Going East

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

After two years of talking about it, I'm finally going to meet my #braintwin Cam for four days of eating, drinking wine, writing, talking about writing, and wandering Boston and some of the East Coast.

I'm bringing comfortable shoes, elastic waist pants, my iPad, my camera, and three bottles of wine.

I'm so excited, I'm going to just pretend not to be nervous, though I have taken the time to analyze why I'm nervous.

1. This will be the longest I've been away from the kids. Counting travel to and from the airport, I'll be away from Joseph five nights. Since Elizabeth is staying with Melissa in LA, I'll only be away from her for three nights, unless she has too rough a time and Chad has to go get her. Then it'll be four nights. I don't know what I'm going to do, not seeing my little gingers for that long a time period.

     1a. Elizabeth will be staying with Melissa. While the plans that are currently on the books are wonderful and varied with such highlights as a mani/pedi and a tour of the Natural History Museum, I'm still concerned about my wee one in the Land of LA with her aunt who was disappointed Disneyland didn't have hotter dads and alcohol.

          1aa. Granted, Disneyland could be much improved by hotter dads and alcohol.

2. This will be the furthest I've ever been from the kids. Considering the two times they have had to go to the hospital have not been on my watch, I'm concerned that something might happen. And as klutzy as Joseph is and as daredevil-ish as Elizabeth is, that something is always sitting right there waiting for me to look away.

3. I haven't flown by myself in a decade. While this may not seem like a big deal, I'm a nervous flyer courtesy of my mother who is terrified of flying. What they say about the fears of our parents revisiting us when we're old enough to read statistics is true. Also, though I know, statistically speaking, I have a greater chance of being killed by an asteroid hitting earth as the plane crashing and landing me on a deserted island in the Pacific during this transcontinental flight, I have an overactive imagination that already has me making a radio handset out of coconuts.

4. I've never actually met Cam in real life and I'm going to be spending four days with her family. While we're obviously #braintwins and have shared so much over the last couple of years, there's going to be that awkward moment when she realizes I'm not nearly as cool as I seem to be online.

     4a. What do you mean I don't seem cool?

Give me enough time and I'll probably come up with reasons five through ten. Fortunately for my sanity, I'll be getting on the plane in 48-ish hours.