This is the beach in Miami, Florida. I’m here for a business trip and it is truly heavenly.

Wish you were here!

This Thursday I’m thankful for business trips – mostly because it’s the only way I’m getting to travel these days. Since I’ve been working  at my current position, I’ve taken my first flights and I’ve travelled to Denver, CO (I think I’m in love with this city) and Washington, DC to participate in large public health conferences.

Flying. It isn’t a big deal for most people. In fact, the majority of you have been flying in airplanes ever since you were small children so it just comes naturally. I am not one of those people. I’ve always felt a bit awkward explaining to others that I’ve never stepped foot in an airport, let alone on an airplane. Luckily, those days are over! On Saturday, October 2, 2010, I took my first flights! I’m sure you know how the process works so I won’t describe the steps of checking in, printing boarding passes, taking off your shoes when going through security, and walking through the jet way to the plane. I consider all of these things, however, to be frequent-flyer discoveries: the little nuances that everyone knows because they’ve been flying for so long but that I just recently learned. Now I know them, too!

My first boarding passes.

I know, I know. I’m almost 26 years old and I’ve never flown in an airplane. But that will change as of October 2, 2010!

It probably would have taken even longer than this (something along the lines of a honeymoon in like 2-3 years) but my job is sending me to the American Public Health Association conference in Denver in early November and the thought of flying all by myself for the first time filled me with indescribable anxiety. So Nick, being the most wonderful boyfriend that he is, agreed to take me on a flight before November so I’ll at least have stepped foot in an airport.