Day 8--A place you've travelled to

I have not travelled much, really. I travelled as a kid, and I have fond memories of flying back to CT with my mom from Florida visiting my grandparents, and having a layover in Cleveland and Cincinatti...BRRR. I have memories of going to visit my mom in FL when I was a kid and flying back into Hartford. I have wonderful memories of my more recent trip to Charlotte with my bff in crime, one Mrs Christina Litchfield. That was a phenomenal trip, and one that was incredibly valuable and very spontaneous....This picture is the Charlotte skyline on our flight out. *sigh*

But, the trip that i'm going to talk about is my trip to San Deigo. Talk about on a whim, and really a defining moment in my life. I jumped on a plane, to work in San Deigo, and inspect the area out there to see if I wanted to live there. I got myself to the airport, and on a flight. I changed flights in DC, and got to experience travelling firsthand as an adult. The best part of that trip....My mom (AKA mission control) monitoring my trip, and as I landed in San Deigo, getting a text that she knew I landed, and that she was so proud of me for flying 3000 miles by myself.

It was an interesting trip, and I learned a lot about travelling. I learned that pictures on the internet mean nothing for hotels. The first hotel I stayed at was gross, and I only spent one overpriced night there. I learned that if you are paying with your debit card for a rental car, there is a 500 hold for incidentals. I learned that when landing in San Deigo, you are flying over the I-5 and that you can literally see the faces of the people in their cars stuck in traffic. I discovered that having someone in Mission Control (thanks mom) pays off, as the night that I was supposed to leave and fly back to the East coast on the red eye, my mom called me and told me my flight was delayed leaving CA and that I was going to miss my connecting in Denver. My mom did battle for me that night with the airline, as the airline kind of tried to screw me over. My mom had my back, and even now, if my dad or I are travelling, she is monitoring our flights, etc, from home, and keeping us abreast of the situation.

I learned that fish tacos are the bombdiggity. and, that the ocean on the west coast is NOTHING like the ocean on the east coast. I learned that CA is expensive as hell. I learned how to travel, and how to not overpack. I learned that I have some great friends in San Deigo/La Jolla who showed me not only the area, but the best CHOW in the area. I learned that sometimes the best food and the best lodging comes from the most unlikely places.

That trip was an awesome trip. I spent a good amount of time in our offices there, and I spent a fair amount of time on the beach. But, the biggest thing that I learned on that trip was that I can do anything I want to, and I'll be fine. I'm strong and smart, and with a little help from mission control, I can do anything. :-)

Here are some photos from that trip......

sign on a restaurant ON A PIER....crazy cool