and chat then doze off. She snored in the most adorable way, she'd wake herself up with it and then be ready for another five minute exchange. She had grown up on a ranch and used to ride horses and cut cattle with her father. She was very open about her old fashioned beliefs and had a very good outlook on today's world. I really enjoyed sitting with her.
So I had a lay over in Las Vegas and boy, oh boy was that........interesting. Sparkling slot machines, rich 50-60 year olds trying to look 20. Bleck. They were trying hard but failing completely. I pity them actually....cause they seemed so confident about themselves. I felt extremely out of place and so I found a empty hallway, hid behind an electronic charging station and called up my niece for a little chat. We talked for an hour or so then I said farewell.
I got on my plane and even though I didn't get as nice of a seat as last time it really wasn't too bad. A sweet Asian couple maybe in their early 60's. Only the man spoke English but the woman gave me plenty of smiles and friendly nods. I read an classic Louisa May Alcott book on the Kindle to pass time and before I knew it the captain announced we would be circling down into Seattle.
Taking off and landing have always been my favorite part of flying. It's so fun to wait for the moment you either leave the ground or touch it. This time was no different.
Waiting....
Everything that was once tiny became normal sized.
Waiting....
The ground became almost level out the window.
Waiting....
There. Was that it? The airplane's roar confirmed it. We had landed.
Then it hit me. Oh my goodness! I'm actually here? It had to real because I was about to walk into land and wait.....I looked out the window once more and the beautiful mountains in the distance confirmed what seemed to be unreal.
It was true, after a year of waiting I was finally back in Washington State.
