Leaving... on a jet plane... part 1

I didn't get much sleep the night before leaving to D.C. Partly due to a much needed conversation with my friend Joel and the rest due to the excitement of the opportunity ahead of me.

I left home (along with my daughter, her fiance and my grandson) with two stops to make on the way to Long Beach airport... the first was to buy hair color (no way am I prepared to show my roots - even in a foreign country) and the second was lunch (since JetBlue was not offering a meal on the plane). Of course I left in plenty of time to handle both errands and arrived at the airport with lots left over. Good thing too because the check-in kiosk was a bit challenging for me! lol I eventually figured it out and resumed my place in line to check in my bags. Not a surprise to me, JetBlue charged me $30 for my second bag.

We ate our lunch outside of the terminal and I managed to snap a couple of pictures of us (except for Ruben). RJ still wasn't aware of what was happening, but he knew I was going to Kuwait. I had a short talk with him, knowing that too much would be overkill, and he assured me he understand exactly what I was saying.

The line was forming and I knew what I was about to do next would be the hardest thing on my daughter... she started to cry before I hugged her, and she continued to cry the entire time I talked to her. Okay, I admit... it was very difficult for me also. So many thoughts crossed my mind, but two stand out... will she really be okay without me here? will RJ remember me in a year?

Anyway, the plane ride to D.C. was an enjoyable one as I had two of the most pleasant passengers sitting on either side of me. We struck up a conversation, partly due to my USO shirt, and I even learned a few things about flying in general.

The landing into D.C. was smooth and I was greeted by a driver holding up a sign with my name on it. (Wish I would've taken a picture. lol)

While waiting for my baggage, I had the pleasure of speaking to a retired Marine. Again, because of my shirt, the conversation led to my job with the USO and he thanked me for what I was doing. For the first time I really thought about the impact I have serving our troops. Don't get me wrong, I have been thanked many times as a volunteer at LAX, but this time it humbled me on the spot. I thanked him for his service and parted ways.

I arrived at my hotel suite close to 11pm, and after taking it all in, I went to sleep.