In Flight

Baltimore here I come! I am in flight as I write this, so this actually won’t be posted until I am in Maryland. Fifteen minutes ago, I was on the ground in Salt Lake City and now I am in the air over Wyoming! I would think this unbelievable, except for the fact that I am experiencing it right now. Airplanes are fascinating. In four hours I will have traveled two thousand miles. What a crazy thought. Not only that fact, but the extent to which they have been commercialized also astounds me.

The last few days have passed at just the right pace. I was able to enjoy my time without going insane just waiting to get moving. I watched Sense and Sensibility with my sister and cousins as a girls’ night on Sunday. I went to a touching Memorial Day Service at the local cemetery on Monday and chatted with several cousins that I have not seen for quite some time. That evening, I went on a night run with my brother (yeah, I did that) which we ran 2-3 miles: I have not heard from him what the official distance was yet. On Tuesday, I ate Café Rio with my family as a celebration for my birthday, since this will be my first birthday away from home. I don’t think I have ever celebrated my birthday a month in advance, so I made it a new record. I also heard the sounds of a horse and a rooster yesterday, right across the street from me. I have a guess that it might be a couple months before I hear those sounds again.

I didn’t sleep well last night. A stark contrast to my regular habit of instantly sleeping as my head touches my pillow; I struggled to turn off my brain. I woke up a couple times during the night and again ten minutes before my alarm was set to go off. I think it is safe to say, I am excited!

A bit of commotion before I left for the airport involved an attempt to open the fire safe to retrieve important documentation for my employment. I was a bit distraught when the key was nowhere to be found and my flight was to leave in two hours. (A big sorry to my family for being grumpy, please don’t hate me for too long.) Luckily, we were inspired to go to a locksmith who had the safe open in five minutes. Next stop: the airport. We reached it just in time. After giving my mom a quick curbside hug (sorry Mom, I love you), dropping off my luggage, and conquering the security checkpoint, I rushed onto the airplane just before takeoff.

Little television screens are placed every three rows on each side and shows our current speed at 551 mph with a temperature of -65 ^oF outside us. A piece of metal not more than four inches thick is between me and the outside air. If it wasn’t there it would be really cold, really loud, and I’d be falling for quite some time. With a flicker, the screen displays a movie for all of the passengers. Complimentary snacks were served. I got apple juice and cookies. The cookies taste like ginger snaps with a large “DELTA” embossed into them. Thank you Delta, I don’t think I would have remembered what plane I was on, had you not reminded me on my cookies.

I just realized that when I land in Baltimore, I will have lost two hours. Yep, two hours of my life gone. Just like that. I have no other say in the matter. Oh well, I’ll gain them back on my flight home. Two extra hours added to my life. I wonder what I’ll do with them. It’s like storing away two hours for a couple months. That’s an interesting thought.

I no longer know where I am at. The screen is occupied with the movie and outside the window is a blinding white. Maybe I’ll try to sleep, although I doubt I’ll be successful at that endeavor. So long fellow Utahans (is that how it’s spelled?), I can only wait for what lies in store at the end of this plane ride.

Until then,

Elizabeth