DAY 2 – I’M LEAVING ON A JET PLANE

Up, up and away! It’s been a while since I’ve really gone anywhere. It’s been 9 years since I had my crazy travel job – where I flew to a different city every week and was only home on weekends. It was exciting and exhausting – and at the end of that year I was very happy to stay home for a while. And I kindof switched to roadtrips for a few years – mostly because my little Smart car is so comfortable and so great on gas. (At 10 years old, she still gets 40mpg.)   Because it was going to cost about $400 for long-term parking – and the airport doesn’t allow parking longer than 30-days anyway – some wonderful friends drove me to the airport. (Mind you, I now live 90-miles from the Vegas airport – yes, these are REALLY great friends.) [These same friends are housesitting, dogsitting, turtlesitting, and doing some remodeling while I’m away. Thanks, Jake & Shari!] They even got up to leave for the airport at 6am, but I wasn’t quite ready until almost 7am. (UGH!) And I was even finishing my packing in the backseat on the drive. (Yes, I always have last minute stuff to squish into an already overpacked bag!)

            Quick hugs at the curb, and one last snuggle with Pippa – and I’m heading for Delta. There’s an excitement that hits the moment you walk through the airport doors. You can feel it in the air: an energy. It’s an energy that is completely unique to the airport. And airports are a flurry of activity. Thousands of people, all coming and going – for so many different reasons. A couple of cute ladies sat across from me with matching “Girl’s Trip” t-shirts on. A few (obvious) businessmen, constantly chattering away on their phones. A young mom traveling alone with a baby, struggling and juggling all of the baby paraphernalia that little ones seem to require.

            And me – passport at the ready. My favorite demin jacket – because it has TONS of pockets for having everything handy. And comfy shoes – Birkenstocks (thanks to the recommendation of my brother, John) – that are the perfect travel shoe: easy to slide off for TSA, literally form-fitting comfort, and they go with everything.

            Fortunately, TSA was quick and easy (except the TSA Agent couldn’t figure out my rolltop backpack). Grab a couple of drinks and an $8 half-sandwich (that really wasn’t very good), and then the long walk to the gate – (of course, it’s the very last gate on the concourse).

            Admittedly, since my airfare was free – I splurged for an upgrade, for the much-needed legroom. And it’s a good thing too. I leave Vegas at Noon – and I arrive in Paris at Noon the next day. Yup, 24-hours of my life – and worth every minute. Well, it’s 5-hours to JFK in NYC. Then a 2-hour layover (that ended up having an extra 3-hour delay AND 2 gate changes) – and then it’s a 6-hour flight to Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris.

            So, what better to do on the flight than enjoy some of the Inflight Entertainment – how appropriate that they have the movie “An American in Paris” available. Maybe I’ll get some ideas!