February 14, 2003 - 11:09 a.m.

Bon Voyage

It's finally sinking in the morning that this trip is really happening. I have such a tendency to live in the moment that while I may be excited in mind when planning and preparing for an exciting trip, I don't really FEEL the excitement until the day of. Last night I was doing all but the last-minute packing and stressing altogether too much about what to bring and what not to bring. This morning, thanks to that stress and the added minute bit of worry about traveling with all the terror alerts out, I woke up feeling very stressed. Now that I have been pampered with my pedicure, though, I am feeling much calmer and eager to be on my way.

In the meantime, I have to throw a couple more things in my bags, eat some lunch (probably my last healthy meal for many days), pack some snacks, and keep giving the cat lots of scratches to make up for my impending absence. This afternoon my boss is giving me a ride to the airport shuttle, and by 4:30 I ought to be in the air. Yay!

As I type this I am watching Animal Planet. There is a show on (A Pet Story) about an adorable golden retriever puppy, named Jake, who has incomplete back legs. I missed whether it is due to an injury or a birth defect, but his hind legs end at about the knee point. He gets around with a "wheelchair" that supports the rear half of his body allowing him to pull himself along. They are also fitting him for prosthetic legs so his hind legs will reach the ground and give him better leverage - though I think he will still need the wheelchair. It's amazing how well he gets around with his wheels! The even showed him cavorting on the beach. So cute!

Time to go finish getting ready. I'll try to update sometime next week if I can tear myself away from the sun. :)

today's project: leaving on a jet plane

musing about: what essential item I have forgotten to pack

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flutter back - fly ahead